INDEX
Ongoing Struggle: Doubts About Whether It Was the Right Choice
Since your debut, you’ve released two full albums. Do you feel that the sense of having achieved something each time has led you to your current mode?
Nishina：Well, I’m not sure about that. The difficult part for me is that I’ve never really felt like I’ve completed anything. I’ve never thought, “I did it!” I’m always struggling with, “Was this the right choice?” So, perhaps that’s why I focus on enjoying the process. Since my doubts never really end, I feel that the only option is to enjoy myself.
Do you feel that your motivation for making music has changed over time?
Nishina： I think the core motivation, like “I enjoy creating” or “I want to make something,” hasn’t changed. However, compared to the past, now I can directly meet listeners and see, “These are the people who are listening.” I still create music both from happy feelings and from expressing troubles I can’t talk about, but now I can also imagine how to enjoy the process with the listeners.
How do the ideas of “enjoying with listeners” and “everyone is different, and there’s no right answer” connect and influence your music?
Nishina： I can’t really write lyrics that say “everyone is happy,” but I often end up writing about things like “everyone is different” or “I’m feeling sad.” Yet, the wonderful thing about music is that it allows enjoyment even without words.
Even if the lyrics express that “everyone is different” or convey sadness, as long as people are in the same space, sharing the same time, and listening to the music together, they can still find joy. It might seem contradictory, but that’s what makes music so powerful.
You mentioned a sense of “perhaps this feeling of loneliness is something unique to me” from your childhood, and listening to your music, it seems like this sense of loneliness might be deeply rooted within you, separate from the realization that “everyone is different.”
Nishina： Yes, I do experience loneliness. Sometimes I fall into it, but I think now I view it more as a part of human nature. I believe that actions and feelings derived from loneliness contribute to creating the unique traits of each person. So, I now hope to be able to even find enjoyment in loneliness. Also, when I’m making music, I’m always alone. While I’ve gained many people to consult with, the sense of solitude that appears during the creative process is something I inevitably experience.
