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NEWS EVENT SPECIAL SERIES

DEAN FUJIOKA × SKY-HI × Morley Robertson

2023.8.1

スペースシャワーTV

#PR #MUSIC

DEAN FUJIOKA has released his first best album, “Stars of the Lid.” Inspired by the Möbius strip, which links the beauty of fiction and the sharpness of truth, this album wraps DEAN FUJIOKA’s career as a musician while looking ahead to the future.

Space Shower TV aired a special program to dive into DEAN FUJIOKA’s musical journey and true face, featuring a trilogy discussion with musician and commentator Morley Robertson, DEAN’s lifetime hero, and rapper and producer SKY-HI, one of DEAN’s close friends since he began his career in Japan.

The article also includes thematic talks such as “turning points in my life” and “the most embarrassing thing in life.” It delves into DEAN FUJIOKA’s artistic nature as he awaits his Nippon Budokan debut.

From left to right: Morley Robertson, DEAN FUJIOKA, SKY-HI. The program is now available on Space Shower On-Demand.

DEAN FUJIOKA’s close friends Morley Robertson and SKY-HI

DEAN: When I was invited to a Japanese TV show for the first time, which I think was MTV, SKY-HI’s show aired right after mine. That was how I recognized him. Soon after, I saw SKY-HI at a club event in Shibuya and spoke to him. Although it was a small club, his presence stood out among the crowds. We’ve stayed in contact ever since. Until recently, I have been overseas for a long time, but we had dinner together just before I left.

SKY-HI: It was shocking (laughs).

DEAN: We talked a lot about things we can’t share today.

SKY-HI: Morley is wincing (laughs).

Morley: Well, there’s nothing we can say on TV (laughs).

DEAN: I’m one of the enthusiastic “Morley followers,” and I’ve seen a lot of Morley’s content that might not fit in current society. I don’t know how much I’ve contributed to him (laughs).

Morley: I feel like, “What on earth have I done?”

Everyone: (laughs).

Morley: Now and then, I tend to forget my past and move forward. When people refer to something I did a few years ago, I’m like, “Did I really say that?” I’m just trying to move on.

DEAN: It’s like painting over a lot of information.

Morley: That’s right! We are now shifting into the “good guy” phase (laughs).

DEAN’s first best album “Stars of the Lid”

DEAN: When you look up at the starry sky, there are many constellations, each with its own story. It would be perfect for my best album, as it has the lyrics and stories of each song, including new ones, scattered throughout.

DEAN: The album production started with the idea of the Ptolemaic theory instead of the Heliocentrism. Just as there were people in the past who believed fiction to be truth, fictional stories have their romance and beauty. Some people spent their lives for their truth while others pursued the real truth. And truths had such significant influence, sharpness, and severity enough for people to lose their lives.

As an artist, my role is to create fictional entertainment to take part in society. I aimed to bring them together for the best album and Budokan artwork to embody the beauty of fiction and the sharpness of truth connected like a Möbius strip.

DEAN FUJIOKA’s artist photos also utilize the artwork from “Stars of the Lid.”

DEAN: I couldn’t choose all the songs to put into the best album as some songs were fans’ requests, which made me realize there were some unexpected bindings. But it felt like the bindings were like a puzzle. Even with the constraints, if I could write new songs to make up for the missing parts, it would be possible to keep the Möbius strip concept.

The fascination of DEAN FUJIOKA’s music and performances

SKY-HI: DEAN FUJIOKA has been involved in the performing arts in various ways and continues to produce results, but each time he creates a new work that present his artistic desire, which I think is wonderful you are actively making music. In addition to making the best album in this phase, your singing of new songs has become better than any of your past works. That gives me hope to continue to make music, too. You are always having fun.

Morley: I saw his show from the beginning to the end a few years ago. I was blown away by DEAN’s breath, which was not disturbed in the slightest, even though the show was quite long. The fans would have been satisfied even if some songs were cut out (laughs). Even so, DEAN’s stamina to respond to the fans and his long breath was terrific.

The audience’s stamina was also considerable, and I felt their strong dedication. DEAN and the audience attended the concert until their stamina ran out, as if they were creating a Möbius strip (laughs).

DEAN: I see (laughs).

Morley: I think DEAN’s performance showcases romance to the audience. However, now that he mentioned the Möbius strip earlier, I think he needs realism to create “believable” fiction. It is not enough to passively fill in the checkboxes, saying, “Is this OK?” It cannot be heartfelt unless you mean it, and I felt that struggle at DEAN’s live show, and I realized the importance of mental and physical strength.

Since then, objectively speaking, I have the impression that camera angles in both films and live videos emphasize DEAN’s beauty, but even when I see smart and sophisticated images of DEAN, I can still feel his muscles, sweat, physical power, and stamina that make it all possible. That encourages me to go to the gym, too (laughs).

DEAN: But for sure, I see my body like an Evangelion. And I have this image of going into my body as a pilot. I think about how to develop my physical body and make it function, so when you said that to me felt like you know everything (laughs).

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