RELEASED 2019.2.13

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12 masterpieces born from "instant sixth sense"
AIMYON major album "Shunkanteki Sixth Sense"

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The most successful young artist of 2018. There is no longer any room for disagreement in calling AIMYON this.
The three singles "Only Under the Full Moon Yorunara," "Marigold," and "Let the night" gained popularity, and subscription services, participation in large festivals, and appearances on terrestrial television programs created a synergistic effect, forming huge word-of-mouth. Some say that they are "the first Japanese artist to make a major breakthrough from subscription services." As a culmination of this year, they made their first appearance on the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" at the end of the year, performing "Marigold."

AIMYON: In an interview when the single was released, I said, "I hope that 'Marigold' will become my signature song," and I think that has pretty much happened. I think 2018 was the year of "Marigold." I had always said, "If the world doesn't understand this song, I won't be able to make music," so I'm glad it reached everyone.

After a turbulent 2018 that he described as "really just happening for a second," his second major album, "Shunkanteki Sixth Sense," is now complete, his first in about a year and a half.
This is a magnificent collection of 12 masterpieces, including not only the three singles but also numerous tie-up songs.

AIMYON: I decided on this title before I started working on the album. Every moment in 2018 was so important that I didn't have time to hesitate, so I felt like I had no choice but to go with my gut feeling. I also thought that "the sixth sense is important in art," and when it comes to creating things, I feel like my sixth sense is at work. So, while the first album contained songs that were created from the "excitement of youth," this time it contains songs that were created from the "sixth sense of the moment."

In 2018, she wrote many songs for movies and dramas, and the album includes four songs: "Let the night" (Theme song for the drama "We Can't Become Beasts"), "Present" (theme song for Mezamashi Doyoubi), and the theme song of the same title and insert song "what if…" (Even if the World Ends Tomorrow), which will be released on January 25th. The theme song, which sings "Even if it's the worst, I'm the only one here," is a song for a movie, but the lyrics are from a male perspective, AIMYON of Aimyon.

AIMYON: When I met the director for the first time and saw the rough video of "Even if the world ends tomorrow," I immediately had an image of it. It was my first time making two songs for one work, and unlike live-action, it was difficult to capture the expressions in animation, but I was able to finish it pretty quickly. As we were recording "Even if the world ends tomorrow," the voltage gradually increased, with me thinking, "This is so good!"

The sound producers are Yusuke Tanaka (agehasprings), who is familiar from the single songs, and Shingo Sekiguchi (origami PRODUCTIONS), who have continued to participate from the first album, and Tomiyo, who AIMYON says is "just a fan", also participates. The songs are based on acoustic guitar and vocals, and are given various colors by the performances and programming of guest musicians.

AIMYON: I often pitch songs I want to try to Sekiguchi-san, and "Just for the two of us" is based on "Lost Paradise," but I liked the words "a community of shared destiny," so when I sang it in a straightforward manner, it turned out like a Buddhist sutra (laughs). Tomi-san is particularly good at ballads.
“Raw Like Sushi” was the first time I had featured a live string quartet, and I was really moved.

According to singer, "Raw Like Sushi" is "a song I personally like," but the background to the creation of a song with such straightforward emotions - "Let's start something new now, I won't cry over trivial things anymore" - shows that the past year has not been all smooth sailing.

AIMYON: I don't often write songs emotionally, but this is a song I wrote when I was feeling emotional. Something shocking happened on New Year's Eve last year (2017) and the beginning of this year (2018), which made me think about my connections with people. Now it turned out all right, but at that moment I felt like something inside me had snapped, and I got strangely emotional. I turned 23 and my old friends and family were no longer around, so I didn't get scolded or cried as often, but I was surprised to find that I could still get hurt by laughing carefree. But I realized it's important to let my emotions explode. And that's how the song was born.

When I think about why AIMYON 's songs strike such a chord with so many people, I think it's largely due to her pop-like sense of melody. At the Red and White Song Battle, Hoshino Gen performed "Idea" and Yonezu Kenshi performed "Lemon," and while their songs also had a pop-like feel, they were produced with a modern production, making them national hits loved by people of all ages and genders. AIMYON too, seems to belong to that lineage.

AIMYON: Japanese people's DNA is inescapable of pop music. However, you can consciously make it sound like a pop song, but if you do that, I think people will end up thinking, "In that case, I'll listen to my old songs." Instead, I think it's important to make people feel nostalgic or like they've heard it before, and not to go all out with pop music. Yonezu's presence was huge this year (2018), and he made me feel frustrated, so I'm really grateful to him.

In creating “Yumeoi Bengal,” which features impactful lyrics such as “I live my life wanting love, not you guys who only care about sex,” and a punkish melody reminiscent of his earlier style, he openly admits to being influenced by another male artist.

AIMYON: I really like Oyamada Sohei, and I think it's really easy to be influenced by male artists (laughs). Of course, I'm not copying him, but I'm influenced by him in a good way. "Yumeoi Bengal" is like "Please don't forget this part of me too." I like Oyamada's voice, but I also like the way he exudes a real-life vibe. He has something that makes me feel close to him. Maybe that's important in today's world.
People often say that successful artists become distant, don't they? I think that can't be helped, but if you don't have something that makes you feel close to them, you'll end up drifting away from everyone. I also want to cherish the smell of life in a good way.

The last track is the one and a half minute alternative number "From the corner room on the 4th floor" produced by Aigon (aka Shigekazu Aida). The album closes with the reckless lyrics "It's over since it started" and a freaky trumpet.

AIMYON: This song and the song Because I'm in Love," were recorded in one take, and "From the corner room on the 4th floor" is the shortest song I've released so far.
The first song is "Mangetsu no Yorunara" (Only Under the Full Moon), which sings "Because the night is long", so I wanted to end with "GOOD NIGHT BABY", but I didn't know where to put "From the corner room on the 4th floor" (laughs). I thought it would be interesting to start a little while after "GOOD NIGHT BABY" and end with a confused look on my face.

After the album is released, on February 18th, she will hold a solo concert at Nippon Budokan titled "AIMYON BUDOKAN -1995-". Titled after the year she was born, she will perform an acoustic live show on the center stage surrounded by an audience on all sides. Her boldness in casually saying "My first time at Budokan was better alone" makes us look forward to her further progress in 2019.

AIMYON: There's an MC that goes, "I wouldn't be here without you all," right? I used to think, "Is that really true?" but now I think, "That's true" (laughs). So, I want to perform at a large venue, but I also want to perform at a more intimate venue, and I think that being a singer-songwriter and playing the guitar is what allows me to do that. So, it's precisely because the venue is as big as the Budokan that I wanted to perform alone.
I released three singles in 2018, which I thought was a lot, but...that's my own pace and I felt I could do it, so I'd like to release a similar number in 2019.

Interview & Text / Atsushi Kaneko