INDEX
Conversations with Friends: The Curse Known as Dreams
Takano: In your letter, you wrote, “I’m causing trouble for my family, I’m not getting any results, and my works are not selling. What made you keep this unfounded confidence?
Aile The Shota： It’s an extension of my childhood determination, but my friends and family, the people closest to me, praised and believed in me, and I turned that, including the pressure, into confidence. I was able to turn that into confidence, even under pressure.
Takano: Words from people you trust like that are incredibly reassuring. And as you say, “You respect yourself,” I would like to know about your own sense of self-worth that you valued, if you don’t mind me asking.
Your confidence, it’s actually spot on. Keep honoring yourself, cherishing yourself, appreciating those around you, and maintaining kindness. As you navigate that invisible path, light will emerge. One day, you’ll confidently assert that having unwavering self-belief is truly foundational.
Excerpt from Aile The Shota’s letter (“Words to Deliver to the Jibuns of Those Days” presented by FRISK)
Aile The Shota: I think it is important not to stray from what you think is cool. I think it is one of the things that makes me unique, that I never change what I think is different from the currents, trends, and peer pressure. Also, I always try to live with love. Even if it is not 100 points, I try to live with love, and I think it is a part of who I am because it has continued up to this point.
Takano: But it is an important word, isn’t it? Music is only possible when there are people who listen to it. It is very important to express gratitude and love to those people.
Celeina: The last line of the letter, “Love, be grateful to those around you, love, and don’t forget to be kind,” really stuck with me. I think kindness is difficult. Giving compliments is not the only way to be kind. What do you think of “kindness” in your own way?
Aile The Shota：If you start thinking about it, there is no end to it. I think it is kindness to be kind to others after considering whether the kindness I am thinking of now is really love or ego. If you can do that with confidence, I think you are being kind enough. I think it is hard to be pushy, or maybe I can put a cushion between the two. I started thinking this way when I was in college.
Takano: Since we are also in the music business, I understand what you said in your letter about a “curse in the name of dreams. We have this feeling, don’t we?
Aile The Shota: That’s right. At the time. There were friends of mine who also did not find a job, so the three of us were having dinner and talking about what we were going to do, and I remember saying to myself, “Lately, I’ve come to think of it as a curse. I remember saying to myself, “Lately I’ve even come to think of it as a curse,” as an extension of our conversation over dinner. I remember saying the word “curse” to myself, so I incorporated it into this letter.
