Important! Report About Shipping of 'Miyabi'

2004/08/30

I received some questions from some fans at the get-together in Osaka.... Normally, I wouldn't address this type of subject here, but since I've been asked by some people, I talked to the music company people and got an answer for you.

Now, regarding the arrangements for shipping for those who bought the 'normal version'.
It should reach you in 2-3 days, so please wait a bit longer.
And, the AniMate and Gamers stores are scheduled to begin sale of 'Miyabi' on or after Sept. 1, so please try to directly contact the shop where you pre-ordered 'Miyabi'. Depending on the place, they might work on a first-come-first-serve basis.

I'll be making announcements later regarding promotion events.

Returned Home Without Incident

2004/08/29

The 'MaBIC Gathering' in Kansai wrapped up without incident and, somehow, without any rain falling!! And with the same 'somehow', the piano concert ended without incident! Well... I think I'll have this be the last time I perform with only the piano. (--) Oh, we've still have the Tokyo leg of the trip to go. It's a pretty difficult performance and I get nervous... It's completely different from your typical acoustic concert with guitars.
It was very much like a formal piano recital... Well, since this is a 'Gathering', it should be interesting.

I was also able to see a different side to everyone at the yukata party that I normally wouldn't be able to see, and probably I showed a side of me that is close to how I am in my private life (although, is that good or bad....???).
I'm looking forward to Tokyo!
To everyone who came, and to the staff, thanks for all your hard work.

Whew... Busy! (But Happily So)

2004/08/26

I've been really busy... That's a statement I'll happily make, though.
Yesterday I appeared with JAM at Hamana Lake's Floral Exhibition. The age range of the guests there seemed to be all across the board, from little kids to grandmas and grandpas, and grown-ups, too. Our group's sound is very strong, but while I was singing, I kept thinking, 'Are we singing loud enough?'

So, today I'm practicing the piano yet again.
I suddenly felt the urge to listen to the version of 'Kaze ni Fukarete' sung by one of my long-time friends, 'Soepii' (aka, 'Master')--that is, Soeda Kenji-san. (I have a cover of it on the album 'Ma-king'.)
I pulled the CD out of my big collection of anime CDs and listened to it. (It had been the theme song to one of the Martian Successor Nadesico CD dramas.) Once again, I was struck anew by how wonderful Soepii's voice is.
It's not necessarily a good song by any means (*-*), but putting your heart into it--that is, singing passionately with all your strength, is really important, isn't it.
There are, of course, plenty of gifted people with good technique, but I don't think that's all that goes into a song that can touch your heart...
I'll have take that to heart.
But in any case, I wonder how Soepii's doing nowadays???

Now then, I'll be back after our yukata party with everyone in Kansai!!

The MaBIC Gathering is Coming Up...

2004/08/23

This time for the gathering, I'm going to be doing a piano concert.
I think I'll sing about 10 songs, and so I created my own music sheets and lyrics booklet for myself.
I'll be doing the concert with these in front of me!!!!!
I think it'll be OK with these, but I'll have to be singing and playing at the same time, so...
There are 2-3 songs that I haven't yet performed for anyone yet, too.
I'll also be performing covers! ...But if I write too much about it, you won't be surprised when you come, right? (@@-)

Well, besides that, I've just finished recording the first slew of new songs for 'evolution'--several in addition to the main song.
The full report will come later, but I'll relay details as they come. For now, I'd just like to announce, 'Things are coming along nicely.'
We have recordings to do for JAM, too.
Things have been busy behind-the-scenes this year.....

In any case, I'm preparing as well as I can in anticipation of meeting everyone at the gathering! (^o^)/

The First AJF.

2004/08/15

I guest-appeared as part of JAM Project to the first ever Anime Japan Fes. If felt like we sang just two songs and then split (oh, but we did re-appear for the encore), but I felt like we were able to see much of the audience.
I thought to myself, 'There are really so many people here who like anime songs, aren't there...' They were singing along with us for every song... Well, as myself and as a member of JAM, I felt really fired up on stage.
The feel of it was very different from doing a solo performance on East.
The stage was really hot but we were able to keep our cool, and I was able to observe the audience's faces.
Of course, I'll also joined in the celebrations afterward!
Later, I also had a sort of 'Meeting for Self-Reflection' with JAM. We want to prepare for our upcoming concert while our excitement is still fresh!
Yeah... it was very helpful.

I Watched Fireworks!

2004/08/14

I saw a fireworks show today. Above the Bay of Tokyo, perhaps?
It went on for a long time. There were maybe several tens of thousands of individual fireworks used..... There were a lot of people there, too...
Fireworks are associated with the 'human life' or 'victory', but in the end it just becomes an image of something that blossoms with a bang and then fades away, doesn't it. I don't think that's the case, though. I wonder if the firework makers think of the fireworks as representing human life when they're making the fireworks, and when their creations finally explode at the end (just as any person's journey called life will end one day), if they feel like laughing and say, 'Ah, what a great life that was.'? I think a life lived like that, in which you can deeply move or influence the people around you, even if only a little, is truly great.
That was my impression from the fireworks show.
I'll do my best to live that kind of life.
I felt even more convinced after watching those fireworks!

Just Realized... I Haven't Been Writing Much...

2004/08/12

I haven't written a diary entry... in over a week!!!
Today I went to Shibuya's O-East to see the AJF's 'Anime Songs - Women's Section', and then I went to West to watch Kageyama-san and everyone else.
In the women's section, Ishida Youko-chan, Takahashi Youko-san, Kingetsu mami, and Mieno all appeared, so I definitely couldn't miss it! Also, JAM is scheduled to appear in East on the 15th, so I had to get myself into AJF mode.
Well... there were songs, storytellings, different kinds of talks, and many wonderful guests there, I think the audience really had a lot of fun. I personally was very impressed by Horie-san's 'Candy Candy'.
I was watching her the whole time. Hearing her youthful singing voice gave me such a sense of nostalgia, and reminded me of the innocence and pure character I had when I was child. Now, to the adult I've grown to become, who's doing her best every day, I got the feeling, 'Wow, you've really lived strongly til this very day, haven't you?'
I felt the Power of the Anime Song.

Secret's out! I also heard a song from 'Evangelion' for the first time today! It was the song I did a cover for previously, 'Zankoku na Tenshi no These'.
The performance reminded me of my days as a back-up vocalist for Yumin and really moved me.

I met Ishida Youko-chan for the first time in a long while, I kind of shot her a very older-sis-type 'Hm... you're working hard, aren't you' glance, and she just winked at me, as if to say 'Yes, yes.' (=^^=)

This is getting a little long...
Oh! West is pretty close to JAM, is it... The air was sort of stuffy and hot, but the MC, Shocker Ono-san, created a really nice atmosphere. Please look after us on the 15th. m(_ _)m

After the 'evolution' Press Conference...

2004/08/05

I've been invited for many interviews (since I also have a new song to be released this autumn).
Lately, I've been in a lot of interviews as part of JAM, so it feels strange that I have to make myself calm down and talk by myself.
Since, for JAM, it's a frequent occurrence that, when one person is talking, another person is also talking and fooling around. (^-^)
In the 'Media' corner, we'll make announcements of interviews from various magazines, so please check there!
I'll also be talking a lot about things that I couldn't get to at the press conference.

I've Been Receiving....

2004/08/02

...many different letters of congratulations and people's responses to news of the launch of 'evolution'. The current line of thought went towards something like 'company administration & management' or 'music producer', but I was struck by a few people's written concerns and the apparent question, 'Are you going to become a distant figure in the background now?' So let me say: That's completely not true! I'll speak more about it here.

At the base of it all, I am a singer/artist. On top of that, I'll now be challenging myself to do something I've wanted to do for the past 3 years: production. Earlier, there had been a lot of issues that prevented me from doing this.
When I launched 'evolution', I had set upon to ask myself, 'How much can I refine myself? How much can I develop myself?' So my activities in this seemingly divergent world as a 'company manager & producer' will become my main focus. Kageyama-san, who is working as producer for Nogawa Sakura-chan, tells me time and time again, 'Without fail, you'll still have to show your fans the side of you that is all sweat and hard work (when you're singing and making music).' (^-^)
I think so, too.
It's just that I want to help those youth who are ages younger than I, those people of the next generation, to get their careers off the ground. I sincerely hope I can do that.
Also, I hope to enable fans from outside of Japan to have more access to Japanese music (especially anime songs).
In any case, I will be releasing a new song of my own this autumn.
I will also continue to release albums and hold plenty of sweat-showing concerts, of course! Right now, I'm in the middle of rehearsing for my upcoming accoustic live.

Anispa Concluded Without a Hitch...

2004/08/01

Our appearance and singing performance on this pop radio show ended without incident.
It passed by very quickly, but it was very interesting.
On of the two radio hosts was 'Masumin', otherwise known as Asano Masumi-chan!
The song went well, didn't it... Somehow they let us dance about and sing. The talk session afterwards was very 'explosive' and interesting.
Um... Masumin seemed so wonderfully youthful... It seems she's also good friends with Ishida Youko-chan, so I'll probably see her again, I think. (^^)/