J-POP and me
I love melodic music. It has been that way since I was young, and even now I prefer listening to piano music, but I only listen to songs that have melodies I like. My musical preferences are heavily influenced by the first music I encountered.
At home, folk songs, enka (歌謡曲 Japanese ballads) and J-POP were frequently played due to my father's influence. Artists like Kazumasa Oda, Kosetsu Minami, Miyuki Nakajima, Chiharu Matsuyama, Tatsuro Yamashita and Southern All Stars naturally entered my ears with their popular enka songs from the 1970s to the 1990s. From there, I gradually shifted towards J-POP, although there were also some Western music songs, but I don't have many memories of them, which means they weren't played at home as often. As a young child, I probably had the sense that "English songs are difficult" even for artists like The Beatles and Carpenters. It was only when I got a little older that I started listening to Western music, but the melodies of folk songs, enka, and J-POP were undoubtedly what initially sparked my interest in music.
Enka songs often highlight the melodies. While some people resonate with the lyrics when listening to music, I was clearly selecting songs I liked based on the sound of the melodies.
During my junior high and high school years, it was the heyday of the Oricon charts. TV had more music programs than it does now. I transitioned from passively listening to the music my parents enjoyed to actively listening to the music that played on TV.
During family trips, it was customary to make cassette tapes filled with my favorite songs and listen to them in the car throughout the night. My stimulating J-POP
playlist, from Side A to Side B, and then back to Side A, continued endlessly.
During that time, monster bands like LUNA SEA, B'z, GLAY, L'Arc-en-Ciel and Mr.Children emerged one after another, releasing million-selling albums. Hitmakers like Tetsuya Komuro, Takeshi Kobayashi, and Tsunku also rose to prominence, capturing both listeners' hearts and the charts with impactful intros and melodies.
The combination of voices, lyrics, instruments, and their harmonious and exquisite overlaps created standout melodies that touched our hearts. Among them, I naturally gravitated towards songs with prominent guitar parts. When new releases came out, I would check out the guitar solos. Being completely captivated by music, I indiscriminately packed songs that fascinated me onto MiniDiscs (MDs). The era was evolving from cassette tapes to MDs, where you could change the track order and titles.
Perhaps it was a periodic revival of analog formats like vinyl records and cassette tapes. Surely, the short-lived digital media that recorded my youth will never create such excitement again. Regardless of the artist, I repeatedly listened to MDs filled with various melodies, one after another.
Even the act of listening to music while commuting, which is now taken for granted, was revolutionary for me at the time. The music vibrating my eardrums and the scenery before my eyes would compete for my brain's attention, creating a sensation that constantly moved me.
When I was clumsily imitating J-POP songs using the piano I reluctantly learned to play, I didn't yet have the desire to express myself as a musician. But looking back, it might be the foundation that led me onto the path of music. Of course, having musical instruments at home played a role, but it was J-POP that connected "playing an instrument" with "playing a song". It wasn't about wanting to play an instrument; it was about wanting to play those songs. It feels like it directed my consciousness towards what I am today.
The music I listened to at that time, or even now, is incredibly melodic. Since I first started listening to music, a tremendous amount of time has passed and I've listened to numerous songs. Yet, the melodies etched in my mind from those days still strongly exist within me.
In the present, with subscription services allowing me to listen anytime, I hesitated to delve into my nostalgia for a while. I was afraid that when it became easy to listen to, what I saw back then would fade away, overwritten by the present scenery and music.
However, recently I've realized that the memories ingrained in me from that time will never disappear. It's an incredibly rewarding feeling. Just my two ears have the power to awaken my body, memories, and even scents.
I believe that the core of Ling tosite sigure lies in J-POP.
With the intensely resonating guitar, piercing high vocals, and powerful drums coating them, they may sound like progressive and alternative rock. But when you strip away various elements, what remains is undoubtedly J-POP. Perhaps.
When I provided a song to SMAP, there was a shocking impact of "This is how pop it becomes when Japan's representative group sings my song." The key was nearly one octave lower than the demo I made, and the singing style was softer and more rounded compared to mine. Even the guitar volume, which I played to create an edgy sound, was significantly reduced in the final mix.
Proceeding with various things without being informed of the details was a first for me. Normally, I would confirm every detail of the song before reaching the final version, but this time, I was progressing without knowing what was happening until just before the release.
When I listened to the completed audio sent just before the release, I was amazed by the sound that was completely different from the demo I submitted. Coincidentally, I happened to be in a shopping mall, so I quickly used the earphones I had to confirm. Naturally, there were aspects and balances of the sound that I wouldn't have chosen, and the consecutive surprises were fresh.
It felt similar to the sensation I had when I had the president redo the mix for Ling tosite sigure's second album. It sounded like my own sound but not quite. However, it was still my creation. I quickly realized that I had been too fixated on the definite illusion of the "demo" and neglected the fact that by SMAP's interpretation, the same melody was given a completely different pop sensibility from my own.
It's a bad habit of mine to take too much time to notice the radiance that the creation itself emits because I'm too focused on chasing the impulse I had when I first produced it. But I have no intention of fixing it. Many things that I was able to grasp were born from pursuing them too much. The crooked and biased perspective seen by others is looking straight into my music.
At that moment, I felt that I was being made aware of the wall that I couldn't express with my own voice. It was a song that swallowed up everyone who listened to it, transcending whether it was edgy or not. It felt like I was shown what was lacking in my own singing, especially because it was a song I had created. It was shocking to realize that something I created could showcase such a pop aspect when the vocalist changes.
When I created the song "JPOP Xfile" there was a time when I mentioned in an interview "My song is J-POP." However, it didn't seem to convey that message to the interviewer, and they jokingly said something along the lines of, "So, you're indirectly criticizing J-POP, right?"
"No, that's not it! I love J-POP!" I pleaded, trying to make my point, but it seemed like I was inevitably being perceived as sarcastic.
Looking back now, considering the style of Ling tosite sigure at that time, it may have been inevitable for my statement of "I love J-POP" to sound sarcastic. However, it was an undeniable fact. It was a song I asked 345 to "shout J-POP no matter what."
I am not meant to be a singer.
As a guitarist originally, I always believed that. I'm not giving up, nor am I belittling myself. I am simply facing it as a truth.
But there is only one reason that keeps me tied to being a vocalist in Ling tosite sigure, and that is that they need my voice.
I used to enjoy singing at karaoke with my family, but at some point, I became uncomfortable singing in front of others, yet here I am, standing in front of a microphone again.
"With this kind of song and voice, it's impossible."
Whenever the thought of band activities crosses my mind, my subconscious whispers that to me repeatedly.
It is precisely because I have such thoughts at the core that I cherish the joy of seeing a song transform when I provide it to someone else. I can finally grasp that this melody, this song, was playing within me.
I am still questioning myself, asking "How should the things I create sound?" The words I sang in my solo song "katharsis" — "It has to be me" "I'm not enough" "It has to be me" — they always echo in my heart.
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Thanks for reading!!! This is the end of chapter 2.
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