The fan club tour was a really good tour. I wanted to make it a place where I could show a side of myself that I haven't shown much before, and I think there were some old fans and some new fans who joined the fan club, but it was a homely atmosphere and it was really good. It was so good that I didn't even mind making mistakes (laughs).

I think it's a big deal if people join my fan club. To put it positively, I think it means they really like me, so I want to give them something in return that makes them think, "I'm glad I came to the concert, I'm glad I joined the fan club." I have such strong feelings, and I think I was able to actually hold such concerts in various places, so I'm really glad.

The atmosphere was really relaxed, and even though we couldn't talk to the audience, we did things like rock-paper-scissors (laughs) and had a lively time. It was fun to do things that we couldn't do in an arena, so I hope we can do a fan club tour again someday.

After the fan club tour, she appeared on NHK General TV's "AIMYON 18 Festival" with 1,000 18-year-olds, and released the new song "Futaba" that was born there on March 24. The recording took place on March 6, AIMYON 's 27th birthday, and although it ended up being done remotely, the voices of AIMYON and the 18-year-olds mixed together through the screen, creating a touching scene.

The title "Futaba" was taken from the part that came first, "Sway cutely, Futaba." But when I looked up the meaning in the dictionary later, I found out that Futaba refers to the sprout that first crawls up from the soil, which sounds a lot like 18-year-olds.

I think the kids who applied had a lot of sad and difficult experiences over the past two years, but they applied with courage, and I thought it was a great title because I think they are like sprouts that really crawled out of the soil. I was really disappointed that the co-starring became remote, but I think it was a big thing for me to be able to share the experience of losing an important opportunity with the 18-year-old generation.

"Futaba" powerfully sings and appeals to the 18-year-old generation, singing, "When you grow up, you'll fall in love," and "I'll accept your emotional pain and the harsh words you say." It's a song that combines dignity and tolerance that only AIMYON, now 27 years old, could sing.

After performing with the 18-year-old generation in "Futaba," I actually performed two songs as Present, which were "Until I Know Love" and "I Don't Want to Be 19." When I wrote "I Don't Want to Be 19," I didn't want to become an adult, or rather, I was singing about the negative things that come with becoming an adult, like only seeing the things you don't like, so the fact that I was able to write a song like "Futaba" this time means that I've become an adult too.

I think I've been writing songs that I could only write "now". When I was a teenager, I wrote songs with a strong rebellious spirit against adults, and I think I was able to write those songs at that time, but my way of thinking is completely different from now. I really think that "Futaba" is a song that I could sing to teenagers because I was 27 years old. If I sang "Futaba" at 19 years old, it wouldn't be convincing at all (laughs).

Also, up until now, "18sai" has always been performed by a band, and there were many passionate songs, but since I'm a singer-songwriter, I wanted to show my strengths and individuality, so this song turned out like this, and instead of saying "Let's do our best!", I personally think that we should also properly confront the negative aspects. That's why I deliberately wrote lines like "Even if I want to watch over you forever, it seems like it won't come true anymore" and "Tell me the mystery of your tears, I want to see you again". I made sure to keep in mind that "this song will be like this because it's "18sai" AIMYON by singer-songwriter Aimyon".

"Futaba" was performed with a chorus of 18-year-olds on the show, but the sound source was produced by Yusuke Tanaka, and the elegant strings added color to the song, which is unique to Aimyon, who is a singer-songwriter and believes in "J-POP". AIMYON the framework of the "18 Festival" program, this song will be sung as a new standard.

I thought that a song for 18-year-old students would sound like something you could sing at a graduation ceremony. But I wanted to make it into a J-POP song, so I didn't think about making it into a choral song. They added a chorus for the show later, but I thought it would be bad to make it into a choral song from the beginning.

The ending was my idea, and originally there was a proper ending, but the contrast with the loudness of the first half made me think that the sudden pull would be shocking. I guess that's how I've grown up, and I used to not really have much say in the arrangements, but recently I've started to say a little bit... I've grown up (laughs). I hope to sing this song with care at live performances, and I'm looking forward to seeing it grow in the future.

And the new song "First Love is Crying" was released digitally on May 11th. The song is currently being aired as the theme song for the Kansai TV/Fuji TV Monday 10pm drama "Who Needs True Love?", but it wasn't written specifically for the drama; it's an important song that AIMYON had written and been working on for a while.

I wrote this song last year, but when I finished it, I thought, "I definitely want to release it as a single." So, in the same way as when I wrote "Marigold" and "Naked Heart," I told the staff, "I've written a really good song."

Then, the producer of the drama said, "I want you to do the theme song," and said, "If this song fits, I'd love to use it," so the release was decided in a very lucky way. Since it wasn't a new song, I wondered at first if it would be okay, but when I talked to the producer, he said, "I didn't think it would fit so well, I was surprised," so I was glad. Anyway, it's filled with all the music I want to do now, so when it was completed, I thought, "This is it!"

AIMYON has written many songs with the theme of "love" up until now, but what makes this song unique is that it personifies "first love." The opening line, "My first love, hanging from the telephone pole, glares at me with numbness," draws you in.

I really like the balcony of my house, and I feel like all good and bad things come in through the balcony, but one day, I saw a human-like thing hanging from a telephone pole visible from the balcony, wearing pink full-body tights and with the word "First Love" written on its forehead. Of course, I couldn't see it with my eyes, it was just in my head (laughs). It was like slime, and it was degenerate, and when I saw it, the lyrics "First Love is glaring at me" came to mind... I don't really understand what it means when I put it into words (laughs). The image is like something mysterious talking to me all the time, like Inio Asano's "Good Night Punpun".

The content is just about "still holding on to an old love". I can't forget the person I loved for a long time, and even though I think I've forgotten about them, they're still surprisingly close to me, and I find myself thinking, "I haven't forgotten about them, have I?" In this song, I personify that, and my "first love" pops out and keeps talking to me, asking, "Do I really have to tell you this? Don't you still like me?" In essence, it's a question I ask myself, but I wrote it from a sci-fi, fantasy perspective. I want people to use their imagination when listening to this song, and I hope people will listen to it with their own interpretation.

Although the lyrics are a completely new perspective, Tomiyo produced and arranged the sound, and the singer-songwriter style is AIMYON. Even if you have never seen the pink "First Love," the title "First Love is Crying" certainly conveys the mixed feelings of elation and anxiety that come with "love," which is also AIMYON.

At first, I was wondering whether to use "Nai-te-ru" (crying). Since I don't know if "Hatsukoi" is a person, a bird, or some other creature, I thought it would be good to use hiragana so that it could be used as both "crying" and "singing". But I felt that it would be a little uncool, so I decided to use kanji for "naki-te-ru". I had a little twist in the melody, and I think it was great that I was able to find it.

The B-side of the CD single to be released on June 8th will include "Satsuki," which was produced by Mitsume's Motoi Kawabe, the first such song since "Miniskirt and Highlights." The performance and arrangement were handled by members of Mitsume, adding an indie rock feel to AIMYON songs.

I originally wrote this song with a folk song image in mind, and it's been one of my favorites since it was written. Satsuki blooms during the rainy season, when the days are dark and muggy. By using wordplay to express that feeling and singing it in a brighter way, I think it's become an interesting song that makes you wonder whether it's sad or happy.

This song is the first one of my songs to have a male chorus. Kawabe-san's voice is in the first and third lines of the chorus, but I've never had a chorus other than mine before. But I've always wanted a male chorus, so I'm happy. Originally, I had the idea of singing an octave lower, but the words just sounded smeared with my voice, so I thought it would be better to have a male voice sing it, and I asked him to do it. I'm looking forward to fans who hear this and start wondering, "Who is that?" and trying to figure out who the culprit is (laughs).

The arena tour "Ma・Aru" will start on April 16th. This will be AIMYON largest tour to date, with 28 performances in 14 cities, and will conclude at Pia Arena MM in Kanagawa on July 23rd and 24th. With a full lineup of new songs, AIMYON will travel the country to see you.

Nowadays, many people listen to music on TikTok and YouTube, and there are people who perform without showing their faces, and I think that there are many ways to do it, which is great, but I still want to stand in front of everyone, and ultimately, I think that people who can perform live are strong. Tatsuro Yamashita, Kazumasa Oda, and Yuming are really amazing, aren't they? It's really not easy to continue touring, so the strength of people who have been doing it for many years is reflected in their songs.

So, I want to tour every year while I can, and become a live artist...I used to hate live performances (laughs), but now I want to be one. I've gradually gained confidence in live performances, and now I can sing with my guitar, with a band, and with a handheld microphone, and I've become able to do a variety of things, and I think I've gotten better at using the venue now, so I want you to see that. In a good way, I hope this tour will be a place where you can feel a difference from when I'm on the media, so I'm putting a lot of energy into it, so I hope you'll come and see it.

Interview & Text / Atsushi Kaneko