#aimer and joelle are san

[putschki1969]

FictionJunction Station Express Railway Newsletter Vol.06 Scans

Here are my HQ scans of the latest FJS fan club magazine.

Vol.02 | Vol. 03 | Vol.04 | Vol.05

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Kajiura Yuki x KEIKO SPECIAL TALK English Translation

Note: This talk covers their entire history together so I thought it would be nice to provide a translation. They also mention Wakana a couple of times which is always a treat. It never fails to warm my heart to see them refer to Wakana as Wa-chan/WAKANA-chan. On a side note, I love how YK speaks so highly of Keiko, she definitely deserves all the praise! Without further ado, please enjoy!

As a member of FictionJunction and Kalafina, KEIKO has been singing Kajiura’s songs for a very long time, now they have finally come together for a dialogue. This talk will cover a long time span, starting from their first meeting up until this year’s Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#16. In addition to looking back on all lives until vol.#16, they will also discuss KEIKO's 2nd solo album "dew" which was released on December 8th.

ー I think the first time KEIKO sang one of Kajiura-san's songs was when she did the insert song "Kaze no Machi he" for the anime "Tsubasa Chronicle". When exactly did you two first meet?

Kajiura: Yes, our first meeting was around the time of "Kaze no Machi he" [※ ~2005]. That was an insert song, the character was singing it during a scene so I had to find a singer with a voice that would match the image of the character. I was looking for something husky, a deep alto but at that time, I knew no one that would fit this image. That’s when Mori-san introduced me to KEIKO-chan [※ Both Yuki and Kalafina used to be managed by Yasunori Mori under Space Craft]. KEIKO: At that time I had been doing various things on my own because I wanted to sing but really, I had zero experience so when I first heard about the opportunity to sing "Kaze no Machi he" I was honestly a little dumbfounded *laughs*. Kajiura: That's right *laughs*. That song was completely different from anything that KEIKO-chan was doing at that time as a member of Itokubo. KEIKO: Indeed! At that time, I was singing only punk and rock so it was a very fresh experience.

ー Was "Kaze no Machi he" a big challenge?

KEIKO: I didn't even have the awareness to consider it as a challenge, I was just super nervous. This sort of music was unknown to me so I had no idea how to sing it.

ー Do you remember the recording process?

KEIKO: I still remember that I wrongly assumed I would have to sing the chorus part with the coined words. However, I didn't get the score for the coined words so I desperately listened to the demo tape again and again, trying to make out the words and writing them down in katakana so I could bring them with me to the studio *laughs*. Then when I arrived at the studio YURIKO KAIDA-san was there and I suddenly remembered that she would be in charge of the chorus. I was so relieved! Kajiura: Oh really?? I'm so sorry about that misunderstanding! *laughs*

ー How was the recording itself, with a song that you were not familiar with?

Kajiura: It didn’t take too long, did it? KEIKO: On the contrary, there was so little that I could actually do back then. I remember Kajiura-san guiding me through a lot of the process and suggested to sing “in a natural manner”  Kajiura: The song was set to be sung in a small venue so it was meant to be rather quiet and intimate. Nothing too exciting or cheerful, it was perfect for the image. I still really love that song.

ー The song was pretty mature for KEIKO’s age at that time, wasn’t it?

KEIKO: It's true that the character’s age was much higher than my own but I didn't even think about it *laughs*. Perhaps because of my youth, I was more focused on listening and singing rather than thinking about stuff. To be honest, I feel like at that time I couldn't afford to think about anything, I just did it.

ー Kalafina came a few years later. How was it when there was first talk about the Kalafina project?

KEIKO: Once again I was rather taken aback *laughs*. Mori-san told me about the audition for "The Garden of Sinners", the theme songs were supposed to be sung by different vocalists. The thing is, there was this anime but I didn’t think about whether I liked it or not, I just decided to prepare for the audition. There were about 3 assigned songs for the audition but the only one I liked in the selection was “Hoseki” so I thought that going with that would be my best option. I still remember practicing and going to the audition [※ Fun fact: Hikaru also auditioned with “Hoseki”]. Kajiura: Kalafina was off to a bumpy start, wasn't it? I didn’t show my face to anyone at that time and we really didn’t have many chances to meet each other, none of the members were supposed to be permanent so it didn’t make any sense to meet up. Everything started from the premise that the project would inevitably end as soon as "The Garden of Sinners" series was finished so I don't think anyone involved experienced it as a pleasant situation, it felt wrong to think about it as a proper debut. I felt the same way, I didn't know how long I would be allowed to do it, I wanted to continue working with these talented vocalists but if I had been told to continue with someone else I would have had no choice but to do so. That's why I couldn't make any promises for the future to the three of them, even though we recorded and released CDs, it was honestly so intangible and didn’t feel like an accomplishment at all, I think everyone was a bit annoyed. It wasn’t until the release of their 1st album and the single “Lacrimosa” when it was officially decided to have the three of them as permanent members of the group.  KEIKO: Indeed, until then everything felt tenuous at best. Kajiura: Truth is, the original plan was to have seven vocalists for the seven movies of "The Garden of Sinners," they wanted seven newcomers to do it. For me personally it was more important to have good singers rather than a bunch of newcomers so that’s what I tried to tell the people in charge. But it was all pretty vague for a long time so it must have been extremely tough for the three of them, not knowing what would come next.

ー So the situation changed after that 1st album was released？

Kajiura: I mean, from the 2nd single onwards, all their names and faces were revealed but no one really knew the reason why that wasn’t the case for the first song *laughs* Perhaps it wasn’t until Kalafina started their live activities that they finally felt like a proper unit. Before that we would only meet briefly during recordings and we didn’t talk about anything. KEIKO: At the beginning it definitely felt like we were all on our own vs. Kajiura. There was no sense of togetherness.

ー When Kalafina started, did you have any issues with the extensive chorus work?

KEIKO: …Not particularly？ Kajiura: KEIKO-chan was participating in the Yuki Kajiura LIVES while she started her Kalafina activities. I think she felt like she was ready to record all these Kalafina songs because her skills had already improved considerably. KEIKO: It’s not like I didn’t worry about it but yeah, it was something along those lines. I mean, we even went to New York for some music production and I was singing together with experienced vocalists such as KAORI and Yuri-chan (YURIKO KAIDA), so it felt like a different dimension. I thought it was amazing to stand on the same stage as the person who sang the chorus of “Kaze no Machi he”, it truly was a great experience. Kajiura: I think your first experience with harmonising was when you performed as member of FictionJunction, right? KEIKO: The singing parts in the Yuki Kajura LIVES were very difficult. In the early days, most Kalafina songs had a pattern of “main vocal vs. other melody” but the FictionJunction songs had many difficult phrases rather than just plain harmonies. In the beginning I really couldn’t do a lot so I wasn’t of much use but slowly I saw my name appearing more and more frequently on the music sheets so I wonder if that might have been a reflection of my increasing skills.

ー Do you have any particular memories from the early days？

KEIKO: I remember every single live but I clearly recall the time when we had a Kalafina and a FJ performance two days in a row at JCB HALL [※ Kajiura Produce 3rd Anniversary LIVE TOUR]. Wa-chan and I were participating in both so this tour really improved our mental strength and memory. I feel like it was even harder than Kalafina's Nippon Budokan 2DAY LIVE which pretty much had two completely different set lists. Kajiura: Ah yes, it was at the time of Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#6 in 2010. We would have a 2DAY event for every venue, one day was dedicated to Kalafina, and the other day was for a YK LIVE, KEIKO-chan and WAKANA-chan were taking part in every single one of those lives ... I think it must have been hell for the two of you *laughs*. KEIKO: I had no idea what to expect back then so I had no way of properly preparing. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for it. All I knew was that I had to get through it! My focus and concentration were tremendous. Looking back, I am glad that we did those lives. We also did the Kalafina Asia Tour that year, it felt natural to sing every day. If it hadn’t been for these tours, I don’t think I would have gotten used to the regular live performances so quickly. They became a matter of course for me and that’s a good thing. *laughs*

ーThis became your foundation?

Kajiura: I felt like KEIKO-chan was worrying a lot during the first Yuki Kajiura LIVE, she didn’t quite know what she was doing. But then all of a sudden she became an incredibly reliable vocalist *laughs*. At around vol.#3 it was clear that KEIKO-chan had improved a lot and grown immensely as a singer so I was able to 100% rely on her *laughs* KEIKO: Yeah, I guess *laughs* Kajiura: Nowadays, it feels like she is truly the backbone of FictionJunction. I appreciate the sense of stability that KEIKO-chan is able to provide.

ー What happened to KEIKO in that short period of time after VOL＃1 to inspire that change？

Kajiura: KEIKO-chan really hates to lose, she is very diligent. She has a lot of respect for the work she does and is not willing to waste any time so I think that’s what enabled her to improve and grow in such a short amount of time.  KEIKO: I was in a hurry to catch up *laughs* Because everyone around me had so much more experience than me. I think it was a good environment for growth.  Kajiura: Maybe it was KEIKO-chan's growth that eventually changed the environment for the better. If you do your best like that, everyone, including myself, will be inspired to work just as hard. The sense of stability of the Yuki Kajiura LIVE regular team was truly tremendous back then, and I felt like this year’s vol.#16 was also amazing. I think KEIKO-chan was the major driving force to get us to this point so I am very grateful. KEIKO: I really enjoyed this live! Kajiura: It was really wonderful and your singing was so amazing that no praise would ever do it justice. I kept thinking that your vocals were astounding so I couldn’t help but tell you again and again. KEIKO: On this tour, we had a lot of discussions with everyone during the vocal rehearsals. Kajiura: Oh really? I want to know what you talked about *laughs*. I am always wondering what you are talking about. KEIKO: First of all, we each listen to the original version of the songs and practice by ourselves regarding various aspects, then the four of us come together for a group rehearsal. This time there were many Japanese songs which we hadn’t performed before, and moreover, they we were singing a lot of original songs. We had no real reference so our individual preparations were quite different depending on the song, we certainly had to discuss a lot. "Which is the correct way to sing this?" For some song it was relatively easy to find a solution but we struggled to find a good flow in "Beginning" and "Kioku no Mori" which were at the beginning of the live and were meant to serve as a sort of introduction for each voice. Kajiura-san had assigned certain parts to all of us so working on connecting the vocals proved to be quite difficult. Instead of creating harmonies like in "Distance", we are going from one vocal to the next to highlight them, just to eventually come together in “Kioku no Mori”. It took us a long time and we tried over and over again until I finally felt like I was getting more comfortable with "Kioku no Mori". Kajiura: About half of the set list was made up of FictionJunction songs but we don’t have WAKANA-chan with us anymore, instead we have Joelle-san. However, Joelle-san is not there to simply sing WAKANA-chan’s parts, her parts have been reassigned to the other members as well. The same is true for Kalafina's songs, truth is, with the exception of Aimer-san’s songs, none of the other songs are exactly the same as they used to be, I had to redo everything, so I think it was very difficult for my four utahimes to work with that. Also, everyone had a bit of a dry spell due to corona so I was a little worried whether or not they could handle the challenge after such a long break. But turns out I needn’t have worried, everyone was amazing so I felt bad for ever doubting them *laughs*. KEIKO: I'm happy you are saying this *laughs*. Kajiura: After all, you are seasoned performers. All of them have a high skill level and are accustomed to harmonising, they are also good at listening to their fellow members’ singing and adjusting their own singing accordingly. I think that there were many fans who hesitated to attend the lives because of corona but with everyone, including KEIKO-chan, singing so beautifully, you will surely have a change of heart and decide to come. You were guaranteed a fun experience so how could anyone miss out on that? Moreover, this time it was a live where the audience couldn’t do anything except sit there and listen so the utahimes needed to be all the more engaging to create a fun atmosphere. They really did their best and made it a wonderful live. The fact that they sang so well in such difficult times, there is really not enough praise for that!  KEIKO: This time the set list was full of inspiring and motivational songs. For this reason, I put in a lot more time into preparation and rehearsed frequently by myself. I feel like I've been preparing for two months straight after finishing the FC event in spring. I trained my body and had gained some experience holding a live completely by myself so once the vocal rehearsals had started I felt like I was up to the challenge. The set list was filled with so much fighting spirit that it had just the right amount of heat for a tour in the middle of a pandemic. I wanted to make it a live where the audience would feel like deep inside they could move along despite only being able to sit there quietly. It was similar to what I felt back in 2010 when I had this strong drive to increase the heat *laughs*. With all the breaks and cancellations in light of the pandemic I thought it was very important to go on stage and experience this unique feeling in order not to forget it. Kajiura: I really liked KEIKO-chan's singing in "Beginning". I think that 5 years ago, you would have put too much effort into the performance to make it perfect but this time it felt very intimate, like a private session, like an performance from your "KEIKO’s Room" series *laughs*. It was almost like you were singing in a tiny room, I wonder if you feel the same way? KEIKO: There were times in the past when I wanted to convey such a feeling but I couldn't. I think I am able to do this now because of the experience I have gained, I would like to continue slowly adding nuances like that to my singing. Kajiura: I remember asking once if you could sing “Kaze no Machi he” in the same natural manner as you originally did. Your answer back then was that you could no longer sing it naturally like that but your singing in "Beginning" is proof that you can definitely do it. I feel like that "more personal singing style" is similar to the one you use in your album " dew". There are some songs that are quite strong and powerful but the ballads come across as very natural, I really like the feeling they are conveying. KEIKO: I made this solo album around the same time Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#16 was taking place. I think it contains a lot of powerful pieces like “Hoseki”, some bewitching pieces and also songs that are similar to “Beginning”, occasionally it sounds like when I am harmonising with Kao-chan. Many different vocalisation styles were used in the production of the album. 

ー So it’s a good thing you did both at the same time?

KEIKO: Absolutely! After all, singing in front of an audience is quite different from singing in a recording studio, so I feel that both experiences had a positive effect on each other. Kajiura: I loved the singing styles you went for and I thought there were a lot of beautiful melodies in the album. “Tori Ame” in particular is such a stand-out piece for me, it really is a good song. KEIKO: Thank you *laughs* I am so happy to hear this.

ー Did you have a concept for the album？

KEIKO: This time, I wanted to make an album that you could casually listen to in your daily life rather than having to pay close attention to all the details. That’s why there may be many songs that feel calm. I tried a few different singing styles such as recitative or restrictive techniques. Kajiura: There are a lot of quiet songs but they are not at all plain or subdued because they are shining brightly. In terms of tension I feel like it is maintained throughout the album, I honestly thought it was beautiful. There is a shimmering radiance running through the entire album and I couldn’t help but wonder if that is what “dew” is referring to *laughs*. KEIKO: That’s “dew” indeed *laughs*. “dew” can mean "drop" or "fresh". During the summer when I was working on the album, I had many opportunities to come into contact with water, the sea, rain, and so on, so this year's me kinda reflected those feelings which in turn inspired the album. I have always liked warm and comforting songs. For example, I absolutely adore Kalafina's "Haru wo Matsu". I feel like I've added more songs like that this time around. Kajiura: How do you feel when an album is completed now that you are a solo artist? KEIKO: This time, I decided to shoot music videos for 9 new songs since I wanted everyone to enjoy a video alongside the song. When we were all done, my team and I felt a strong sense of accomplishment, it was amazing. At the time of the 1st album "Lantana", it felt like I was just trying to put together a few songs that would suit me but this time around it really felt like we had made a proper album, it was great. Kajiura: The overall flow is solid and the album feels strong. KEIKO: Right now, I'd rather use songs that express a part of my daily life or my state of mind. I have always been the type that is easily influenced by others, I like talking to various people to get different perspectives so I think this album contains a lot of inspiration. As a solo artist, I want to incorporate the stimuli I receive in my activities. I think that this album realistically expresses myself.

ー Some songs are written by yourself?

KEIKO: This time, I wrote the lyrics for four songs, "Tori Ame," "Latté," "Hachigatsu no Sora," and "Kimi ga Nemuru kara." I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to write the lyrics for "Hachigatsu no Sora" but after I went to see the sea the lyrics flowed smoothly. The melody of "Latté" feels neither hot nor cold so for some reason when I was thinking of natural lyrics, I kept thinking of drinking latté *laughs*. All the lyrics were really interesting, I was happy to be able to make music that expresses my personality so well.

ー I thought it was an album that you would want to listen to repeatedly with its captivating melodies and consistent feel.

Kajiura: After listening to the last song you really want to press the repeat button. I felt the sound and atmosphere were good and I wanted to keep listening. KEIKO: I hope everyone can also enjoy the 9 music videos we shot. In particular, "Revolution" was filmed in a magnificent location so when we were done, I was deeply moved. Kajiura: I think it’s nice to have so many music videos. KEIKO: I attempted something new but I honestly enjoyed the video production. It was pretty much self-produced, I also did the hair and make-up myself. I tried my best to stick to my own style while also making it fit the image of the song. Also, this time I worked with team of very young people, I was impressed by everyone's way of thinking and their footwork *laughs*. Their motivation was inspiring so we all made those videos with a lot of passion, it was a refreshing experience.

ーI am sure you are looking forward to everyone’s reaction to the album.

KEIKO: I'm really excited! Kajiura: There are so many great songs on this album so I'm sure everyone will be happy. Listeners are satisfied when the music is intriguing and poignant. KEIKO: I hope everyone will like it. I will continue to do my best to make good music for as long as possible.