A borderless band sound that transcends genres! Interview with "sajou no hana" who sings "Parole", the ED theme of the anime "Toaru Kagaku no One-Way Street"! Welcome newcomers! Vol.14]
With more and more anime being released every day, newcomers are appearing on the scene one after another. In this series, Akiba Research Institute will conduct in-depth interviews with "newcomers" of interest to Akiba Research Institute! That is "Newcomers, welcome! The interview this time is with "sana", a newcomer to Akiba Research Institute.
This time, we will talk to "sajou no hana," a band composed of three artists: sana, Sho Watanabe, and Kitanitatsuya.
Sho Watanabe is a hit maker who has created many anime songs and provided songs for various artists including voice actors and idols. Kitanitatsuya is also active as a solo artist at a young age, while supporting various artists as a bassist. He is also a talented writer who actively contributes songs to various artists. Vocalist sana passed the "anime-only audition" held by Smile Company in 2014 and has since worked as a singer and chorus singer for voice actors. 2016 saw her debut as the vocalist for the opening theme of "Mob Psycho 100.
With such strong personalities and talents, "sajou no hana" made its debut in August 2018 with "Hoshie," the ED theme for the anime "Tenro Sirius the Jaeger. Since then, they have continued to release works consistently, and on July 31, 2019, they will release "Parole", the ED theme for the summer 2019 airing of the anime "Toaru Kagaku no One-Way Street".
How did this new song, which will be released just before the first anniversary of their debut, come about? And who is "sajou no hana" in the first place? We asked them about these and other interesting questions.
A life in music that began with an unexpected career choice
─ ─ Since this is the first interview with "Akiba Research Institute," we would like to start by asking you about the story leading up to the formation of your band. I have the impression that you are a creator of many songs that represented the anime song scene in the 2010s, such as "connect" (ClariS), "oath sign" and "crossing field" (LiSA), but were you involved in a band before that? Watanabe: No, I never did anything like that.
Watanabe: No, I have never played in any bands. I started music late, after I graduated from high school. I was 19 years old when I learned what a "do" was when I looked at a piano keyboard. I made my debut as a composer when I was 22 years old, so during those three years, I didn't play in a band, but only composed music.
─ I see. Then, how did you start composing music?
Watanabe It started rather mistakenly (laugh). I had always liked music and wanted to go to music school, but I was not playing any particular instrument, so I did not think of making music at first. I thought I would go to a music school and learn how to produce publicity and sales, but the producing department at that school was actually a department to nurture producers like Tetsuya Komuro and others.
Kitani Producing to compose and arrange music, right?
Watanabe That's right. I couldn't even play an instrument. The first lesson was to "create a rhythm of your choice using a sound source containing various percussion sounds," and the one I created was a 16-minute piece that just played wind chimes.
(Everyone laughed)
Watanabe I thought I liked this sound (laughs). Then everyone around me was making cool 8-beat stuff. So I made a mistake and joined the wrong group, but I still liked listening to music, so when I eventually became able to write my own songs, it really opened up a path for me. I was completely absorbed in that path.
───You made your debut as a writer and became active in the music industry, but what made you want to start a band again at this time?
Watanabe: The music I liked best was the music I was playing in a band. I guess I always had a longing for activities where we decide on our own concept, write our own songs, and plan our own strategy.
On the other hand, as my career progressed naturally, I decided that I wanted to do my own free musical activities, and although I had not decided on a band format, I would like to be able to work like a band. I was thinking that it would be fun if I could freely create songs without being in the forefront as a producer, and I decided that a band would be the best way to do it with these members.
─ I heard that you, on the other hand, have been playing in a band since you were young.
Kitani: I was what you would call a band kid, starting in high school when we all formed a copy band, started writing original songs, and started going to live houses.
Watanabe That's a band. ......
Kitani I wanted to do that kind of activity and also do music as a job, so I thought I would work hard with Smile Company as a composer, but Sho-san grabbed me by the neck and said, "Let's start a band! He brought me along with him (laughs).
Watanabe You have a good sound as a composer, but you have an originality that is too good to be left to just a composer.
Kitani You are more of an artist, aren't you?
─ Did you find him attractive as a creator and a player at the same time?
Watanabe Yes, that's right. I later learned that he was also a performer, and I felt his charm.
─ ─ Mr. Kitani, what did you think when you were approached by such a big name as Mr. Watanabe?
Kitani: Well, I thought it wouldn't be anything strange (laughs). (laughs) It sounded interesting, and I was sure it would be a good fit, so I made the decision rather quickly.
───What kind of musical activities have you been involved in?
sana: I have been singing since I was a child. It was fun to improve my singing skills, and even in junior high school, I practiced karaoke every day after school without joining any club activities. I didn't join any clubs in junior high school, but practiced karaoke and other activities every day after school. When I was preparing for the high school entrance examination, I found an audition for people who liked anime songs, and I thought, "This sounds like such an interesting opportunity! I thought, "This is such an interesting audition," and I joined anyway.
─ So that audition led you to join Smile Company. Did you know about SANA at that time?
Watanabe: Yes. I was there at the screening. But it was not until much later that I began to admire Sana, and I actually did not check her out at that audition. I had a chance to listen to her sing a few years later, and I was surprised to hear how much she had grown. I was surprised at how much she had grown.
─ By the way, have you ever been in a band before?
sana This is the first time for me to be in a band.
───How do you feel about making a work with a fixed number of members?
sana: It is fun because there are things that I cannot figure out on my own, and it gives me the opportunity to challenge myself in various ways.
The band's color was gradually formed through many detours.
───That is how "sajou no hana" was formed, but do you remember the first time you got together?
Kitani From the very beginning, it was like we were suddenly asked to write a song for an anime called "Tenro" for which we would later be asked to write the ED theme song.
Watanabe Did I just write one or two songs ahead of you? I listened to Kitatatsuya's musicality and SANA-chan's voice, added what I wanted to do, and furthermore, I was researching what would be most liked in this day and age. After that, I got the idea for "Tenro" and started working on the music.
─ ─ What was the first song you wrote as "sajou no hana"?
Watanabe: To be honest, the first song we wrote was not at all satisfying.
(Everyone laughs)
Watanabe We used a vocoder that I didn't understand, and I didn't know where the chorus was.
Kitani But it wasn't a song that we completed as a band.
Watanabe That's right. I tried to make a song, but I tried to be too eccentric, and it ended up being too half-baked for the audience, for me, and for the singer, so I had to abandon it.
Kitani: Maybe it was a time when you were unsure of what kind of work you wanted to make as "sajou no hana. At first. So we made a number of songs, took a lot of detours, and somehow formed the idea that we could do this kind of thing.
Watanabe: I feel like we opened the door to "what we can do. I don't think "Parole" would have been a song we would never have written when we first formed the band. I feel that we gradually developed the style we have today. At first, we were just thinking about it.
─ Did you start to see the direction of the band after the first single "Hoshie" was released?
Kitani: No, I still don't know.
Watanabe: We simply make a song with an animation that fits the song perfectly, and then we try to make a song that we think is good as a band song.
─ ─ I have the impression that the songs in "sajou no hana" are pop, but the tracks in the background are very well crafted. How exactly are the songs made?
Watanabe It depends on the song. When I compose a song, I first hand over the demo along with the text material (to Kitani), and when I want him to add his own essence, I turn it upside down and ask him to take a completely different approach.
Kitani: When I compose, I just make it up as I go along (laughs). When I arrange the music that Sho-san writes, I start with a blueprint, and then I decide at my discretion whether or not to follow the blueprint, and if I do, it works. When Sana sings the song, it becomes "sajou no hana".
When I reviewed the past songs, I found that they all have a "sajou no hana" feel to them, even though they are all different in tone. I think that is probably due to the power of the vocals.
─ ─ Sana, what kind of impression do you have of the songs that the two of you create?
sana The image before and after the arrangement is completely different.
Kitani: Is it that different?
sana I think it changes a lot.
Watanabe I do a certain amount of work on the demo stage, but the arrangement changes a lot, and Mr. Kitani doesn't start out with the finished product. Kitani doesn't start out with a finished product. He starts out with a rough draft. So, in the end, the final product is quite different.
sana But I'm often more unsure of the image (after the arrangement) of Sho-san's sound source. The image of the finished product is usually completely different from what I first heard. In my mind.
Watanabe Really? Really? I didn't think it had changed that much.
Kitani We didn't see it either (laughs). (laughs) But isn't that a problem when recording? You were going to sing it this way, but it came out differently, so you had to change the way you sang it.
sana That happens sometimes (laughs).
Kitani Oh, I see. But we don't notice such hardships at all. ......
sana No, not even the hardships (laughs).
───As Mr. Watanabe mentioned earlier, I understand that you also return arrangements according to the blueprints, or make them differently.
Kitani: For example, if I were to compose or arrange a piece as part of my work, I would make sure that the blueprint that Sho-san gave me is written in a neat and tidy format. It is not good to show one's ego there. But we are a band, so I think we should show a certain amount of "I, I, I" ego.
Watanabe: There is room for discussion. We can talk about it even after the songs are finished.
Kitani So we make a song without thinking, and then have Sho listen to it, and through that communication, we change it a little bit and make it .......
So I might not follow the first demo that comes to me so closely these days.
─ ─ For you who have been active as a writer for many years, what do you think about this kind of interplay between band members?
Watanabe: It is quite common in my daily composing activities for arrangements to change completely, and I enjoy it, but it is certainly a different kind of fun to be in a band. I am looking forward to the arrangements every time I play with you because you are the type of person I have never met before.
I never have a chance to expect exactly what I want to hear. Of course, they do what I request, but I'm still happy when they come up with something a little off the wall.
Kitani: Yes!
─ Is that a feeling that you cannot experience in your work as a writer?
Watanabe That's right. I think that's what makes it different from other activities, because it's easier to do things with a band or as an individual that I would normally stall doing as a songwriter.
How to strike a balance between anime songs and music as a band
───The new single "Parole" is a harder song than the previous "sajou no hana" songs, isn't it?
Kitani Indeed.
Watanabe I have the feeling that we have jumped into a genre of music that we have never done before.
─ May I ask how you made "sajou no hana" ani-song?
Watanabe As a composer, I am the type of person who reads the original work thoroughly and incorporates the worldview of the work into the music, and that hasn't changed, but there is a difference in the way I create lyrics. When I write as a composer, I think about the artist who will sing the lyrics, but I also think about the anime and incorporate them into the best parts of the song.
───The lyrics include phrases that remind us of one-way traffic (accelerator), don't they?
Watanabe That's right. People end up depending on someone else to live, and I don't like that. But I thought you could relate to his personal side, saying that it is good to live like that, so I featured that in the lyrics. This is the image of the song from the anime direction.
─ ─ It is an anime song, but at the same time, the message of the band's music coexists.
Watanabe: Yes. There are people who start from the animation, but there are also people who start from the music. I want to prepare a link between the lyrics and the listener, even for those who started from the music. But I also didn't want to leave the anime behind, so I wanted people who had seen the anime to say, "You really like Accelerator, don't you? So rather than tracing the story, I wanted to write lyrics that would touch on the emotions of the characters, and I dug deep into the work to the point where it could be called a character song.
───The arrangement was done by Mr. Kitani. What was the point of the arrangement?
Kitani: I wrote it a long time ago (laughs). (Laughs.) What did you think betrayed you? Kitani: As is always the case, I used the good parts of Sho's demo as they were.
Watanabe What I thought was good about this time was that there was originally a rather long intro, but I had that cut off in the arrangement stage. Also, there is a phrase in the intro that is a voice processing, and I discovered that this approach also fits well with the song.
Kitani: It's true, I didn't have that sound material at first. However, I used the synthesizer in the intro as it is, the one that Sho had typed in.
───The development of the song is dizzying, and it seems to be the theme song of an action movie.
Kitani But the development of the song, or rather the sudden fall, was Sho's idea from the beginning, and it was my job to see how to make it into a complete song.
Watanabe I think the hardest part was for sana-chan (laughs).
sana I could feel Sho-san's enthusiasm for this song (laughs). So I went into the recording thinking that I couldn't fail. I also read the original comic, and Accelerator is a dark hero. I also read the original comic, and I thought that Accelerator is a dark hero and has many action scenes, so I wanted to convey the message of the song in a way that would lift it up at the end, rather than just dropping it because it is the ending theme. The lyrics are also filled with sensitive emotions, so I wanted to create a balance between cool and sensitive feelings in the song.
─ ─ I am also impressed by the fact that each instrument has its place.
Watanabe: The part where the bass guitar takes a solo. Also, the synth phrases.
───That's definitely the part that gets the crowd going at a live performance.
Watanabe: Now that you mention it, you're right! I hadn't noticed that before.
Kitani: However, we have probably never written songs with a live performance in mind.
─ ─ Did the inspiration you received from the first live performance (the first one-man live "Sagami no Yoru act 1" on May 4, 2019) influence your songwriting?
Kitani: I wasn't aware of it at all (laughs). (Laughs) I think the songs were already written before the live performance. Well, we are not really a band. We have not been trained in live houses.
Watanabe: What we are conscious of is the balance between the direction of the band and the anime, and what people who don't watch anime think when they listen to the music.
This album is a piece of music that is close to the world view of "One Way Street.
─ ─ I would also like to ask about the coupling songs. Please start with "Hedgehog".
Kitani: "Hedgehog" was written and composed by me, but I wrote it as a coupling song for "Parole," so I was conscious of the "One-way Street of Aru Kagaku" theme. However, I was only a little conscious of it. I read the original comic and thought, "There are people who think like this. I had some thoughts about the characters, but it was no use just writing about them as they were. I thought it was similar to a famous story called "Porcupine's Dilemma," so I wrote lyrics about it, and the content became completely different from the anime. So, I wrote it as a coupling song to go along with "Parole," incorporating elements of the anime as the essence of the song, and "ex" is available at .......
Watanabe This is a song that I had originally written, and I had wanted to release it someday. I felt that the phrase "You hate me" was close to the theme of this single, so I proposed to include it in the album at this time, and these three songs were decided to be included.
──As a result, the songs on the album are all in line with the image of the work "Toaru Kagaku no One-way Passage".
Watanabe: I also thought that the album had a "one-way street" feel to it. He is a strong character, but no matter how one looks at him, he is weak inside. The sound is strong, but the lyrics feature that weakness.
─ ─ I think that many of the songs in "sajou no hana," not only the ones in this album, but also the ones in "sajou no hana," are very in-depth depictions of the inner world.
Watanabe It is true that the lyrics I write are more introverted. I think there are more inner descriptions than landscapes. That remains true even in the harder songs.
Kitani I think it is natural for that to be the case. I want to write about the inside of people.
Watanabe I am also careful not to be too painful or realistic. There are people who go for more realism. I want to make the main character's figure and scenery come to mind. I don't think I've reached that point yet.
Kitani: I don't like lyrics that are too descriptive,
Watanabe: I try to stop at a certain point so as not to interfere with the imagination.
─ By the way, you mentioned earlier that you want to reach people who do not watch anime, but "sajou no hana" has been consistently releasing non-tie-up songs for distribution. I feel that this is a statement of your intention as a band not to have tie-ups.
Watanabe: That's one reason, and even if I find an artist I like, I tend to forget about them pretty quickly. So I always keep my hand up and say, "Here I am! I want to keep my hand up at all times.
─ ─ I have also bought all of the songs that have been distributed so far, and the more times I buy them, the more chances I have to look at the official website and wonder when the next one will be released.
Watanabe I think that is a very good cycle (laughs). (Laughs) I am sure that as we do this, the people who listen to us will come to need us more and more. Since it has been less than a year since our debut, we are thinking about how we can become one of the "main favorite artists" of our listeners. If we release only once a year or so, we won't get in there, so I think it's important to keep promoting our existence.
Of course, we always want to keep making things that do not betray those who came in through anime, and we hope that both anime and music fans will eventually get mixed up. I hope that people will enjoy our music beyond the boundaries of genres.
─ ─ In recent years, music fans and anime fans have become quite borderless, haven't they?
Kitani: I don't think there is much point in having barriers between the two. Bands, idols, anime songs, and internet music, you can listen to all of them.
───Do you feel that this is because you have provided songs to various artists and presented them in a variety of venues?
Watanabe: Yes, that is true. For example, when I go to the pages of people who write about my idol songs, their profiles are completely different from mine. For example, if you go to the page of someone who writes about an idol song I wrote, their profile is completely different from mine.
─ ─ "sajou no hana" itself is a genre-less band, isn't it?
Kitani: I don't think we need to stick to a specific genre. So maybe. Next year, I may fall in love with another genre of music and play only that kind of music (laughs). I might be playing a lot of R&B.
sana Ha-ha-ha (laughs).
Watanabe I think that kind of thing is possible. I want to play what I think is good at the time.
sana Yes. I want to sing in any genre.
─ By the way, do you have a favorite genre of music?
sana Hmmm. I am not particular. Right now, I want to sing anything.
If I can do what I want to do in a year from now, that would be great.
─ ─ Do you have any plans for your future activities?
Kitani Now that you have settled down after making this ......, what are you going to do from now on?
Watanabe I would like to continue writing music. I hope to release something by the end of this year, regardless of whether there is a tie-up or not. ......
Kitani: Okay, let's release some songs! I also hope you will come to our next live show.
─ Speaking of that, did you enjoy the first live show?
Kitani It was fun.
Watanabe It was my first live experience.
sana It was almost my first experience, too. But I felt comfortable that I was on stage with the members. I had sung alone before, but it was a new feeling to have the support of my friends.
Kitani You were very nervous right up to the MC, wondering what you were going to say. But when the show started, you were able to get it right.
sanaI was very scared before the event started. But I was always fine when it came time to go out.
─ You must be the type of person who can handle a live performance.
Watanabe The audience was seeing us perform for the first time, so they didn't know how to get into the show or how to get excited.
Kitani But everyone there was a fan of "sajou no hana.
sana Everyone was so open that I felt sorry for being intimidated (laughs).
Kitani But I am afraid of the next show, because we are going to play with THE SIXTH LIE. They are a rather stout and band-like band, so I think we will be away from home. Last time it was a one-man show, so it felt like home. How about this time? Do you think you can get the fans of the other side on your side?
sana I don't know. ......
(All laugh)
─ ─ When you are in a band, you can't avoid eating each other's fans.
Watanabe That's right. But I want to enjoy that too.
Kitani: When I was having a drink with Ryusei, the bass player of THE SIXTH LIE, he suggested that we do a live concert. I thought it would be fun to play with a big-boned band since these two are not used to playing live, so I agreed (laughs).
Laughs──It is nice that Mr. Kitani, who has experience in a band, sets up a place for us to interact with other bands.
Watanabe: Even though the level of our songwriting has improved, the level of our live performances is still only 1. Also, talking about the future, I think the album is beginning to flicker.
Kitani: That's right! An album. I want to make an album, let's make an album! But we have released quite a lot of songs so far, so it would be quite a lot just to collect them. But we have a short amount of time per song, so we might be able to write a lot of new songs.
sana We played 16 songs at the last concert, but it lasted only 40 minutes or so.
Watanabe That's right (laughs). (laughs) We couldn't fill the time! It was a lot of work. But I thought it was good enough to make people want to hear it again.
Kitani: Maybe the balance should be just enough to make people feel that there is not enough to do,
─ ─ It's like a punk band, isn't it?
(Everyone laughs)
Watanabe If an album had 20 songs in spite of such a tune, that would be new. Well, we ended up with this length when we pursued the length that we felt most comfortable with.
Kitani: Yes. That's why I can never listen to a song that is about 6 minutes long. I wouldn't like it if someone did that to me, so I don't do that even with my own songs.
─ ─ The "pursuit of music that feels good to us" is also unique to a band, isn't it?
Watanabe That's right. If it were a work song, I would think, "It would be unkind to suddenly change the melody in the second verse," so I would make the second verse as well, but in a band, I would think, "No, I don't need the second verse. If it were a band, I would think, "No, we don't need the second number.
Kitani If something is wrong with that, the other members will tell us.
Watanabe: We do it right up to the first chorus. I like the flow of the chorus because I am Japanese.
Kitani But if you were to make an album, you would want to make weird songs, too.
Watanabe Indeed.
─ I think the charm of "sajou no hana" lies in the fact that it is not straightforward. Finally, what do you hope to be doing one year from now?
Watanabe I will be "nothing" because I will just go with the flow and think as the time goes by.
Kitani I can't read what will happen a year from now, or rather, I can't read what will happen in the environment around me first.
Watanabe My thoughts may have changed.
Kitani Yes. So it would be nice if I could do what I want to do at that time. We may become a band that performs absurdly live. It would be interesting if we became a band that traveled around the country in a Hiace (laughs). (laughs) But if that's what you want to do at that time, I think it's totally possible.
I don't think there is any need for us to stay in a certain position, saying, "That's the kind of band we are.
Or we might not appear on stage at all, and you might be standing on stage by yourself. I think that would be interesting, and if that is what you want to do, then that is fine.
sana I feel the same way. I just want to be alive and well.
(Everyone laughs)
Watanabe That's right (laughs). (laughs) It is best to be in good health.
Kitani I want to be healthy in mind and body. We want to be a healthy band (laughs).
CD information
Parole/sajou no hana
Release date: July 31, 2019
Price: 1,500 yen (tax not included)
<Tracks included> 1.
1.Parole
Hedgehog
3.Ex
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