For part 1, go here.
In part 2 of this interview, Ongaku Natalie asked Riho about 5 topics, how she approaches them, and what she is trying to express in 2021: dancing, singing, lyrics, acting, and live performances.
Chapter 1: Dance
I began dancing when I was 5. I fell in love with Morning Musume after watching "Go Girl (Koi no Victory)" (released in 2003) on tv. Then I saw a commercial about ASH recruiting students, and I told my mother "I want to do it too!" The school was far from home, but I would go there twice a week for 7 years, until I joined Morning Musume, and driving me there was a lot of work for my parents. I learned a lot of different dance genres there, and I was able to do everything, as long as it didn't require acrobatics. But I enjoyed hip hop the most. My mother liked western music from the 2000s, artists such as Beyonce, Destiny's Child, TLC, and rapper Sean Paul, so I ended up listening to a lot of music like that.
From the beginning, I liked Morning Musume, and wanted to join them. I didn't have any rivalries with my classmates (at ASH), thinking "I have to beat her", I just danced because it was fun. I was actually more interested in impressing the teachers. At the time, it was all just fun. It wasn't until I joined Morning Musume that my approach to dancing changed. I thought that if I kept the "dancing is fun! sensei look! I can do it!" attitude, I would never become a professional dancer. That's when I first lost the confidence I had. I realized for the first time that singing is the key to a good performance, and dancing well wasn't enough. I learned that I was judged not only for my dancing, but also my singing, how expressive I was, my personality, and many other variables, and I began to develop an inferiority complex for things other than dancing. Figuring this out made things a little easier.
After my studies in New York, and upon returning to Japan, I spent more time with my family than practicing dancing, although I did go to workshops every now and then. After I decided to resume my career, I began taking various lessons at schools that interest me. Sometimes it's hip hop lessons, which I'm already good at, other times it's jazz lessons, where I have been learning to use my entire body, and I have also been taking house lessons. I also like Koharu Sugawara's dancing, and I have been trying to learn her choreographies.
I'm really happy that dancing has become more popular in recent years. I watch a lot of dance performances from various countries (k-pop included) every day, and I've noticed there aren't many female performers that sing and dance. I would like to make that my strength. For DAYBREAK, I asked MARU, from MIKIKO's dance troupe Elevenplay to choreograph "Find me out" and "Puzzle", and Bo Park, who was my dance instructor in New York, to choreograph "BUTAI" and "Simply me". I did the choreography for "LAZER", and it was the first time that I did a choreography from scratch, and I tried different things with the help of MARU-san.
Chapter 2: Singing
I think my voice is somewhat unique, but I used to feel I was always criticized for my singing, and to be honest, I became afraid to sing. I think my voice was affected by my mental state. My voice also changed while I was in the group, and I began to think I wasn't a good singer at all. I would take voice training lessons, but I would perform right after my lessons, and never had the chance to absorb what I learned. After graduating I had more time to think "What have I learned so far?" I rented a studio to practice, and while living with my parents, I would go to karaoke everyday. It may have seemed like training, but it didn't feel that way to me at all. I am the type of person that can only work hard on things if I don't think they are hard to do (laughs).
Singing is fun, right? I think that's why I was able to continue practicing. It's hard to explain, but I loved singing, even when I was struggling. At the time, Tsunku would tell me "You try too hard" (laughs), but I felt that he trusted me, so it was worth it (laughs). But the fact that my singing skills didn't match the fun I had while singing, made it hard. But I have always loved singing, so when I had time to experiment, I would tell myself "Let's see what I've learned so far, and make use of it".
Dance and singing are very much related. When I dance I try to match the choreography to the music, and I think I do something similar when I sing. But in "DAYBREAK" I was careful not to focus only on the rhythm. If I did that, my voice wouldn't come out right, and I had that in mind throughout the recording process. I've always sung well at live performances, but not so much at recordings. That's because I, unconsciously, only sang to the microphone. But what I discovered during this recording was that I should be focusing on myself, not the microphone while singing.
We used different studios for each song in "DAYBREAK" because the composers were different. So each time, it took me a while to get used to the studio booth. But once I got a feel for it, there was a "I can sing now!" moment. Such feelings of confidence are as important as the singing technique. I am still afraid of singing to an audience, and worried about whether I will be able to show what I have learned, but I have become more confident.
Chapter 3: Lyrics
"Ano hi yakusoku shita kara" (=I made a promise that day - the song that was first unveiled in January 2021) was my first attempt at writing lyrics. The lyrics can apply to parents or friends, but they were mostly about the fans. I had difficulties such as "I want this line, but it doesn't fit the melody well", so it took me about a month to finish it. Writing a song is different than writing an essay, and I also wanted to use my own words. There was a lot of trial and error. For "DAYBREAK", I had the opportunity to both write lyrics first, and to write lyrics after listening to the music. So far, I find it easier to write lyrics first. I am very grateful I had this opportunity and to make choices such as "maybe this should be the chorus".
For "Find me out" I wrote the lyrics first. Gento Miyano gave a lot of thought to how we should separate the lyrics to create a beat. He did a great job. When I was writing, I knew where I wanted the chorus to be, and when I looked back at my notes during the production process, I noticed I had even left a comment about that. I write lyrics at home, at cafes, or on my phone while walking. When working on "Find me out", I found myself writing at night, on my computer, and it took me only a couple of hours to write the song.
I'm not good at writing. But in this case it was all about expressing my feelings, and I have a lot of things in my heart, that I want to say. I have always had people who spoke for me, so I took this opportunity, not only to express myself, but also to train myself in doing it properly. I have also been given the opportunity to write my own column ("Rihokora(mu) - WANI BOOKS News Crunch), but I always wait until the deadline thinking "what should I write?" (laughs). I try to use it as a training exercise instead of just writing casually. I feel the desire to overcome a weakness is similar to the desire to clean a messy room. You just have to do it. Lately, thanks to my training, I have been able to use a richer vocabulary without feeling embarrassed when I do so. In the past the vocabulary I used was simpler, similar to that of a child, but I now feel more confident to use more words, as long as they convey what I have in mind.
When I told my manager I wanted to use my own words, she said "Why don't you try writing in the Hiroshima dialect?" (laughs). I might do it one day, you know. After I began writing my own lyrics, I realized that Tsunku's songs, which I sang while in the group, can be interpreted in different ways, depending on who the listener is. He did a really good job writing lyrics from a young girl's perspective. It's a skill that I really admire.
The songs in "DAYBREAK" have some English lyrics too, although it wasn't a conscious choice to include them. It just happened. When I received the demos, I sometimes thought of English sentences, depending on the mood or rhythm of the song. For example, in the intro to "Puzzle", I could only imagine English lyrics, because that was not something I could say in Japanese. Also, it's less embarrassing to write in English, and I actually thought at some point of writing in English and then translating to Japanese. I may try it if I feel it will broaden my range, or add more depth to the lyrics.
Chapter 4: Acting
I have been doing theater since I was in the group, but it wasn't something I felt as confident in doing as I did with dancing. I often did rehearsals while being busy with other activities, such as live performances, and I felt that I wasn't living up to my full potential. I received a lot of praise for "Lilium" (a 2014 musical), which I did when I was 15, but I think that was because I was at an age where I didn't see it as work. I think that's what the director was aiming for as well, but if I did it again now, I would have given it a lot more thought, I believe.
I'm not good at reading the meaning behind words. I wanted to develop my imagination more, and I thought I could do that with acting. I thought it would help me with writing lyrics, and I believe how I perceive words now has indeed changed. Often, when reading a script, I feel I can't relate to the story, if I haven't had similar experiences. So what I have been doing is write down in detail what I would do if I was in that situation. I'm not sure what techniques other actors use, but that's what helps me relate to the stories.
My voice changes depending on my emotions, and acting experience can be useful in that regard. In the past, songs to me were mostly melodies, not lyrics. However, as I gained acting experience, I began to think more about "how to express words with a certain kind of voice", and my perception of songs changed. In the past, I had a more emotional approach to songs, while now I can also have a more rational approach, and I would like to combine both from now on.
I am fond of all the projects I have worked on so far, but the one I enjoyed the most was "Anonymous" (TV Tokyo - Jan. to Mar. 2021). I think it was my best performance up to this point. Usually the atmosphere at drama sets is hectic, but in this case, the director gave us the chance to rehearse and discuss the script. I was given the freedom to make pauses shorter than they were in the script, or to use my own words, so I was able to put a bit of myself in the performance. I couldn't sleep at all on the day before shooting my first drama after resuming my activites, "Ano ko no yume..." (=I had a dream of that girl - TV Tokyo - Oct. to Dec. 2020). But I was happy that the character was based on me, and they took good care of me so that I wouldn't get injured, so I did my best to make my falls look real (laughs). I was so nervous that it took a tremendous amount of energy to say one line.
When I started acting I was so nervous that I was honestly thinking "I want to quit!" But I am more positive now, and I want to continue acting in the future. I would like to play characters very different than myself. Like a "gyaru", or some weird criminal.
Chapter 5: Live
When I perform live, I have a different personality, the "Live me". Live performances are very special to me. As I sing in "LAZER", the stage is where I feel alive, and can do my best, and the audience can receive it in different ways, depending on their sensibilities. I am glad I was able to perform live for "DAYBREAK", which happened with the help of a lot of people.
I look forward to singing and dancing again at my solo concert (the interview took place before August 9th). I always wanted to be involved in production, and I was able to do it by incorporating my own ideas. During the production of "DAYBREAK" I participated in the mastering of all songs. I decided the order of the songs in the album, and the length of the intervals between each song. Since I was so "hands-on" in the production of the album, I wanted to do the same for the live concert. Right now, I'm still learning about production, but it's something I would like to do more in the future.
There's so much we can do in a live performance, and I would like to challenge myself more in the future, but I don't think I should overdo it for this show. I want to express my feelings through the songs, and I hope the performance will highlight that. The set for this reason will be simple. Nowadays, due to covid, the audience can't shout or scream during live shows, but I would still like to see everyone enjoy it. I have been thinking of changing the choreography so that everyone can raise their hands with me, or so that I can face the audience more.
After the live concert
I woke up earlier than usual the day of the performance. After the show, I watched the MV for "LAZER" and then fell asleep! The live band was a surprise for those who saw the show. The album was made using software, but I think we were able to perform the songs well with a live band at the concert. I felt that I had the support of the band members during the live. There were times I felt overwhelmed while preparing the concert, but Shige Murata, the band leader, told me "Feel free to let me know if you need anything", and I genuinely felt that I wasn't alone during the performance. I also talked with the two dancers, but what I appreciated the most was that we could communicate through dance. There was never any concert or anxiety while dancing with them.
I vividly remember the view from the stage. The audience was sitting quietly, which is something you can only see under the current circumstances. I was dancing, but I had the chance to look at the audience too, and I used the fact that everyone was watching me, to make myself deliver a sharp performance. I realized that I feel "alive" when on stage, and that feeling comes from the realization that I am delivering a performance to an audience. I have had a lot of concerns about returning to the stage, and when it finally happened, I had a sense of accomplishment.
I still have moments where I feel I need to exceed my limits, but I have been dealing with such feelings, little by little. But with this concert, I felt I broke a certain glass ceiling. While practicing recently, I was thinking I will be able to do something even better the next time. I feel very different now when I sing. The tour has been scheduled for January of next year, and I want to do something even better, so I hope you can join us. While the current situation makes things difficult, I will do my best to go to different places, and larger venues, so that more people can come to the shows.
No comments:
Post a Comment