An interview with the talented YUI (:自分の気持ちがしみ込んていて,どの曲も愛おしい――ちょうど1年ぶりのアルバムですね。
【YUI】 3枚目のアルバムが作れるのは本当に嬉しいことだと思いました。一つひとつの曲を心を込めて作っていたので、とても満足のできるアルバムになったし、1枚目でも2枚目でもやっていない新しい事ができたので、3枚目には新しい発見がたくさんありました。
――その新しい発見というのは?
【YUI】 サウンド的にもメリハリがあるし、歌詞にもいろんな表現があるので、自分の中でもまだまだいろんな色というか・・・自分がこれまで気づいてなかった部分も詞や曲で発見できました。どの曲も自分の中から生まれてきたものなので、とても愛おしいし、どれも私だなって自信を持って言える。自分の気持ちがしみ込んでいるので、ぜひ聴いて下さいとしか言えないんですけど・・・。
――「My Generation」「LOVE & TRUTH」「Namidairo」など、シングルでひと足先にみなさんに届けた曲がまずあって・・・。そこからどうやってアルバム全体のイメージを固めていきましたか?
【YUI】 シングルでもロックな曲があったり、切ないアコースティックな曲があったりと振り幅があったので、アルバムにもいろんな色があったらいいなって思っていました。詞に関しては今回に限らないんですけど、安易に自分の思いや感じた事を曲げないように、その思いを詞に書く事や歌う事であらためて言いきかせるように書きました。願いと感謝の気持ちを込めタイトル
――「Love is all」(7曲目)は、かなりストレートな詞ですね。
【YUI】 取材とかしてると、曲をちゃんと聴いてないのにインタビューしちゃうような人も中にはいて・・・。ちゃんと聴いてよっていう感情が爆発した詞になっちゃいました。心を込めて作った音楽だから、私はその音楽をすごく大切にしているんだっていう気持ちを「Love is all」には刻みました。
――オブラートに包まず、ストレートに吐き出すことは、もしかしたら敵を増やすことになる可能性も大きいけど、でもそれを吐き出さないYUIはYUIじゃない。
【YUI】 世の中の全ての人が認めてくれるなんて絶対にないけれど、でも・・・それでも同じような思いを抱えている人はきっとひとりはいてくれるんじゃないかなって思います。あと、認めてもらうということはそんなに重要じゃないというか・・・。
――アルバムタイトルにはどんな思いを込めましたか?
【YUI】 “明日も同じ気持ちでありますように”という願いを込めました。直訳すると“私は昨日を愛していた”になるんですけど、過去を受け入れないと次の第一歩は踏み出せないし、後悔をしないように今を一生懸命生きるという力強いメッセージがこのタイトルなんです。あと、くやしい事があったり、つまづいた時にいつも私は大切な人達や出会いに支えられてた過去があった。そんな過去があったから今の私がいるんだっていう事をこれからも忘れないように、感謝の気持ちを込めて、このタイトルにしました。
――過去や昨日を忘れないことが今日や未来を輝かせてくれる。
【YUI】 はい。昨日よりもっと今日をよくするということではなくて、昨日は全力だった、と思えたら明日もそう思いたい、だから今日を大切に生きよう、ということです。そして、昨日や過去を愛せないと、今日という日も愛せないんですよね。
TranslationAs I put my heart into it, I love every song- It has been exactly 1 year since your previous album hasn’t it?YUI: I’m really happy to be able to work on my 3rd album. As I put my heart and soul into creating every song, it has turned out to be a satisfying album. There are new things which I did not try before in the previous 2 albums so there were a lot of new discoveries in the 3rd album.
- Speaking of those new discoveries, they are?YUI: There were variances in the sound aspect, and many types of expressions in the lyrics. There seems to be many sides of myself which are left to be explored… I have discovered many aspects of myself which I did not realize up till now, and these have been reflected in the lyrics and melodies. No matter which song it is, it has came from me, so I love it a lot, and I can say that I have confidence in every one of them. As I put all my feelings into the album, there is nothing better to left to say than “please do listen to my album”…
- Firstly there’s My Generation, LOVE&TRUTH and Namidairo which were released and heard previously as singles… How did you strengthen the overall image of the album from there?YUI: In the singles there were rock songs, sad acoustic songs, as well as many other variances. So I thought it would be great if I could include a wide variety of tunes in the album. With regards to the lyrics, although it is not only exceptional for this album, I have tried to include truthfully things which I thought and felt. I have reminded myself to put such thoughts as it is originally into my writing as well as singing.A title containing hope and gratitude
- Love is all (7th track) is a rather straightforward track isn’t it.YUI: When I was doing interviews, there were people who were carrying out the interview despite not having heard my song properly yet… My thoughts/ feelings of “listen to it properly!” resulted in the “explosive” lyrics. The feeling “As I put my heart into creating music, I view that music as something important” is deeply embedded into “Love is all”.
- Without any form of covering up, and simply being straightforward has a huge possibility of leading to an increase of more enemies. But not doing so would be a YUI who is not YUI herself.YUI: It is impossible to make everyone in the world to recognize and acknowledge me, but I think surely there would exist at least one person who has the same thoughts. And also, it is not that important to seek for acceptance and acknowledgement…
- What kind of feelings was included in the album title?YUI: A wish that I would be able to experience the same feelings as I did today was included. To translate it directly, it would be “I had loved yesterday”. If one does not accept the past, it would be impossible to move on. It is a title which contains the strong message of giving one’s best right now in order not to experience any regrets. In addition, my past is made up of friends and encounters which always supported me greatly when I experience regret or when I stumble. Because of that kind of past, there is the present me. In order not forget this, as well as to show my gratitude, I came up with this title.
- Not forgetting the past and yesterday makes tomorrow and the future shine.YUI: That’s right. It is not about working even harder today than yesterday, but to be able to think that I gave my best yesterday, hence I will treasure the present. Also, if one is unable to love yesterday and the past, one will not be able to love the day called today.
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AND!!
Oricon Chart
#1 YUI - 54650
#2 EXILE - 6751
#3 HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA - 3748
*calculated in indexes
Actual sales = 54,650x1.7 = 92,905 copies sold the first day (appoximately).
LOOK AT THAT HUGE MARGIN BETWEEN #1 AND #2!!!
YUI beats up everyone! (:
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Chatted up with YLs of SG. We're going to have outing soon think will be jamming outing MeronPan says that he'll be doing a recording, all SG YLs agreed that we should submit for next year's YU-Lovers collaboration (:
And i'm working hard too ! XD
Previewed some songs at school on Imeem. SUBARASHII!!!!
Hontoni arigato gozaimasu YUI-san. For making susch wonderful music!! (:
And and... going to do MO with YLs -SG. gogogo PUSH!!!
Well, i gtg for Chinese now, Wang lao shi will scold us (:
Once again Congratulations to YUI! may the sales of I LOVED YESTERDAY skyrocket!!