Are there any songs you wrote with TA in mind?
Many. Out of my recent songs, I’d say Pray. It seems the writer TsuriKo thought it was a song about an affair, but when it comes to TA, that might also not be completely wrong, huh (laughs). We don’t tie each other down. Because there’s always a bond between us whether we’re together or not — I wanted to express that kind of feeling.
My impression of a song can change depending on how I feel when I’m listening. Does the same thing happen to Ayu?
It does, it does! For example, when I’m touring, I can suddenly hate the part of a song which I loved last week. I don’t know why. There’s no reason. Sometimes I’ll think, “Ah, I hate this song today” or “This song is scary today”. Or, on the other hand, I’ll think a song is gentle although I previously found it difficult to deal with. I think it’s strange, as well. It happens quite a lot.
What’s your favourite jacket cover?
Eh~ aren’t there too many to pick just one? I like all of them, but if I had to pick one, I’d say Trust. It’s not square like the current format. It’s now a nostalgic single CD. I still love it. I don’t know why, though.
Ayu-chan is always busy. Do you write lyrics according to a schedule, like "today I’ll write"?
I do, because I have deadlines, but it never goes completely according to schedule (laughs). If I can’t get into the right mood, I could try for hours but I would still end up rewriting everything. I’ve learned this from past experience. That’s why, while apologising to everyone in my mind, I’ll simply wait for inspiration to hit me ♥︎
Which song did you write while feeling the strongest?
Thinking about it now, I can only remember songs when I felt weak (laughs). I guess they’re mostly born from weakness, and hardly from my confident side. I think strength is on the other side of weakness. And maybe, the stronger you sound, the more your weakness shows. Maybe it’s exactly because I’m weak that I want to create strong songs that boost me. Decision is a song that’s like that.
Is there a reason why all your song titles are in English?
The meaning would be really restricted in Japanese, how to say — for example, if I use RED instead of 赤, wouldn’t you wonder, “What’s the meaning? It’s not 赤, right?” I want to evoke more ideas that way.
What song makes Ayu feel more energetic?
During rehearsals and things like that, the song that often fires up me, the band and the dancers is Mirrorcle World, I guess. Chased by the tempo and melody, how to say, the song feels like being barraged with questions. We get really worked up (laughs).
What was your biggest mess-up during a music video shoot?
It wasn’t a mess-up, but Virgin Road was absolutely the hardest music video. We used realistic guns, which was scary, and when we shot the ceiling of the gas station, rubble came flying down. And during the explosion scenes, an explosion went off by mistake near me. In the end, it turned into a powerful performance, but if you watch the video again, you’ll notice I’m actually running away because I was genuinely scared (laughs).
Where do the words for your lyrics well up from?
I’m not at good at talking. I’m the type who usually doesn’t say much. But people all have their own thoughts and feelings, right? Rather than discussing those with others, I can understand them better by writing them down, alone — that kind of feeling.
How you would you express 15 years of music, aside from using the word "treasure"?
"History".
How do you decide on a song title?
There are times when I make up one myself, and there are times when I leave the title which the composer used for the demo as is, because the title already matches the song.