"I love singing and dancing, but when I went on hiatus, I didn't know how my mindset would change, or where I would eventually end up. So I took time off from work, to study, and do things for myself, and I came to realize that I feel the most alive when I am performing."
In 2011, at the young age of 12, Riho Sayashi joined Morning Musume and rose to prominence. In 2020, she resumed her career as an actress, appearing on stage and tv dramas. Then on August 4, 2021 (384 or Sayashi day), she released her solo debut EP "DAYBREAK", which included 5 songs, and made her comeback to the world of music.
"I didn't plan to be away for 4 or 5 years, it just happened, and before I knew it, I was thinking "Oh no! It's been so long!" (laughs). But that was the amount of time I needed. After I left, I used to have dreams while sleeping about performing on stage. It took me a year or two to look at things more clearly. I was away for about the same amount of time I was in Morning Musume, but because my time in Morning Musume was so intense, I needed some time off before I returned to that kind of life."
For several years, she was away from the stage doing things such as studying abroad. So it's likely that there was some hesitation before she decided to return.
"I knew that singing and dancing is what I enjoy doing the most, but there was a time when I was wondering if I should do it as a career or as a hobby, and find a different job instead. When I opened an instagram account, I was grateful that a lot of people wanted me to sing and dance again, but I also thought "what can I do now?". If I did the same things I was doing before, they could just watch old videos. But with the help of many people, I have been able to sing songs in my own words."
She explains why she chose the solo career route instead of joining a group or a band.
"I did think of joining a unit, but I realized the reason I wanted to do that was because I was afraid of the responsibility (of doing it alone). There's nothing wrong with groups of course, and different things work for different people, but in my case it would be like betraying the Sayashi from 5-6 years ago, who wanted to challenge herself. And even though I am not very strong mentally, I do like to put pressure on myself (laughs). I used to have an inferiority complex when it came to singing, but as a result of working on this issue, I feel I have improved a lot. And I still haven't reached my full potential, I think."
We also asked her about what kind of solo artist she wants to be.
"I don't have any role models, but I grew up listening to artists like Destiny's Child, Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake, and while their early work is great, they keep evolving and trying new things with every new release, while maintaining their personal style. I have this vague desire to be an artist that makes people say "I like that song", even when I am adopting different styles."
Carefully crafting each song
The title, DAYBREAK or dawn, conveys her determination to make a comeback, and welcome a new morning (also a reference to her past in Morning Musume). She wrote or cowrote all the lyrics, which was a new challenge for her.
"We decided to do a live concert last year, in the fall. After that, we decided to write songs, but the decision to release an EP was made quite recently. Instead of rushing to make a specific number of songs, I was more interested in carefully crafting each song, and the people around me agreed with that. I don't have any songs other than these 5 and the piano ballad "Ano hi yakusoku shitakara" that I first performed in January. I actually finished LAZER about two weeks ago (note: I am not sure when the interview was conducted) because it was too complicated (laughs)."
Each carefully crafted song, beginning with "Find me out", which has the speed of a house track, and a modern city pop design, is an expression of her new side as an artist.
""Find me out" is the only song where I wrote the lyrics first, after it was suggested that I do so by composer Gento Miyano. When we first met, Miyano-san said he didn't want to do something trendy like city pop, but when he read the lyrics, he changed his mind. I think it's important that we did things that way. Regardless of the genre, the music was cool, and matched the lyrics very well. I was worried that the lyrics, which were about my feelings and doubts, were too heavy, but the music brought some balance."
The next song "BUTAI" is a fast-paced dance track that describes the tension on stage when the curtain rises. It's a song that conveys her thoughts on her comeback and also shows her true potential as a singer and dancer.
"I'm worried I will run out of breath while dancing to this song (laughs). I wanted a dance track, so at first my lyrics were about dancing, but I felt that if I wanted to be completely honest, the song had to be about the stage itself (note: butai=stage). Everyone has their own "stage", whether it's work or school. So I wrote it thinking about the stage as a metaphor for the daily struggles everyone can have."
The next song, also composed by Akira Sunset and APAZZI, "Simply me", is another dance track, but with an exotic touch, and very cool vocals.
"I really like this song. I think it's a different dance track than "BUTAI", since this is a song where the audience can join. I want listeners to not focus too much on the lyrics, and enjoy the music."
The 4th track, "Puzzle", by orange spotting, has a fresh sound.
"I chose "Puzzle" out of the many songs that were sent to us because it has a cute and nostalgic sound, and brought back memories. I immediately wanted to write lyrics for it. It inspired me to write about invaluable friends, and relationships in general. I wrote about a friend that has always supported me when I needed help, and how I want to always support this person too. I was rewriting the lyrics until the morning of the recording, to express my love in the best way possible. The choreography for this song is both cute and cool (kawaii and kakkoi), and the choreographer did a great job matching it with the lower beats in the song, as I asked her."
Surprising even herself
And finally, there's "LAZER", which is about the feeling of the sun rising. With lyrics co-written by Kami Kaoru, and music by TAKAROT, the powerful, flash-like sound, expands like a sunrise, creating that DAYBREAK feeling.
"I wanted this to be a song the fans could relate to, and I talked about that a lot with Kami-san and TAKAROT-san. I told them what kind of person I am, my way of thinking too, we watched old performances of mine together, what music I usually listen to, and then we came up with ideas to make the song. While the song has elements, such as the presence of synths, of songs that are currently popular, I think it has its own style too, and is very exciting."
She has always felt uncomfortable when recording, but she was able to relax and have fun this time, and the result was that her voice sounded great in this album. While she has progressed a lot, she still hasn't reached her full potential.
"I used to think I was a person who couldn't come up with her own ideas, which made me wonder "What kind of a person am I?" Thanks to this project, I was able to better understand myself. When I read the lyrics, I thought "this is what I'm thinking" or "this is what I like" or "what I want to do", and I am being surprised myself (laughs). It's fun to make new discoveries every day. I want to continue working for a long time, so I would like to share these songs with the people who already know me, but also to expand the range of people who listen to my work. Unfortunately, due to covid, not many people can come to live shows now, but I really believe in the value of live performances, so I hope there will be more opportunities, in the future, to perform live and meet the fans."
After a long period of darkness, the dawn has arrived, and the new Riho Sayashi is here.
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