The road to pop music that has come full circle.
First of all, thank you for today's concert. It was really great!
UA:Thank you very much.
I was even more emotional than when I saw your 25th anniversary concert at the Shibuya Public Hall (LINE CUBE SHIBUYA) last year, with the same band members as this time.
UA:At that time, it was my first time to play with this band, everything was an experiment, and I was a bit nervous. Now, I have become more relaxed.
I feel that the maturity of the music is also increasing.
UA:Pop" is once again the key word in my mind right now. Before I made "Are U Romantic? However, the period of time I spent doing music for myself has made things easier in a good way.
Also, after I left Japan and came to live in Canada, I began to look at pop music in a new light. Of course, there is pop music that is consumed, but what is real pop music? I thought, "That's the hardest part. But I found myself really excited to work on it.
I was wondering what kind of change of heart you had gone through since you started singing pop songs again, as well as "Tea" and "Slight Fever".
UA:Passion" is loved by many people, and I have probably sung it the most, but for a while, when I was moving toward experimental music, I felt it was painful to sing "Passion. So there was a long period of time when I did not sing. But then I realized that even when I was doing a certain thing within a certain chord of "Passion," I could do it with a sense of improvisation. I am not just repeating myself, but now I feel as if I am challenging myself every time.
I also came to realize that being experimental is not the only exciting thing to do. But I needed that period of time. I started out with pop music, so I had to step away from that to get to the point where I feel like I am now. If I had continued doing what I was doing, I don't think I would have been able to continue with music.
You are placing importance on experimental and improvised music, so no two stages of the same "passion" are the same, is that right?
UA:That's actually true. Even if it is the same chord, if the tone is different, the mood will be different. So, I think it all comes down to one's mindset. For example, tea ceremony and flower arrangement have a certain pattern. One could say, "Why are we doing the same thing over and over again," but it is different. The taste of today's tea is definitely different from yesterday's tea. It is because of the repetition that the individuality is born. It's not an instant individuality that is deliberate. I think it's also in my passion.
