Interview】Asakika releases "The Sunshower", the theme song for "Heya Can△". This time, it is another refreshing soul number!

Anime song singer Asaka will turn 20 in October 2019 and is expected to be even more active. She will release "The Sunshower", the theme song for the short anime "Heya Can△", as her seventh single. The coupling song "Isn't It Fun?", an image song for the TV anime series "Yuru Can△", is also included. The happy collaboration between Asakika and "Yuru Can△" has been realized again!

Isn't It Fun?" is a gospel-inspired song!

─ ─ Congratulations on the release of your 7th single "The Sunshower". The title track and its coupling "Isn't It Fun?" were performed prior to the release at the YuruCan△ Music Party 2019 held last year on November 24, 2019, right? Could you start by telling us about that time? What was the stage like?

Asakika: The year before last, we held an outdoor concert titled "Secret Society Blanket Music Festival" at a school that was the model for Motosu High School in "YuruCan△", but this time it was held at a hall called LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (Shibuya Public Hall). I enjoyed the handmade live concert with chairs lined up in the schoolyard of Motosu High School, but I think this time it turned out to be a more authentic music event. It has already been two years since I was in charge of the opening theme for "Yuru Can△," and I feel that the number of fans continues to grow and that they value the music as well. I was happy to hear "The Sunshower" and "Isn't It Fun?" from people who love "YuruCan△" before the CD release.

─ ─ "Isn't It Fun?" was used in the "Yuru Camp△ Activity Record Video" that was released on YouTube last September, so it is already familiar to fans.

Asakika: Yes. Isn't It Fun?" is a song we wrote as the image song for the TV anime series "Yuru Can△.

When I first heard it, I thought the sound was similar to that of "Shiny Days.

Asakika: That's right! It is soulful just like "Shiny Days", but has a looser feel that is typical of "Yuru Can△". The vocals and chorus are a little different from "Shiny Days," but this time I was conscious of gospel music.

─ Indeed, "Isn't It Fun?" has a thick chorus, and the beginning of the song sung to the claps is very gospel-like.

Asakika: I think that singing an anime song with this kind of soul or R&B taste has become a specialty of Asakika's. Thanks to "YuruCan△," I have been able to sing more and more. Thanks to "Yuru Can△," I was able to find new possibilities.

─ What did you pay attention to in the vocals for "Isn't It Fun?

Asakika: I made my voice sound louder. I sang the first note in a low to high pitch, which is called an "edge voice," to give the song a more Western-like atmosphere. I usually use an edge voice, but it is even better in a mid-tempo soul song like this, so I was able to bring out my best in this song.

───It also fit perfectly with the "YuruCan△ Activity Record Video" video.

Asakika: I wrote the song first and then had the video edited to match it. Rin-chan was drinking coffee to the lyrics "Coffee in a mug, steam rising from the mug," and the tempo of the song matched the cut of the video perfectly.

What was your impression of the lyrics of "Isn't It Fun?

Asakika: Similar to "Shiny Days," I felt the excitement and thrill of a fun day out that is finally approaching. But this time, you are sharing that feeling with your friends. While "Shiny Days" was a song about facing oneself and opening the door to the future, "Isn't It Fun?" feels like opening the door to the future with friends, and I think this song was made possible by the TV series.

───The music was composed by Akiko Tateyama, who was in charge of music for the TV series, wasn't it? (Co-composed with Kohei Miyahara)

Asakika: This was fate. I was allowed to choose the melody without knowing the composer, and when I opened the door, it turned out to be Mr. Tateyama. Because he loves the work "YuruCan△" and knows Asakana well, I felt that this song had a power that no other song could have.