INDEX
“Pursuing Your Passions Defines Your Individuality” (Ayumu)
I think that SIRUP expanding his activities overseas reflects a kind of “romanticism toward life” where he wants to have diverse experiences through music. Ayumu-kun is living in the U.S. and has many young American listeners, which feels like a different style of activity compared to SIRUP. What was the motivation behind deciding to pursue activities abroad?
Ayumu： The entire reason is that I was able to study abroad in New York when I was 14. Being in New York at a time when I was most receptive to learning allowed me to not only develop my skills as an artist but also to think about the kind of person I wanted to be. It helped me gain a more objective view of how I was perceived.
At 14, it’s a period when people discover various aspects of their identity, even if they are living in Japan. It’s different from going abroad as an adult and experiencing cultural differences. What did you feel during that time?
Ayumu：It was significant for me to gain an objective view of how Japanese people are perceived. Living in America for the first time made me experience what it’s like to live as a foreigner.
Especially in New York, it seems like doing something different from others is the shortcut to success, right? By viewing myself objectively, I think I was able to understand what I could do to stand out.
Ayumu: Everyone has such unique personalities that even if you don’t intentionally try to do something different, I feel like if you just pursue what you really want to do, that in itself becomes your individuality.
SIRUP: What I thought while listening to you is that when I was 14, I was only thinking about my middle school friends, but since you were doing dance, which is a universal language, you were probably able to see things from a global perspective.
-SIRUP, what differences or gaps do you feel between your activities in Japan and overseas?
SIRUP：As an adult, I started performing overseas, and in a light sense, I’ve noticed differences in the points where Japanese and overseas audiences react to live performances and music. I’d like to hear Ayumu’s thoughts on this too.
Ayumu：The biggest thing I notice when interacting with American artists is that in Japan, people tend to work as a team, but in America, it feels like there’s a strong sense of responsibility with the artist at the center and the staff supporting them. It’s different from Japan.
Do you mean there are more things the artist has to decide on their own?
Ayumu：Yes, that’s part of it, but the approach is fundamentally different. MAX, who featured on my track, is an incredible person who manages his entire team on his own. Of course, there are people like that in Japan too, but in America, that method seems to be the norm, and I felt that gap.
In Japan, the people around the artist often take care of things to avoid burdening them, but as a result, the artist’s sense of initiative can sometimes diminish.
SIRUP: I imagined that in America, everyone has so much initiative that it’s hard to get things organized, but it turned out to be completely different.
