[tenshi no hane]

Seventeen 11-05


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Q: Is it true that your album also contains songs that were written during your high school days?
“I wrote ‘tsuyoku naritai’ in my 3rd year. I was at my wit’s end and didn’t have any faith in myself but I didn’t want to give up on my dreams; it’s a song that I could only have written back then. I can rediscover my feelings and intentions when I listen to it, so I made it the album’s final song. Even though I’m turning my dreams into reality, there will also be times where I come to a stop, but I hope I will be able to work hard and stay positive in the future; I put those thoughts into this song.”

Q: Where there any memorable episodes during the creation of this album?
“Making ‘Dear days’ was really hard. There were parts in the lyrics that I hadn’t finished even on the day of the recording, but I didn’t want to write them properly. I made my staff wait because the lyrics weren’t finished... In the end I finished recording at 4 o’clock in the morning! It was inexcusable and really hard, but it was worth it because it turned into a great, satisfactory song.”

Q: You had to record and take exams; how did you balance doing both?
“My friends set up study sessions before the exams. The ones who were good at learning became the teachers and in a group of 10 they taught me. I managed to pass my exams thanks to them! Maybe the trick to balancing music with my student life is to not think too much about tomorrow and to focus on the things I have to do today?”

Q: Your album title contains the word ‘guitar’. When did you first ‘meet’ a guitar?
“I played piano since I was 2 years old, so I was already interested in instruments. I saw Sheryl Crow on TV when I was 14. She played on an acoustic guitar and looked really cool. I went to her live performance when she visited Japan. I especially love the song ‘Steve McQueen’. It’s so cool that it shocked me! It gives me power so I still listen to it when I feel down.”

Q: What way did you spent your days when you were still a high school student?
“Performing was against school regulations, so I performed live in secret. Because of that, my friends couldn’t come see me; it felt a bit lonely (laughs). But I loved doing it, so I wanted to go through with it. Because I also worked really hard on my studies, I managed to convince my parents to let me.”