Marina Horiuchi: Music is an indispensable means of "outputting" my feelings

Former member of Sakura Gakuin, Marina Horiuchi says: "Music is an indispensable means of "outputting" my feelings"

Marina Horiuchi, who after graduating from Sakura Gakuin has been involved in a number of different activities, is now making her debut as a solo artist!

To celebrate the release of her album "Nano Story", we have interviewed Marina Horiuchi.  In part 1 we talk about everything until her first album.

After graduating from Sakura Gakuin, Marina Horiuchi has continued working as a singer and actress.  In April of last year, she launched her Youtube channel to start her solo singing career, releasing original songs.  On March 10, her debut album "Nano Story" was released by her label, Lantis, and it was announced that she would start her solo career!

Newscrunch caught up with her to conduct a long interview, and in Part 1 we take a closer look at everything until her solo debut.

I wanted to sing in front of more people

After winning the 2007 Ciao Girl Audition, you began your career in 2009 with Mini Pati, a unit whose theme was cooking.  After that, you started your career with Sakura Gakuin, a group that was formed when you were in 6th grade.  You've been performing since you were in elementary school.  What motivated you to do so?

My parents love music so I began taking electone (electronic organ) lessons when I was 2.  I don't remember much from that time, but I remember how fun it was to play Disney songs with everyone.  

I enjoyed playing instruments, but I also loved singing.  An anime that was very popular at the time was "Kirarin Revolution", a song from which, I would sing at local festivals.  Once after singing, a girl my age that I didn't know, came to me and said: "I heard you singing earlier", which made me happy.  "Kirarin Revolution" was serialized in Ciao magazine, so when I found out they were holding an audition, I thought "I want to sing in front of more people!"  And I applied.

I see.  And then, you joined Sakura Gakuin.  What was it like working as an idol?

It was difficult.  I was among girls who were all very ambitious.  Also, I had never done any dancing before.  I was a good athlete, mostly as a sprinter or in relay races, so I was naive enough to think I could do it, but it was difficult to dance well, and in a group.

Marina, what I remember from Sakura Gakuin is that you were an exceptional singer, and that you were often in charge of the harmonies.  I am guessing singing wasn't as hard for you.

I was confident in my singing ability, but right after I joined the group, my teacher, in the middle of a lesson, said: "Horiuchi, you can't catch a note at all".  I remember crying in frustration in the train on the way home (laughs).

That's harsh (laughs).  Maybe it was because the teacher had high expectations of you?

Perhaps.  But these words didn't stop me.  Instead they made me want to work harder on my singing, to show the teacher what I was capable of!  So I'm glad that happened.

After graduating from Sakura Gakuin, everything was so different

Please tell us what you remember from Sakura Gakuin.

I remember the School festival, when I was in the 3rd year of junior high school.  It was a big event, held once a year, and the 4 3rd year junior high school members were supposed to lead, but it didn't go well at all.  We didn't have any problems with the songs, our performance, or the MC part, but I felt there was a distance from the audience.

That was the 1st day of a 2 day event, and the 4 of us talked a lot after the performance.  That was probably a good thing, because Day 2 was very successful.

Even now, when the 4 of us get together, it's as if we are back at junior high school, even though we have all grown up.  It's hard to get together due to the situation with covid, but I think the 4 of us are going to have a lifelong relationship.

You were young...

True!  When I graduated from junior high school, I also graduated from Sakura Gakuin (Sakura Gakuin is a group whose members graduate once they complete their compulsory education in March of that year).  At first, it was difficult to get used to this new situation.

Looking back, I thought I had found my calling, which was to sing in front of people, and having given a lot of performances, I feel it had become something I took for granted.  I was, all of a sudden, very confused because there was no place to "output" my thoughts.

However, after graduating from Sakura Gakuin, you did some solo work, such as appearing in musicals.

It was a really valuable experience!  Among other things, it made me think more as an individual.  When I was in Sakura Gakuin, I felt as one of the 12 members of the group, and I didn't feel confident enough to work on my own.  Because of that, I began writing lyrics, as a way to express my thoughts and feelings.

You were a high school student, right?

Yes.  I didn't want to forget anything, so I kept a small notebook in my pencil case to write everything down, right away.  I turned those notes into a lyrics notebook.

How much material do you have in that notebook?

Too much to fit into one binder.  I haven't counted, but I'm sure there are more than 30 songs.

Amazing!  And then you learned music composition in college.

That's correct.  While learning composition theory, I began playing piano, in addition to guitar, which I have played since I was a child.  I would experiment with different chord progressions on the piano and the guitar, and when I came up with something I liked, I would connect them to make a song.

It's easy to say "I made a song!", but it's actually something amazing!  This album, "Nano Story", contains 12 songs and instrumentals written by you, which you have been writing since you were in high school?

No.  Those songs are not included in this album.  Instead it includes songs I wrote, little by little over the last year, according to the story I imagined for myself, a story which finally came together in one piece.

PART 2

Marina Horiuchi says: "Making the album has changed me as a person"

In Part 2, we will talk about "Nano Story"

With the release of "Nano Story", Marina Horiuchi begins her career as a solo artist.  In this interview, we asked her to analyze the album, that has finally been released.

The main character, Nano Hana, imagines herself as a high school student

I would like to ask you about "Nano Story".  Can you tell us, first, what kind of album you were planning to make?

I wanted to make a concept album, where the songs are connected to each other, becoming one big story.  I first wrote "Nano Hana", which is the first song in the album, and the beginning of the story that continues throughout the album.

Is Nano Hana a projection of Marina?

You're right, she is.  I imagined myself as I was when I began writing songs in high school.  I was living in a world that wasn't changing, and I thought that if I continued like this, like a flower (hana), I would wither away.  I created this dream or ideal world, and I wanted to spread my wings towards it, but didn't know how.  It's a song about my past feelings, but also about becoming confident and moving forward.

The second song is "Violin Gensokyoku (Fantasy)"

When I was 12, my first stage appearance was "La Cordo d'Oro", and the world of the game is still fresh in my mind.  I played a violin fairy, and the character was supposed to encourage others.  In this song, Nano Hana meets the violin fairy who takes her to another world.

The worldview you present in this album, hasn't changed at all from the image of Marina I had from Sakura Gakuin, which is really nice.  I remember doing a photoshoot with you and, your senior, Ayami Muto for "Up to Boy", and while the setting was a school, you were dressed as angels in white dresses.  You had this mysterious power that made you look like an angel, and when you looked at the sky, it was as if you were daydreaming and the clouds were cotton candy.  It's been a long time since, but the song reminded me of that scene, and I thought "You're still Marina-chan".

Hahaha (laughs).  I probably was daydreaming (laughs).

You were daydreaming? (laughs)

I was just looking at the clouds (laughs).

I would like to hear more (laughs), but the next song is "Ne Hoshi yo"

The violin fairy took me to a new world, which was fun, but then I see the darkness around me, and I feel it in my heart.

Is this a story based on real experiences?

Yes.  On one hand, experiences are fun, on the other hand, they can be painful too.  It's a song about sending out an SOS, wondering how I can get rid of the pain.

The next song is "Empty Me".  While you're struggling, the morning arrives...

Correct.  It's a new morning, and I want to run out, but I can't go on if I think I have to do everything perfectly, so I just step out, even if there's nothing there.  "Zero is fine, emptiness is fine".

From there, after the instrumental "Fu" we move to "Yasashiihito" (A kind/gentle person).

"Yasashiihito" is also based on my own experiences.  The song is about getting closer to someone, and once that happens, a minor misunderstanding can be hurtful.

There is a lyric I really like in this song, "How many cups of miso soup have you had".  You like miso soup so much Marina, that you have it every day.

I have miso soup every morning!  Even if the main meal is bread, I still want miso soup!

Every listener has their own Nano Story

The next song is "Kokoro Ink" (Heart ink)

This song is also about my habits.  It's not good to hold onto worries and concerns, so I thought I should write them down.  When I was in Sakura Gakuin, I was really scared of showing my true feelings.  But I couldn't run away from them, so I decided to organize my thoughts and write them down properly in a notebook.  This song is about those experiences.

I see.  The way you describe it, it seems very natural for you to start writing lyrics after graduating from Sakura Gakuin.  The next song is "Welcome to Nanoland".

Nano Hana-san isn't free from her problems yet, but it's hard when you struggle all the time, so I'm taking her to dreamland for a while (laughs).  I have always loved theme parks, and I always wanted to express a world like that in a song, so this song is a fulfillment of that wish.

How does Marina-chan envision Nanoland?

The stars are twinkling, maybe the rain had just stopped, the ground is wet, and the starlight is reflected on it.  It's like a merry-go-round, gently illuminated by lights.

You sing "My name is Marina" here.  Does Nano Hana become Marina?

I think you're right.  It's a dream world, so the relationship between me and Nano Hana is ambiguous.  I would like to do a live concert one day.  It would be great if I could create the world of Nanoland.

Next is "Midnight Rail", which is as upbeat as "Welcome to Nanoland".  What is that sound at the beginning of the song?

It's the sound of a monorail.  When I was playing with "Nanoland", I couldn't get enough of it, so I decided to take a ride on the monorail, and leave this world.  I thought that, if I did that, the "cloudy" feelings ("moyamoya") I described in "Kokoro Ink" would go away.

These two songs have a lot of energy, and I am sure they will be fun to perform live.

When I was making the album, this is how I was planning to end it.  I was worried about so much, struggled, played a lot, and finally crossed the rainbow to reach a happy world.  However, when my co-writer, Yui Niitsu, looked at the lyrics she would ask me "What does this mean?" or "What made you think of this?"  She pointed out that the destination wasn't here, but where I started.  That's what the next song "Nashinka" is about.

So you arrived at a different conclusion than what you had in mind when you began making the album.

That's right.  I wanted a glittering world, but I realized it's not real.  I can only be me, and that's fine.

Because the album was made little by little, the process you describe feels very realistic.

By making this album, I was able to change a lot as a person, or rather, I was able to get over things.  I've always admired, and wanted to be like Nana Mizuki, but I thought "It's ok to be me", and that made me feel so free!  The last song, "Yume Nikki" (dream diary) is the result of that.  In the lyrics, I expressed my feelings after finishing the album, saying that I'm free now, surrounded by what's most valuable to me, the 9 songs and 2 instrumentals that came before "Yume Nikki".

Now that you have talked to us about each song, I feel I have a different impression of the album.  I'm sure this will be the case for our readers as well.  Could you give them a message?

I believe that everyone who will listen to this album has their own Nano Story.  I would be happy if you could relate to, even a small part of my story.  I think I grew up a bit as a person while making this album.  I hope that when you listen to "Nano Story", you get to know me as I am now, and share my feelings.

Part 1: https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/1711  

Part 2: https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/1729