Wakana is expressing herself as an artist with a declaration of blooming anew
This album should really be titled “Wakana’s declaration of coming into full bloom” Her first album “Wakana” is a great reflection of her character, of her identity. During her time in Kalafina, Wakana was part of a vocal trio that worked under producer Yuki Kajiura, she did impressive work by conveying the worldviews presented in the songs written for them. Her current work is quite different from that. Wakana had songs written for her by composers whose works she had always been interested in, who she had admired and wanted to work with for a very long time. She wrote most of the lyrics herself and there was a lot of variety to each recording. Wakana’s very own lyrics and a commitment to slow and mid tempo songs make this album unique. With regard to the lyrics, Wakana emphasises that the worldviews presented in her lyrics got inspired by the melodies. Therefore her singing goes very well together with the melodies, it feels quite expressive and there is a strong sense of empathy. Yes, Wakana is coming into full bloom as a solo artist!
■ I listened to your 1st solo album, I was quite surprised by the variety among the tracks.
Wakana: I agree with you. I recorded one piece at a time so I only got a proper feeling for the album once it was completely finished. When I listened to the final result I thought, “wow, there is so much variety!”
■ I was also surprised to find not a single up-tempo song on your album
Wakana: Yes, I thought it was pretty much a requirement for every album but since I have never really been very good at singing up-tempo songs I wanted to stuff my album full of songs I actually enjoyed singing, songs that I am good at singing with my current skills. That’s how I came up with this selection. As a result I got the chance to write a lot of my own lyrics.
■ Even so, I am sure there were some songs that were quite challenging for you? Quite a number of songs took me by surprise.
Wakana: I am happy you got that impression. However, I think I was able to embrace each and every song quite easily so I didn’t see it as challenge. Thanks to that, the album has quite a wide range. *laughs*
■ Above all, I was particularly surprised by the third song, “Ruriiro no Sora”. It has a strong “city-pop” vibe.
Wakana: Yes, “Ruriiro no Sora” really does give off nostalgic vibes. it is something completely new and refreshing for me, I think for many listeners the song will invoke a very strong sense of longing.
■ Did you have a particular vision in your mind, along the lines of, “I want to create a specific kind of work”?
Wakana: I never really felt like that. It was only ever about wanting to create an album where I can convey my voice properly. Also, up until recently I never thought I would get the chance to write my own lyrics so I seer this album as a precious gift, a gift to myself for which I am very grateful.
■ That's right. It was quite the surprise to see you credited as lyricist for most songs of the album
Wakana: Because it was my first time writing lyrics I think I was able to do so many songs straightaway without thinking too much about it *laughs* In the future, when the words spell out of me, I will have a lot more doubts I think .... I feel like I will probably have a lot of slumps where I will not know what to do, I will be troubled by things like “I don’t think these lyrics flow” or “oh no, I am falling into a pattern”. If you think about it like that, this was probably the most fun I will ever have writing lyrics *laughs*
■ Because you started on a clean slate, no images, no colours, no fixed ideas. No matter the topic, you were able to write pretty much anything.
Wakana: That's right. The canvas in my mind is completely white right now. In the future I would like to continue writing without putting any limits to my imagination.
■ Even so, it’s hard to imagine you wrote so many songs at once. I expected you to write maybe one or two songs but in fact, you are doing the lyrics for most of the songs recorded for this album.
Wakana: That's right. I only just started writing lyrics and yet there are so many songs written by me *laughs* The first song I wrote was for my single which was previously released. I had no idea what I was doing and I felt a lot of pressure and tension *laughs*.
■ When you are writing lyrics, the melodies have a very strong influence on you.
Wakana: For the time being I am writing all my lyrics based on what I feel when I hear the melody, I am writing about what appeals to me within the music. This is the only way I know so far. Whenever I am listening to a new song, the melody always hits me strongest. I am the type of person that will focus on the lyrics only after fully taking in the melody. So, when I wrote all of my lyrics it wasn’t so much about what I felt, it was about what the music conveyed. I became aware of that while working on my first few songs.
■ So you wrote the lyrics being inspired by the sceneries and stories displayed within the melody?
Wakana: Exactly. The music invited me, inspired me, guided me.
■ There is something that all songs have in common, the main character of every song is always alone and isolated *laughs*
Wakana: Is that so? Are they really all alone? *thinks back on all the lyrics she has written up till now* You are right, there are in fact a lot of songs with a lonely protagonist. *laughs* But there are two people in “Nagareboshi”!
■ But even in “Nagareboshi”, it feels like a very small isolated world of just those two.
Wakana: That’s true. Even if it is not so much about myself I guess I am writing a lot about people’s loneliness. There are not many songs with a “you” and “me” but I think that’s because I am basing my lyrics on my own memories and thoughts regarding the future.
■ It’s a song about reflection, once you have looked back on your life carefully you are able to look ahead and walk forward again with strength.
I would like to return to what I said earlier, about being able to write “pretty much anything no matter the topic”. As a result it’s this theme of reflection and looking ahead that somehow connects the diverse tracks on your album.
Wakana: Looking at it from an objective point of view I really think I was able to do anything I wanted. But when it comes to my singing I am still trying to figure out what I can do. I don’t know what I am capable of, how far I can go. That’s why I have tried various types of songs. I always want to try new things. Even if I wonder, "is this something that suits me ..?.", I will give it a try. I try to embrace that now. I used to give up quickly if I didn’t feel comfortable with a song, if I didn’t think it suited me *laughs* For example, in this album there is a song where I sing at a very low range, that was quite the challenge for me.
■ You are using that low voice in “Kioku no Hito”.
Wakana: That's right. I am going very low at times and during the high sections I am hitting very high notes. There is a wide voice range in this song. There is a strong sense of relief in this song so I wanted to sing it as smoothly as possible. But really, it is quite difficult if you try to sing like that... *laughs* The demo tape of this song highlighted the sections where I was supposed to sing gently and the parts where I needed to put a lot of strength into my voice. I was supposed to use singing styles I had never used before, it was a lot of fun to use to this new sort of voice.
■ Do you feel like you opened a new door for yourself?
Wakana: I do. It feels like it was knocked open *laughs*. Using a whispering voice for recording was pretty much a new experience for me.
■ How was the actual recording experience for you?
Wakana :At all times I felt like I was singing for someone. Once again I was made aware of how important that feeling is. Even though there were lots of different songs I realised that through me singing them they became my own music, I was able to create my own worldviews.
■ Is there anything you tried to keep in mind while you recorded the album?
Wakana: I always thought about how it would be to sing them live. That’s what has always gone through my mind when I recorded songs. Whenever I record I do it on the premise of imagining myself singing in front of an audience. While I recorded this album I thought about the ways I could perform these songs live, how I could interact with the audience at a concert. In that sense, the songs will only be fully completed through my live performances, it’s that kind of album. After all lives are as important to me as ever. It is my greatest pleasure to sing in front of everyone. I would like to keep singing in front of my audience so I wanna do my best to keep going. I want to keep singing for all of you!
■ I think your capabilities and capacity for adaptation are quite noticeable in each song.
Wakana: Thank you very much. After all, while facing each and every song, while singing them all by myself, genuine feelings were born out of me. I had some difficulties with each song but the biggest challenge was to make those songs my own. A big part of that is the singing style of course but for the most part I sang and wrote the lyrics while keeping the entire backstory to each song in mind.
■ Last but not least, please tell us what thoughts went into the making of this album!
Wakana: No matter how many hardships I will face from now on, I will forever remember this album and treasure it within my heart. There will only ever be one FIRST album. I am determined to sing these songs for a lifetime so I hope many people will listen to them.
