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The Irresistible Vibe of Dance Music in xiangyu’s Tracks
I’d also like to ask about the production side of the album. This time, Mitsuoka-san grabbed the mic and even rapped on “Zutto Iru Tomato (The Lingering Tomato).” Why did you decide to have him sing on the track?
xiangyu： It just felt like a natural progression. Through his work and writing, I always thought he had a great sense of words, so it felt like a waste to only ask him for the album artwork. Then, in the course of conversation, I casually asked, “Would you be interested in writing some lyrics?” and he immediately replied, “I’ll do it!” When I saw the lyrics he sent, they were full of powerful phrases like, “as immovable as a mountain” [laughs]. It was really interesting, and when I imagined those words in Mitsuoka-san’s voice, it just felt like the right fit for him to actually sing them.
I see, that’s how it all came together. On the other hand, Gimgigam’s work on the sound really stands out, especially with the dance music element. Just like how “Enryo no Katamari” taps into a shared sense of awareness that resonates with Japanese listeners, dance music is a genre that people can enjoy even if they don’t understand the lyrics. What’s your approach to dance music?
xiangyu： The vibe of dance music is something I really cherish, both for myself and within the team. While the lyrics are super important to me, the way the words sound and feel is just as crucial, so I’m constantly hunting for phrases that hit the right note. When a phrase doesn’t have the right flow, I can get pretty stuck, and finding that balance is always tricky. If a phrase works with the theme but doesn’t sound great, I’ll try to tweak it. But if something veers off from what I meant but still sounds good, I’m totally okay with that too.
