INDEX
Natsume’s Response to “Your Favorite Things”: “She Masterfully Embraces the Essence of Satoko Shibata”
-Natsume, what did you think of Shibata’s new album “Your Favorite Things”?
Natsume: It was really interesting. I listened to it three times on different days, and it was interesting each time. The first time I listened to it, I thought, “Oh, you’ve completely mastered the existence of ‘Satoko Shibata. She seems to be having a lot of fun.
Shibata: I’m glad that you do indeed have that feeling. I think Takuro Okada-san’s coming in to produce the sound for this album and our working together with gusto was a big part of the production. This is the first time I’ve had so much fun making this album.
Natsume: I feel a great sense of freedom.
Shibata: I made the album without thinking, “This kind of music wouldn’t suit me, so I’m not going to do it. For example, I no longer think of myself as someone who likes TWICE and my music separately.
Natsume： There are many hooks, but I also freed myself from the idea of “chubi” in Japanese pop songs, and there are many parts that should be called “flow” rather than “song.
Overall, the rhythm and flow are well intertwined, and the whole album is like a picture scroll, like a painting. The lyrics are also enjoyable to listen to by ear, not by eye. It’s like a flash of a picture coming to mind.
Shibata: For the first time, I decided to record the vocals myself, and I think that was a big part of it. In terms of rhythm and voice, I felt that the words were floating around in the previous album. I wondered how I could resolve that. This time, I went into the recording with a strong desire to make the words “sound. So I am very happy with the feedback.
-I heard that your vocal technique has also changed considerably.
Shibata: In the past few years, I had forgotten that I have a small voice. Especially since I started working with a band, I have been thinking that I have to use my voice and get it out from my stomach. My personality also became more and more extroverted along with it (laughs).
(Laughs) But after the last album, I began to think that maybe I was forcing my voice too much. My personality has never been a positive one (laughs).
(laughs) – Your vocal technique has changed a lot since then, hasn’t it, Natsume?
Natsume: Going back to the Shamcats’ “Take Care” mini-album (2015), I started to think consciously about vocalization, and I think it was a big factor in my decision to sing more carefully. Then, when I started my solo project (Summer Eye), I decided once again that I would not be so tense anymore.
I had reached a certain age, and I thought, “I should stop singing with a bang if I have to. When I was thinking about that, I was listening to a lot of bossa nova and Brazilian music, and I started to think that it would be great if I could sing like that, too, because they are so wonderful even though they are all singing in a whisper.
Another big thing was that I wanted to do music that I could continue for the rest of my life. I also thought that I wanted to do music that I could keep doing for the rest of my life. I also thought that it would be a little hard for me to keep disciplining myself and training and working hard to put my voice to the test.
Shibata: Looking back on my own case, I think that such a change in vocal technique is more seamless than a sudden and drastic change. I also have the sense that things have gradually changed as I think about it in my daily life.
Natsume: That’s right.
