Aimi Numakura on her last live: "I wish we could all finish with smiles on our faces" Best album "Minna de! Release Interview

Aimi Numakura, who has been active as a voice actress artist since July 2016, announced the end of her artist career in November 2019; on February 12, 2020, she will release a complete best album containing all the songs from her past activities, "Minna de! will be released. We asked her about the newly recorded songs for this album, her thoughts on her past activities as an artist, and her approach to her last live concert on February 16.

What is the reason for the end of your artist activities?

─ Last year you announced the end of your artist activities in November 2019. I don't think there are many voice-over artists who make such an announcement, but was this a decision that you yourself made?

Aimi Numakura (Numakura): Yes. I was the one who finally said that we would end our activities. During all of our activities up until now, the staff, including the producer, always took the stance that it was fine if Ms. Numakura made the final decision. I am not sure if my feelings will be conveyed well, but I thought it would be better for us and our supporters to make a clear separation so that we can embark on new things, and I thought it would be better to properly communicate that as well, so I made the announcement. I was scared to make the announcement, but I thought it would be more in character with Aimi Numakura, and I wanted to believe in what I had done up to now and in the people who had been following me.

─ May I ask why you decided to end your career as an artist in the first place?

Numakura: There was no big reason. Rather, it was unexpected that I had been able to continue this long. The fact that we have released so many CDs and held so many live performances and events was beyond my expectations. As for myself, I feel that I have done a great job of making it this far. I decided to quit after comprehensively considering what I could do, what I wanted to continue doing, and what was expected of me.

─ ─ When you made your debut, how long did you have in mind for your activities?

Numakura: I started with the intention of making something that I would be satisfied with, even if it ended with my first live performance "My LIVE" (August 2017) after my debut. After that, I decided to make each piece carefully so that no matter when or where I was told, "Excuse me, Mr. Numakura, but this is the end," I would still be able to say that I was satisfied. In fact, at the time, nothing had been decided after that, so I thought it was not impossible to say that we would fade out there. I thought I would do my best to make it so that I could say that it was still good, and I felt the same way at every point after that.


──You intended to completely burn out each time.

Numakura Yes. I think it just happened to be now.

─ ─ What do you think of Aimi Numakura as an artist?

Numakura: Rather than an artist, I think I am more of a creator by temperament. I like to create things, and I don't mind if I am not the one who stands at the front and sings, or if I can be a cog in the wheel of creation. I don't think I have the personality to be a front man. That is why I am a voice actor, and of course I like to act. One of the things I gained from being an artist was the realization that no matter where I go, I am always an actor at the core. That is not the reason why I quit being an artist, though.

─ ─ How do you think your experience as an artist has benefited you?

Numakura: I began to think about how happy people would be and how much fun I would have. It would be natural to say this, but until then I had been prioritizing what I thought was good for me. While that part of me still exists today, the ratio has changed, and I now have more capacity to think about others.

─ ─ The complete best that will be released this time, "Minna de! is a historical package that includes 2 CDs containing all the songs to date and a Blu-ray of music clips, and the songs are included in the order of their release. Among the included songs is a new song, "Minna de! but there are also two songs that were released only at fan club events.

Numakura: "Come on New World! was released at the first fan club event "Numin no Tsudoi," so it was my birthday two years ago. The name of the fan club was "AREA NU" and the members of the fan club were called "Numin" to some extent, so I decided to make this song to express the at-home atmosphere of the fan club. I wanted a song that would be noisy for now, and sang something like, "There are many things going on outside, but let's amplify our own fun here as a place where everyone can have fun.

─ The other song, "We" is a collaboration with voice actress Ayaka Suwa.

Numakura: For the second "Numin no Gathering," this time we invited a guest and thought it would be nice to have a special song just for the two of us. I wrote the lyrics, and when I opened the lid, it turned out to be just like Suwa and I. I think it gave the song a more special, one-time-only feel.

Numakura──As you wrote the song, it became closer to Suwa-san.

Numakura That's right. There are many words to describe this position, but none of them fit 100%, so I wrote about what we should call it. This is a feeling I have for other people, but when I wrote the lyrics in the style of a shouting match, it became a form of balance that would not have been possible without Suwa and I.

───Did you record the song for each of us?

Numakura: Yes. I would sing a tentative version of the song and give it to Suwa, and as long as he seemed to enjoy it, I would leave the expression to him. I would listen to it and then record it. She can do anything, and she has many ways to express herself in singing, but she sang the way Ayaka Suwa sang when she was with me, which I appreciated.