Author: Voice Recorder/Anitama Cover Source: Ms. Yamada Jewel photograph interviewed
For the TV anime "What are you doing in the last days?" Is there any availability? Can I come to the rescue? (hereinafter referred to as: Doomsday) sang the interlude of the play, and arranged the theater episode "Full Metal Frenzy!" DC Edition" trilogy theme song and TV anime fourth game "Full Metal Frenzy! Miss Yamada Zhulu (Yamada タマル), singers of Invisible Victory (hereinafter referred to as "All Gold" AND ED) came to the Anime Shanghai store on July 4 for a small autograph session, held a small solo concert at Yuyin Hall on July 5, and participated in the "Summer Festival" in Takashimaya, Shanghai on July 7, bringing several individual original songs in addition to the songs of "Doomsday" and "Full Gold". Ms. Yamada took time out of her busy schedule to give an exclusive interview with Anitama about her personal experience and involvement in the production of these two works.
--------------------------------- First of all, I would like to ask Miss Yamada, I heard that you are not actually coming to China for the first time, so please tell us about your impression of China?
Yamada, this is my second time in China, the first time in March this year, which is the time of the Spring Festival in China. Mr. Takaka, the organizer of the Takashimaya Summer Festival, met that time and decided on the performance. It's unbelievable that I was able to come to Shanghai again so soon, and I also held a small solo concert. Although the schedule is also very tight, from the event of the Animal Shanghai store and the individual small concert to today's Takashimaya Summer Festival (July 7), I am surprised and happy to have so many enthusiastic friends to participate in these activities.
——So, what is the impression of fans in China?
Yamada I was singing "Even... If", the reaction from the audience was very strong, and I didn't feel this way in the past. Because after I created an animated song, I didn't have the opportunity to participate in anime song-related activities. I was previously a guest at the "Anime Japan 2018" stage event, which was "All Metal Frenzy!" The theme song information and promotional video of the Invisible Victory anime were released for the first time, but they only greeted everyone on stage and did not sing. This is my first concert in China, but also sang the theme song of "All Gold", I did not expect that so many people would support me, let me personally experience everyone's enthusiasm and love for "All Gold". Compared with Japan, everyone in China is more enthusiastic and excited, and I myself am also touched by the enthusiasm of everyone.
——I hope that when you have the opportunity to hold a performance in China in the future, you can let more audiences see your live performance. So just now you also mentioned that the schedule is very tight this time, would you like to ask where to visit this time?
Yamada went to the Guangfulin Ancient Cultural Site in Songjiang University Town this time, and experienced the historical and cultural charm of BC, and last time he came to Shanghai to Goyu Garden. This time, because I was mainly invited to participate in the performance, the last time was the same, there is no time to visit, and I hope that I will have the opportunity to go sightseeing in various places in the future.
- What about what to eat?
Yamada basically likes it all.
- By the way, is spicy food okay?
Yamada loved it super much. However, too spicy food is probably unbearable for the stomach. Yesterday I walked around Shanghai, fully integrated into the crowd, and went to some small shops that looked very popular to queue up, because it was a Friday relationship, and there were many people. We didn't go to those high-end restaurants, it was too quiet and clean, it was not interesting, and I also wanted to see more people and feel the local customs and customs, and only when I went to places with many people could I feel it. Last time I came to Nanjing Road, there is a special antique atmosphere nearby, a little stroll directly in the nearby lane noodle stall sat down, generally may not choose here, but it is indeed delicious, the amount is also very sufficient.
──Next, in order to let everyone in China know more about you, we will start to ask some questions about past experiences and musical activities. When you were young, you were mainly influenced by your parents and grew up in the environment of Western music, jazz, and country music, so did you have any inspiration to work in music in the future?
Yamada was actually just a pure lover of music at the time, and he often played Western music and jazz music at home. I formed a band in high school, and when I started to get involved in rock, I became the lead singer of the band, bought a guitar, and started trying to compose music myself. But at that time, I wanted to do the work of a doctor, which also had a little to do with my family, and I began to think about some things related to disease and life and death, and I wanted to do some life-saving and life-related work.
After starting the band's activities, just like this one, I often went to small venues like Livehouse to perform. One of the biggest performances was the school's cultural festival, because I also joined the light music department and the anime "Light Girl!! Like everyone else, I also performed at the festival with everyone in the light music department. At that time, a friend came to see our performance, and in this short period of time, all the troubles and unpleasantness of the past were put aside and completely enjoyed in the music. After seeing their expressions, I also began to realize that in the future, I seemed to be able to live like this while singing, and it would not be a good thing if I could do such a job that made everyone happy. Life is only once, and one day it will be dusty. It is better to let such a life bloom brilliantly with those unforgettable moments. I hope that in the future, I can create these memorable times for them, including me, and what I can do may be to create these times for everyone through songs and music. That's what a friend told me, and then I wanted to work on music in the future and started taking some auditions.
Are guitars and compositions self-taught?
Yamada was completely self-taught, bought his own score, began to try to play first, and gradually groped for himself, began to play some comfortable tunes, humming lyrics. When I was 16 years old, I wrote my first original song, which was in English. After that, I began to write some Japanese lyrics, and now I also play the guitar while humming the lyrics to compose the song.
- Your English is also good.
Yamada English is also self-taught, and I learned it in school, but I mainly began to contact English through the Western music, jazz, and country music I listened to when I was a child. I like language very much and often go through some words, which is also closely related to my lyrics.
Did you win a Radio CM award in college?
Yamada said that in my junior year, there was an advertising-related course in the university, and I just said that because I like language, this course was also helpful to me, and there was a topic in the seminar that I would take to the competition, and all the student works in the seminar had to participate, and the theme was "The Feeling of Not Excluding", and I did a 15-second radio advertisement at that time. After submitting it, it was won in the "All Japan CM Broadcasting Alliance" (ACC) student advertising competition, and I did not expect to get the award.
In fact, in high school, I also went to apply for TBS's "COUNT DOWN TV", this program I have been paying attention to in the past, at that time I tried to pluck up the courage to recruit their selection, cast a lot of tapes, but unfortunately were not selected, that period was exactly the period of preparing for college, because they were not requisitioned, so I thought of simply going to college, began to study seriously, and then entered the university. But I didn't plan to give up my music work, and I joined a music-related club in college, and I would go to Livehouse to perform and continue to audition for some music.
Have these past experiences had an impact on your current music creation?
Yamada's music creation path has been continuing, without stopping, and I have been picking up guitars to create music since high school, but at that time it was more like expressing my mood through music. And after receiving some commercial work, or advertising music or movie music or TV series music, there will be a clear theme and concept, these themes are also very close to my personal feelings, in a sense, has been continuing to create music, I myself have changed unconsciously, in the career of music creation, I also gradually feel the mystery and fun of this, and now I am still constantly groping, what type of music will be encountered in the future, What kind of music I will create through my own feelings and understanding is unknown to me. But looking back now, I still think that music creation is a very interesting thing.
——So when you just graduated from college, you were still doing your own "underground music" activities, right?
Yamada has also released 2 mini-albums of his own production in the past. After graduating from university, I performed at Livehouse in Tokyo until I officially debuted. At that time, I also wanted to perform in other places in Japan, such as Livehouse in Osaka, record stores, etc., and wanted to convey my voice and music to more places.
── What led to your official debut?
When Yamada participates in these underground activities, he also sends his own records to them to sell. Once, while singing at Livehouse, the music producer of the Shiseido "MAQuillAGE" advertisement came to see me perform. The "MAQuillAGE" ad changes seasons with a new commercial song, and the producer asked me, "Do you want to try singing this season's commercial song?" "I also wanted to debut as a singer, so I made my debut with this song "My Brand New Eden" as my debut single.
- You also composed music for the stage play of the troupe TETRACHROMAT (Tetrachromat), and you also starred in the stage work staged in 2016.
Yamada began to compose a lot of commercial music after his debut, and the performer of the troupe "TETRACHROMAT" was also a friend who had been taking care of my music producer, and he came to see my performance through introduction, and he met me at that time, hoping that I could create music for their stage works. I didn't have any experience composing music for the stage in the past, and I thought, "Is it okay for me to make this music?" "But the other party sincerely hoped that I could join them and compose music for them, and I agreed." The troupe "TETRACHROMAT" now has three productions, the third of which I have also starred as a stage actor. The music for all three stage plays was composed by me on this guitar.
--By the way, what type of song is it? Does the lyrics of a musical add the unfolding of the story?
Yamada has some songs that are added to the plot, with lyrics, and let the actors sing them. Others were performing on stage, while I was playing the guitar and humming music. In that work, I also took a role, because that role happened to be playing the guitar and singing, and I took the guitar to say the lines, and the music and actor starred in this stage play.
It's a pity that I can't see this performance in China, so I'll try to look forward to seeing it in the future. The first people in China to know that Miss Yamada should have been in "Doomsday", and then we will ask some questions about "Doomsday". First of all, I would like to ask, what made you participate in this work, not only singing the interlude but also composing the music yourself?
Yamada was first introduced to Theashi Ito, a producer who also belonged to Kadokawa Through his associates at Kadokawa Shoten, but at that time, the projects for "Doomsday" and "All Gold" were being carried out at the same time, so I wanted to write songs for these two works. The progress of "Doomsday" was first, the music at that time had been decided to be composed by Mr. Tatsuya Kato, the opening song and the ending song had also decided on the song and the singer, I joined halfway, and I was thinking, then in what form should I participate in this work? At that time, I had already decided to put the famous song "Scarborough Fair" in the play, and there was still a lack of a singer, so I tried to cover the song, and everyone on the scene was very satisfied after listening to it, so they decided to let me take this song with me and arrange the singing of all the interludes in the play.
Then came "Always in My Heart", which Mr. Kato had already written, after all, it was the main theme of Cordoli, and there were several versions, one of which wanted me to fill in the English lyrics and sing it. After that, the production staff on the scene wanted me to write other interludes specifically for Cordoli, that is, "I call you" at the end of the story and "Ever be my love" in the last episode, both of which were written and composed by me, and in English. Simply put, there was Scarborough Fair, then "Always in My Heart", and then "I call you" and "Ever be my love".
When creating these animated songs, it is usually based on the original or the animation script, right?
Yamada went to see the original while singing Scarborough Fair, and I was thinking about how the animation should be progressing, but I hadn't heard of any of these things, and the creation of these pieces must be set against the backdrop of the story, although the music producer Mr. Saito (Shigeru) will also explain to me the outline and synopsis of the story, "Please create on this theme!" "But in order to better understand the theme of this work, I will study the original work."
——When Singing "Always in My Heart", did you have any communication with Mr. Tatsuya Kato, the composer of the song and the music director of the work?
Yamada didn't actually communicate much with Kato, and as mentioned earlier, the song was the main theme of Cordoli, and Mr. Kato had already written several versions before I sang it, and I was just a lyricist at the time, as long as I thought about how to fill in the words, the main communication was between the music producers, of course, I had a greeting with Mr. Kato, and I met when recording. But because of this "Always in my heart", I hope to work with Mr. Kato in the future, and I have also communicated in music creation, and I have a good relationship with him.
The ending song "Ever be my love" about the finale appears in cordon when cordon ly leaves the world and everyone returns to their daily lives. When the song sounded, although Cordoli was gone, it left hope for the future of the world, the picture was very bright, it was sad to match the plot, the song and Miss Yamada's voice were very gentle, when I listened to this song, my heart was like being washed, and this hearty aftersound has always been swirling in my heart. When you created this piece, did you anticipate how the audience would look when they watched it and listened to it?
Yamada should not have thought of what kind of mood the audience will have, but when writing the lyrics of "Always in my heart", he felt that he was Cordoli, if he was Cordoli, what kind of mood would it be in such a situation, how it would be to use songs to express it, I think when you watch this work, if you can be moved by this song, it is with the work itself, and Cordoli reached a resonance, the mood that the animation wants to express has indeed reached the audience's heart. This is also because the work itself is very good, and I have watched it myself and am very moved, so how can I use songs to convey this feeling to the audience, this is my job. I'm also very happy to hear reviews and feedback on the songs like this.
——Next, let's talk specifically about the creation of the theme song of "All Gold". As you mentioned earlier, when you met Ito Producer, you had already taken over the theme song of "All Gold", and did you already include the theme song of the fourth "Invisible Victory" and the first director's cut trilogy of the anime?
Before "IV", the project of director Yamada's edited trilogy met with Theo takaichi Chiaki through the introduction of it, and everyone had a long talk together, and the Saito music producer was also present to discuss what kind of song the theme song of the director's cut version should be. I also didn't expect that I would make all three pieces of music, which was a really rare opportunity. After all, "All Gold" is a work after so many years, with a huge mass base, it is necessary to create a song that everyone accepts, I still feel some pressure, but there is pressure to be motivated. The themes of these three works represent three different colors: red, yellow, and blue, which I want to express in songs.
On the one hand, these theme songs mean the end of a stage, the beginning of a new stage, and the beginning of the next unfolding; on the other hand, these songs represent the mood of Oto and Sosuke, from childhood to meet and communicate with Sosuke's heart, the next road is very difficult, each carrying a sad and painful experience, but in the future there will definitely be a good future waiting for them, I also write these wishes for them, their respective moods and strong consciousness into the song. Just like when I wrote "Doomsday", sometimes from the perspective of a minor point of view, sometimes with the mood of Sosuke, I wrote these lyrics. I also like "All Gold", read the original novel, and am very honored to participate in this work.
——When writing the theme song of this trilogy, did you realize that miss Shimogawa Mina (下川みくに) used to sing the theme song?
I've heard all the songs sung by Miss Yamada Shimogawa, and of course I watched the anime of that year. It is better to say that it is mind than consciousness. After all, the songs sung by Miss Shimokawa have been with everyone for so many years, and these beautiful pictures have remained in everyone's hearts, and then, if you change to a new song, how will everyone face it, I am also full of expectations.
- That's writing "Even... When it comes to if and yes, what kind of images do these lyrics look like in your head?
When Yamada was discussing, he mainly gave me a theme, what kind of song I wanted to write, of course, there was no animated picture at the time of creation, but from these keywords given, I couldn't help but think of some pictures. 《Even... If" actually wrote several versions, submitted three times, the first two times although it did not pass, but got such an opinion, "I hope to work harder, and then 'hurry' then it may be much better!" "At this time, I thought about the opening scenes of other animations, mainly inspired by the keywords obtained by Ito producer and Katsuichi Nakayama.
- How was the English version created? Did you think about the English version at the beginning?
Yamada was only available in Japanese at first. Halfway through, I suddenly said that I had come up with an English version. Then I will "try it" feeling and start writing the English version. The English version has more vocabulary than the Japanese version, and when I sing, I feel that there is basically no time for me to breathe, which is very tight. I may not have felt it when I was writing it, but it was completely different when I sang it. Of course, the pronunciation of English and Japanese are very different, but the meaning of the two versions cannot be too different, so when it comes to replacing words, especially when choosing words, I rack my brains.
The English version is more complicated than the Japanese version, both singing and writing. After writing, I will record a small sample for all the relationships, and everyone feels very good after listening to it. But when it comes to official recording, it's really hard. The main difficulty is that it is necessary for everyone to feel that there is no abnormality when listening to the English version, as if they are listening to the Japanese version, which can be regarded as the success of this song, so the lyrics are still being revised when the official recording is also made. It's hard, but it's fun.
——How did the original author, Teacher He Dongzhao, feel after listening?
Mr. Kato Yamada basically does not interfere with the production of music, and at the screening, he was very satisfied after hearing the English version.
──So will this visit to Shanghai have any impact on your music creation? For example, I create songs that are impression of Shanghai.
Yamada I like Shanghai very much, I think Shanghai is more urban than Tokyo. I'm writing songs that make an impression of Shanghai, and Chinese're cheering. The songs written in practical Japanese with impressions of Shanghai have been written, and I hope to include them on the album in the future.
- We're also looking forward to hearing that.
Yamada hopes to have the opportunity to create more anime songs in the future and sing them in front of everyone. I also hope that the next time I come to Shanghai, I can sing in front of everyone in Chinese, or cover songs that everyone is familiar with. Express your feelings about Shanghai in songs. When I came to Shanghai this time, I really felt that animation as a culture has built a bridge, connecting Japan and China, connecting the past and the present... This time, I also took a lot of videos, hoping to use Shanghai as a starting point to convey them to the world through these images and songs.
- So, is there anything you would particularly like to challenge next?
Yamada Chinese! And the languages of the world! Use a variety of expressive methods to create music. This concert is also in the form of erhu accompaniment, and I hope to cooperate with other traditional instruments around the world in the future. Animation is also the case, and all the people involved in animation production are very well-intentioned and put their passion for animation into their works. So when I sing and write anime songs, I also hope to bring excellent works to everyone in a form that I can express myself.
On July 5, Yamada Zhulu performed at the Yuyin Hall in Shanghai, collaborating with Pan Li, a guest of honor as an accompaniment to erhu
- Did you like animation in the past?
Yamada used to watch anime a lot, and most of my friends who are about the same age as me watch anime. Like Evangelion, Horse Rush 1/2... Comics like "The Rose of Versailles" and "Slam Dunk Master", almost when the library began to display various comics, so I saw more at that time.
-- Finally, please say a word to your friends in China.
Although Yamada participated in two events in Shanghai this time, I hope to convey my singing voice to more Chinese friends, and I will continue to work hard to create more songs, and please hope to continue to support me! Thank you!
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