Akira Hata is a mother! Interview with new voice actress Akane Kumada, who made her debut as an artist with "Sunny Sunny Girl◎", the opening theme of the TV anime "Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga"!

A warlord is reincarnated in the present day! However, his appearance is that of a cute dog! The TV anime "Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga" has been attracting attention for its outlandish setting and the appearance of mysterious new voice actors. The opening theme song "Sunny Sunny Girl◎" marks the artist debut of new voice actress Akane Kumada.

Akane Kumada, who made her debut as a solo artist with the single "Sunny Sunny Girl◎" released on January 29, 2020, is a member of the next generation of voice actresses who served as judges in 2017, including Noriyasu Uematsu, Hironobu Kageyama, Aki Hata, and Kenichi Suzumura, who are top runners in the industry. He won the Grand Prix at the "ANISONG STARS" artist audition, where he was judged by industry leaders including Noriyasu Uematsu, Hironobu Kageyama, Aki Hata, and Kenichi Suzumura.

Since then, she has steadily built up her career with roles such as Eren in the TV animation "Tensei Takera Kara Slyumu Datta Koto" and Sensui Shibusawa in the TV animation "Rifle is Beautiful," and now she is ready to make her debut as a solo artist.

In this interview, she talks about the story behind the production of her memorable first single "Sunny Sunny Girl◎" and her themes and thoughts as an artist!
⇒Akane Kumada is playing the role of Eren in " Tensura" for the first time as a regular! Fresh girl Akane Kumada talks about the ideal voice actress she is aiming for. Welcome, newcomers! No.11]

From the point of facing singing as "Akane Kumada" instead of character songs

─ ─ So you are finally making your debut as a solo artist, do you really feel it?

Kumada: To be honest, I feel that it is too amazing ....... That is exactly how I feel. I had gone through many auditions and failed, so from that time, I could never have imagined a future like this. The dream I had at that time has come true in a bigger way than I had ever imagined, and I continue to be very happy. I am living in a state of amazement, feeling the support of the people around me.

─ ─ In "Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga," you play the role of the heroine Ichiko and are in charge of the opening theme song "Sunny Sunny Girl◎.

Kumada: I first got the part of Ichiko Oda, and a little after that, I was chosen to sing the theme song.

───What was your impression of the music when you first heard it?

Kumada I thought the orchestra was very pleasant. I thought it had a cheerful and energetic sound that I liked just by listening to it. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of words would go with this music, but the lyrics I received after that made the song even more pleasant to sing than I had expected. ...... Kodama-san put words on the song that rolled along. The content of the lyrics is very positive, with glimpses of kindness, making it my favorite song.

The words are very positive and the lyrics are very positive and kind, and I love the song.

Kumada I understand, I understand!　I especially feel good singing the chorus. People around me often tell me how I can move my mouth like that, but when I memorize the lyrics and sing them, it's surprisingly easy to do.

─ I guess you must be a voice actor with a good command of the language.

Kumada When I sing, I want to deliver the words properly. That's why I was very careful to sing with a clear and lively voice, so I'm very happy to hear you say so.

─ ─ I think you sang as a character in "Life Ring 4," the unit of the cast of "Rifle is Beautiful," but this time you are singing as an artist, Akane Kumada. Was it difficult to step away from the character and sing as yourself?

Kumada: It was very difficult. Not only for "Life Ring 4," but for the character songs I had sung before, I put the character first, thinking "How would this character sing? But for "Sunny Sunny Girl◎," I had to sing with a clear idea of what I wanted to deliver as the artist Akane Kumada, so I was very worried about how to sing the song at first.

But after much consultation with the director, I decided that I wanted the people who listened to the song to be energized and happy, and that I wanted to convey the power of the song in a straightforward manner. I realized that I wanted to convey the power of the song in a straightforward manner. In response, the director advised me, "Then you need to put your feet on the ground, let your voice come out from your stomach, and sing with your whole body to reach the audience. But at first, my body wasn't ready yet, so it was very hard to sing from my stomach.

When we finished recording "Sunny Sunny Girl◎," I felt my whole body relax. I sang with all my might. But because of that, I think I was able to find a way to sing as "Akane Kumada.

─ Up until now, you had an image of "this is how I should sing" from the beginning, but this time, you had to find the answer by yourself.

Kumada That's right. For example, in "Life Ring 4," Izumi Shibusawa, who was playing the role of an older sister-like character, I wanted to express warmth and a gentle, enveloping feeling. I wanted to express the warmth and tenderness that she embraces. That is why I sang with a softer voice than my natural voice, and I sang in Sensui's voice, imagining how Sensui would sing. I had eliminated the thought of "as Akane Kumada" or "as Akane Kumada wants to deliver," so singing as a solo artist was a strange feeling, or rather, I had a sense of standing in front of a new door.

─ Did you have meetings with Saori Kodama, who wrote the lyrics, and Akihiko Yamaguchi, who composed the music, beforehand?

Kumada: Actually, I have not met with Ms. Kodama or Mr. Yamaguchi yet, but I told them through the staff that this is how I want to deliver my thoughts to the audience and this is how I want to be an artist. I myself am not mature enough to understand everything about myself yet, so I worked with the staff to come up with "this is the kind of person Akane Kumada is. So, they took in a lot of my opinions.

─ ─ What percentage of Kumada is expressed in this song?

Kumada Hahaha (laughs). It's like 100% Toguro (laughs). In that sense, this song is 100% Kumada. The song expresses 100% of the emotions that are inside of me, and the emotions I express through the song are 100% of what is inside of me.

I enjoyed shooting the music video as much as I could.

───What impressed you the most when you actually sang the song, and what did you like about it?

Kumada: Overall, the song is bright, positive, and gentle. It is full of positivity and kindness. Normally we don't notice it because we take it for granted, but if you look around you, you will see that there is always someone watching over you, or that you are surrounded by things you love. I really like it because I feel that the song is full of positivity and kindness, and at the same time, it is bright and cheerful, and I am sure that it will make people happy who listen to it.

─ ─ The music video is just like that, and just watching it cheers me up. Personally, I found it very funny when the grandmother suddenly gets up and dances (laughs).

Kumada She was very kind. She dances like crazy all of a sudden (laughs). (laughs) But when the shooting was over, she was a little shy, and even though she was a senior, I felt a little bit "cute" towards her.

───The video clearly shows Kumada's energetic character. How was the filming?

Kumada: It was a lot of fun. Of course, it was my first time to shoot a music video, and I was like, "This is how music videos are shot. So I was told, "First of all, please walk briskly! I was told to walk briskly, and I thought, "What's this going to be used for? I thought, "What is this going to be used for? It was interesting to see how the scene turned out. The director was very kind, and when I was wondering what to do since it was my first time shooting, he said, "You don't have to think about anything. Just have fun with it and I'll make it fun! I had a lot of fun shooting the film.

And there is a scene where everyone is dancing together. I really enjoyed dancing in that beautiful sunny day. There was a sense of, "Let's have fun, everyone! There was a sense of "Let's all have fun! We were surrounded by laughter as we filmed, and I was really enjoying myself, thinking, "Shooting music videos is so much fun! It was a very sunny-sunny scene. It was just like Sunny Sunny.

───Yellow is featured in the visuals this time.

Kumada: Yes. Yellow is my artist color, and the staff thought of it based on my personality. It has always been my favorite color, but when I was asked to wear this color in the jacket, I liked it even more, and I immediately began to notice yellow accessories.

Yellow is refreshing and a vitamin color. I also like vitamin-colored fruits such as oranges and bananas. That's why you used them in the jacket photo.

───The visuals look good for your health, don't they (laughs)?

Kumada That's right. I am good for my health (laughs). I hope that people who listen to my songs will become healthy. That's what I put into these three songs.

The package is a little embarrassing because it has my face on it, but doesn't it look like something you could hang in your house? I am sure it will cheer you up!

─ By the way, were you conscious of the world view of "Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga"?

Kumada: Since it is the opening theme for an anime with gag elements, I was conscious of singing it in a way that gives a sense of a bright beginning to the main story.

What I also thought was great about Kodama's lyrics was that they reminded me of a dog, as in "Wonder Wonder Days. I don't know if it was actually consciously created, but for me, I think this playfulness is wonderful and interesting.

Saeki youngK is the father and Aki Hata is the mother!

─ ─ I would also like to ask about the coupling songs. The lyrics of "YOUR FREE STAR" incorporate everything you have said in our previous interviews with Ms. Kumada, don't they?

Kumada: That's right! My life is written in beautiful words. Your Free Star" is a song that expresses what is always in the back of my mind in simple, straightforward words, but first of all, the melody is wonderful. First of all, the melody is wonderful. It is heartbreaking, but at the same time, the melody is bright. I really like the lyrics, "I want to make it come true, so it will come true," and "If you want to convey it, it will be conveyed. It's very positive. And the lyrics "You have to take the first step to make it happen" and "I will support you in that first step" are what I want to convey as an artist, as well as "Just take the step! Yay! It's a song that is especially my own among the three songs in this album, because it expresses in a straightforward manner the joyousness of taking a step forward without thinking too hard.

─ ─ To be honest, after listening to this song, I thought there was no need for an interview (laughs). When asked, "What kind of person is Akane Kumada?" I think I would just say, "Listen to this for now.

Kumada: Haha (laughs). I am glad to hear you say so! But I was really surprised myself. I wondered if Mr. Saeki youthK, who wrote this song, is a person who has lived with me all his life. I told the staff that I wanted to write this song, and they wrote it for me, but I wonder why it is so obvious.

─ ─ And "First Step, Fun Step! This song is exactly the same as Kumada's life, isn't it? Aki Hata's lyrics are amazing.

Kumada I really think so. When I received the song, I was surprised and thought, "You are a mother? I was surprised.

I was really surprised and happy that it came true so soon. This song is about the story from my audition to my debut as an artist. I thought, "I can't believe how much is known about me!

Whenever I am asked to sing a song, I first recite the lyrics at home. I put the words into my body there, but for this song, that was the least amount of work. I wrote the lyrics in "my words," so it is the most emotional song of the three.

It may seem like a small thing to the people around me, but it brought back many painful memories for me, as well as the things that gave me the courage to take the first step forward.

I hope that those who listen to my inner voice will be inspired to do their best, even if only a little, and that they will be reminded of how wonderful what they are doing now is. I also reminded them that it's okay to feel down at times. I hope this song will be an opportunity for you to admit to yourself that it is great to keep trying.

─ ─ From the first phrase, "It always starts with me," I was instantly grabbed by your heart.

Kumada This is also something I always think about. Even if you go through a hard time, if you just change your way of thinking a little bit, the whole experience will become your strength. I have felt this way several times through auditions and other experiences, so from the first phrase, I have been trying to be kind, but at the same time, I have been trying to move forward strongly. Don! I felt that from the very first phrase, the idea of moving forward with kindness and strength surged through me.

Especially the phrase "I was worried, I was crying, I was crying..." It's bad!

───Did you and Mr. Hata have any particular discussions about this song, or was it something you told the staff?

Kumada That's right. That's why I was thinking, "Oh, what is that? Is Ms. Hata my mother? (laughs). (laughs) So for this CD, I have the image of Mr. Saeki as the father and Ms. Hata as the mother.