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This article is a joint project with the radio program "Jeep® CREATIVE GARAGE" on J-WAVE (81.3 FM). AKO and HOUYHNHNM's editor-in-chief Ryo Komuta will be the program navigators, and will delve into the roots and staples of the guests' lives on the theme of "standards" for about an hour on the last Sunday of each month at 10pm. In addition, you can listen to the radio on your PC or smartphone using the "radiko" service, which allows you to listen to the radio in real time or at your own leisure with the time-free function. We hope you will enjoy this new approach to radio and HOUYHNHNM's together!

• Jeep® CREATIVE GARAGE
• Last Sunday of every month 22:00-22:54
• Navigator: AKO, Ryo Komuta (Editor-in-Chief, HOUYHNHNM)
• J-WAVE 81.3FM "Jeep® CREATIVE GARAGE
• www.j-wave.co.jp/original/creativegarage/

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Of the four seasons, summer is by far my favorite.

Since her debut in 2002, Ms. Issan has been actively pursuing her own musical activities at her own pace, writing songs, performing at festivals, and writing songs for commercials. Her calm and beautiful voice has been described as "aphrodisiac" and "silky voice" with a lustrous expression. Her voice is highly regarded in the industry, and she has sung in the backing chorus for such artists as Kenji Ozawa and cero. In recent years, she has gained many fans with her city pop-influenced sound, along with skilled supporting musicians of her generation and others. 15 years after her debut, she is still active at the forefront of the music scene. For this interview, we asked her to talk about her roots and standards while driving to Akiya Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture, which she often visits by car.

. I love the ocean. I often drive along various coastlines, such as Hayama, Yokosuka, and the Miura Peninsula, looking for a nice beach while riding in my car (laughs). (Laughs) That is why I like the summer season. Many of the works I release have summer as a motif. During the winter, I think about summer when I create my works, and release them around July. I don't like cold weather, so I feel comfortable with this cycle.

Why does Mr. 1311 prefer the warm season? There is the influence of his parents.

I am from Hokkaido, Japan, and my parents owned a restaurant called Big Sun. They called it a "tropical urban resort restaurant" (laughs). (Laughs.) Hokkaido's summers are short, so I think my parents were longing for a warmer season.

The phrase "tropical urban resort" has something in common with Ms. Issan's musical style. As she mentioned earlier, many of the songs she sings are inspired by summer, and the tone she plays there has an urban, somewhat mature mood.

In "Big Sun," songs by Tatsuro Yamashita, Yumi Matsutoya, and Eiichi Otaki were playing as background music. I was excited by the liberating music that made me feel the wind and the sea (laughs). I was dancing as a child while listening to it. Everlasting summer and city pop. Those are my roots."

. He changed his mind from the U.S. to Tokyo.

City pop music was a part of his daily life as a child, and he began listening to "Shibuya-kei" music such as Flipper's Guitar. Later, he began listening to what he called "Shibuya-kei" music, such as Flipper's Guitar, while at the same time listening to bands such as Sugar Babe, with whom Tatsuro Yamashita used to work.

When I was in high school, my music-loving older brother and I used to make our own songs and record them at home. We had a studio in the basement of our house where we sampled sounds, and when I think about it now, I was making songs with Happiendo style music in mind. We didn't really think about who would hear them, but my brother would play the instruments, and I would write the lyrics and sing them.

Looking back on those days, she says with a laugh, "I was making songs while playing. But the song I wrote then became my debut song," she says with a laugh. It was also around that time that she was inspired to become a professional singer.

As I mentioned earlier, I was not officially active in music, but one day I was scouted on the street and won an audition. I didn't expect to become an artist trained by a certain manufacturer..."

After that, Mr. Ichijuji started his music career with a local hip-hop crew at local clubs and other venues. By chance, a fateful encounter led him to make his debut in Tokyo.

. at the time, I was about to go to New York. I was going to live there. However, the terrorist attacks occurred around the same time, and I had to put my plans to go to the U.S. on hold. It was at that time that I had a fateful encounter with a certain firm in Tokyo, and my energy to go to the U.S. naturally flowed to Tokyo, and I made up my mind to make my debut.

I was able to create something that was unique to me and dense.

What were you consciously working on after your debut? When I asked such a question, Ms. Ichijun answered, "I wanted to create new pop music that was experimental and that no one had ever heard before." Up until her fourth album, released in 2009, she had been pursuing such a musical style. But from her fifth album, "CITY DIVE," released after moving to BILLBOARD RECORDS, her sound has become more urban, expressing her roots. It is truly a return to her roots.

. After getting married, having a baby, and going through the earthquake, my way of thinking seems to have become simpler. . I decided to finally try my hand at Breezin' music with a hint of my roots in the 80's. I met people like Pan Pacific Playa and Dorian who were making the music I wanted to play together. It was around this time that I met Pan Pacific Playa, Dorian, and others who were willing to work with me to create the music I wanted to play. We shared the same values, and it was a natural progression for us to work together.

Leaving Akiya Beach by car, the conversation continued as we moved to Marlow, a nearby cafe.

. Each of the works created by Mr. Ichijuji has its own established theme. For example, "CITY DIVE" is inspired by the urban appearance of Tokyo and Yokohama, while "Surfbank Social Club" and "Snowbank Social Club," which were released later, reflect the 80s culture that influenced him. 2015's "THE MEMORY HOTEL" breaks away from the realistic worldview of the past and depicts a fantastical mystery.

We would decide on a theme and then create music to fit the theme, just as you would create a soundtrack for a movie. We actually created the script, established the storyline, and created the songs and visuals as if we were making a movie.

However, in the recently released "ECSTACY," he says, there are no more such themes or stories.

. I wanted to create a simple piece with a different process than what we have here. . I asked Dorian, who I have been working with since "CITY DIVE," to produce the album. This was the first time I asked one person to produce all the songs on the album, and all of his songs are very pleasant and great. I think that since we didn't have a concept for the album, we were able to create something fresh and dense.

What does she value as a singer? What is it that she values as a singer?

. it's a day-to-day life. I have to be very conscious about everything in my life, such as eating, exercising, and so on, and this also applies to my activities as a singer. . Since I have a child, I have less time for myself, so I naturally think about these things more. The only way to spend the little time I have comfortably is to focus. The only way to do that is to face each and every task with a high level of motivation.

Renegade is a car that is fun to drive.

Issan says that the time he spends not playing music is also important. . This also applies to the time he spends with his family. On weekends, she gets in her car and goes on random outings with her family. This has become a regular routine for her.

I often come to Akiya Beach . . I still love the ocean. I explore the beach with my children, and when I get tired, I come to the Marlow Cafe to eat pudding and have a cup of tea while I rest. I usually find myself spending the weekend at the beach."

When driving a car, background music during the drive is absolutely indispensable.

. for me, driving is both a routine and a special time. . The car is the perfect environment for listening to music, so I can concentrate on the sound. Especially when I go on a long trip, I take a lot of my favorite songs with me. That time makes me happy.

Mr. Issan is very particular about music, to the extent that he adjusts the equalizer and sets the sound quality of the car's speakers to his own liking. What settings does he usually use?

Sometimes I listen to dance music, and sometimes I listen to songs with singing, and I try to make the low and high frequencies sound clear and warm.

The Renegade (TRAILHAWK Beats Edition) that she drove this time is equipped with BeatsAudio™ high-quality sound speakers tuned especially for this car, making it a must for music lovers. How did these speakers sound to her ears?

Wow, it's very nice! . It's totally different from the cars I used to drive. Of course, the sound is exactly as set by the equalizer, and the high and low frequencies are heard without blurring. I can hear the melody of the song clearly, and the bass gives me a pleasant vibration, or the feeling of being enveloped by the music. This makes driving fun."

Ms. 1311 then mentioned the design and driving performance of the "Renegade" from a woman's point of view.

. just the right amount of strength and cuteness, I like it . The colors are nice and bright. . It was also very comfortable to drive. The height of the car gives me a wide field of vision, and it's more compact than I thought it would be, so it's easy to maneuver. I think it's an easy car for women to drive.

Ms. Ichijuji slowly turns the steering wheel as if to check the performance of the Jeep®. A native of Hokkaido, she continued that she had a longing for the " Jeep® .

Hokkaido gets a lot of snow, so SUVs are indispensable in my life . . I used to go to the slopes, and when I was a child, I was taken camping in a car. . I spent my life playing with nature, so a Jeep® is something I've always dreamed of. I thought it was wonderful because it blended in not only with nature, but also with the urban landscape.

Feel good every day . . and surrender to the flow of nature.

Through his music, Mr. 131 was indirectly exposed to "urban" from a young age, and eventually came to embody and lead it. As is customary in this project, we asked him about the standards of his life.

. and to be natural. "To live each day comfortably, and to be in a natural state. That's all I can say. Even if I am worried or depressed, I am fine as long as I let nature take its course (laughs). If I try to force myself to be cheerful, it becomes hard, so I take care of everything. It may be cliché to say that "whatever will be, will be," but if you have hopes and goals, I am sure that you will unconsciously move in the direction you want to go. Therefore, I believe in my own strength without putting too much effort into it.