Interview with Tsukimori Kaede

Some of our readers may be unfamiliar with your music; could you please introduce yourself?

Tsukimori Kaede: I am Tsukimori Kaede and my nickname is Kaepyon! I am an idol 365 days a year, but I also work as a full-time employee at a financial company on weekdays. I started my solo idol career in March 2020 and released my first major CD Anata ni Raburinchu♡ on September 23rd, 2020.

I love eating negitama gyuudon (an egg beef bowl sprinkled with chopped scallions). I love it so much that I recently wrote my own lyrics around it and released a song called Negitama gyuudon no uta. I also have a new costume inspired by it and made by Tamako, a costume designer!

I aim to be someone who can push you forward when you want to do your best, all thanks to the lovely music of the passionate Kaepyon! I've also always loved Akihabara and the 'moe' culture, so one day I hope I can be the mascot of Akihabara and share my favorite culture worldwide!

You debuted as a solo idol in March 2020, though you had other activities beforehand. What drew you to pursue your solo career?

Tsukimori Kaede: I have loved the anime "Di Gi Charat" ever since I was a little girl, but also the voice actors Yukari Tamura and Haruko Momoi, so I wanted to be a seiyuu. I loved the anime series but also the character songs which deepened their backstories. I love Akihabara so I wanted to be involved in it, I wanted to play a lovely character, to sing on a popular stage where those who love anime all gather together.

During university, I attended a voice actor training school for three years but I couldn't reach the next level. When job hunting started, I gave up on voice acting and chose to get another job. I got hired but a friend of mine in the same class had realized his dream and was working as a voice actor in a movie, as he had always dreamed of. As a consequence, I wondered if I would end up working at a company for the rest of my life, and it made me feel bitter.

After that, I went to a voice actor training school again. Most training schools require students to start in April, but I had decided that I could enrol at any time. After the selection process, I was contacted by an idol agency to become a member of the idol duo SweetSweets.

There are two reasons why I became an idol. The first reason was that I wanted to have a second chance to stand in front of people and make my dream come true. Secondly, when I met my teammate at the time, I was eager to work with her. Then my boss at the company where I work on weekdays said: 'Why don't you give it a try?' I was only with SweetSweets for about six months but I'm still in touch with my former teammate, and I'm grateful to her for teaching me about the basics of being an idol.

After graduating from that idol unit - that was my second year as an idol - I was selected to join the voice actor idol unit promoting the game "Super Real Mahjong P8". That was unexpected, but I was able to fulfil my dream of becoming a voice actor. It was quite tough to compete with the fourteen other voice actors to gain more fans. Once the selected members were revealed, I came in first place and got to be the center. That made me really happy. I felt the strong support from the fans, which made me think: "I'm going to work even harder!"

I wanted to promote the voice actor unit as much as possible so I did solo activities when there were no live performances planned. I also created original songs to make the live performances funnier. These songs are Anata ni Raburinchu♡, my fairy and Shi・ni・sm, which were later released on my first single.

The feedback we got from our fans when we released our CD as a unit made me so happy that, after I graduated, I decided to become a solo idol. I wanted to release my original solo songs as well. As a solo idol, I can express what I like the way I want to, and achieving my dreams with my fans brings me a lot of joy every day!

You also work as an office worker during weekdays. How do you manage to split up your time and energy between the two?

Tsukimori Kaede: When I'm at work, I only focus on my work tasks! I update my Twitter and blog during my commute to the office. Also, during my lunch break, I draw and pack 'cheki' (decorated and/or signed polaroid pictures) for mail order, make announcement videos, and reply to email invitations. I'm also doing this interview during my lunch break! Sometimes I even bring my original songs to karaoke for practice! I like my lunch break because I can concentrate for one hour!

I am an office worker, and an idol. Both of them are things that I love, so I enjoy doing them at the same time! When I was at the training school, I also had to go back and forth between college, two part-time jobs, the training school and studio practice, so maybe I like to have a lot going on every day...?

Also, I think it's great that I have a steady job as a company employee because I can immediately do what I want to do as an idol! If you're reading this interview and want to become an idol, please give it a try!

It's fun to be alive! The only hard part is getting tired. However, I get hyped up as soon as I see fans saying things like: "I'm having fun at the concert!" or "I love this song!". Their feedback makes me the happiest! I get my energy from the support of my fans! Please give me your feedback!

Being an entertainer during this pandemic has its ups and downs. However, you were greeted with a pleasant surprise as your music video for Anata ni Raburinchu♡ spread among overseas Idol fans. What kind of changes did its success bring?

Tsukimori Kaede: The song Anata ni Raburinchu♡ was released during the coronavirus pandemic. In this situation, I couldn't do any more events or live performances, and I was wondering if I should continue being an idol or not. However, I love my original songs! Even in such an era, I was determined to make my dream come true and released a CD as a solo idol. A music video was also one of my dreams, but I never thought it would be loved this much abroad. I am very happy.

When I found out people from all over the world supported me and my songs, it changed my mind and I considered my activities positively. Hidenori Takada, who composed many of my songs, and Takayuki Yoshimizu, the lyricist, were also pleased with the feedback. When I'm happy, I can give my best! Right now, being an idol is a lot of fun!

Another change that I noticed is that many people have started to watch our livestreams. Before all that, a one-man live performance was a very courageous choice but now, I'm happy to be able to hold a live performance whenever I feel like it, or when I want to show off something I'm happy about. It is a place where everyone can interact with each other regardless of distance or time.

Even if I can't meet all of my fans at the live concerts, it gives me a lot of strength to know that there are people all over the world who love me and support me. I have come to the conclusion that I should continue my activities for a long time. I'm going to try my hand at various activities and do my best to reach more and more people in Japan and around the world!

In June you released Jiritsukei Cinderella and Negitama gyuudon no uta. How do you want these songs to be perceived?

Tsukimori Kaede: In short, they're about being committed to your dreams!

I have been working as a freelancer since February 2021 and I usually handle planning, sales, schedule adjustments, goods submissions, music production meetings, lyrics, event venue rentals and media relations all by myself. I'm alone but not completely so, as I'm still working as an idol today with the support of my fans, creators, co-stars and those close to me who support me in various situations.

Jiritsukei Cinderella is the first song that I wrote all by myself as a freelancer. My thoughts are: "It's a tough world out there, but let's love it regardless!", "There are times when I feel down, but I can do my best with the word 'love'!", "Let's be happy together! Follow me! Follow me!". I put into words what I want to convey through my idol activities. Io, who is active in the band PHONICLINE, joined me to compose the music, and everyone in PHONICLINE did a wonderful job.

On the other hand, Negitama gyuudon no uta is a song that I wrote after I hummed it while I still was under an agency and my manager at the time, Mr. Eichibii, produced the sound. It's a thirty-second song that I created just because I wanted to eat negitama gyuudon late at night. It's amazing that it's been loved in live performances for a long time now. I released this song to remind me of the three years I spent when I was active at the agency, and to do my best to keep my original intentions in mind.

Also, the jacket artwork by the illustrator Ryusei is very lovely, and I love every detail of this anime-style Kaepyon; I want to cry with joy! For the logo, I asked the graphic designer Hazuki Tamano to draw a negitama gyuudon inside the word 'Kaepyon', which is my favorite part of the illustration! Please take a look at the wonderful jacket and listen to the song!

Both are songs representative of Kaepyon. I hope they will be cherished by many people around the world.

Why do you like negitama gyuudon so much? And could you recommend other dishes from Japan?

Tsukimori Kaede: I like dishes with meat and that is what got me to eat it in the first place! I also like green onions so I thought it would be wonderful to eat them all at the same time! I like the gyuudon chain restaurant Sukiya, they have really good gochujang (a Korean fermented food regarded as a kind of miso in Japan) and I love the seasoning! When I used to work at a maid cafe in Akihabara, there was a Sukiya nearby. I used to go there quite often so I was familiar with the environment.

As for other Japanese dishes, I love eating miso soup! It's a soup made of soybean paste and it is often served with rice! Again, it's hard to explain! It seems to be sold abroad as miso! It is a standard dish in Japan and most gyuudon restaurants offer miso soup as a side dish so please try it if you ever come to Japan!

Could you tell us a bit more about your mascot and how you came up with this idea?

Tsukimori Kaede: When I was in elementary school, I liked the fictional bunny character created by singer Ai Otsuka. I thought: "I want to have my own original character as well!". So, I spent many days drawing and creating characters.

Since I am a Capricorn, the character that came to mind was that of a goat. As I was drawing it, I realized that the beard of a goat looks like a hermit's. I thought it would be cute to make a hermit look like a child. I also had the image of a hermit up in the sky. "Up in the sky! Let's make him an angel!" So I added the halo and the final result is 'Kamitama'!

Now I see that people are picking up the goods, fans are drawing illustrations and making cakes based on the mascot. It makes me happy to know that they love the character too! I want to write a character song someday!

What can your fans look forward to in 2021?

Tsukimori Kaede: This month I am shooting a music video for my original song Kamoshika! The choreography, which was created by yuumo, is funny and everyone can dance along and it's a very lovely pop song. I am looking forward to seeing the full music video and I hope you love Kamoshika as much as you enjoyed Anata ni Raburinchu♡! It brings the charm of Kaepyon to those who are unfamiliar with me!

But that's not all...! My second project as a solo idol, "Kaepyon Dream with You" has started! Under the concept of "Let's make our dreams come true together with Kaepyon!", I am going to make our big dreams come true as solo idol Kaede Tsukimori! JaME is the first one I'm going to tell now, so this is a very exciting project!

The dream I'm going to realize this time is the one I've been thinking about since I was little: "I want to sing character songs!" and "I want to spread 'moe' culture!" Even if I have chosen the path of an idol, which is different from being a voice actor as I had first intended, I still listen to character songs made by voice actors and still admire them. This time, in order to make my dream come true, I'm going to challenge myself to create a work with character songs in mind! The creators I admire and who are active on the front lines will be cooperating with me!

POP, the character designer behind Moetan and Soukou Musume, will draw a character illustration based on Kaepyon's image. When I was a student, I learned English words thanks to Moetan and became fond of character songs and late-night anime series. I also love Shizuku Minase drawn by POP in "Hello Kitty to Issho". She's cute. I believe that POP's illustrations symbolize what is considered to be 'moe'. It is a miracle that POP has been able to create the works I have been familiar with since I was a child! This illustration will be the visual key for us to make our dreams come true together. And when my secret dream of making a mini-album comes true...I want to use it as an album design! Let's make it happen!

As for the music production, it is Kentaro Sonoda who has worked on songs for "Tennis no Ouji-sama", "Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!" and "A3"! I fell in love with the song bitter sweet darling from the anime "Tokyo Mew Mew Nyu♡" when I first heard it. I love this song so much that I can't help but hum it in the bath or before live performances.

The more I looked into Kentaro Sonoda's work, the more I discovered about his general work, such as for the "Is the Order a Rabbit?" and "THE iDOLM@STER" series, which I usually listen to along with Yukari Tamura's music. It felt like fate because I had been listening to various songs by him without even knowing it! I loved his songs so I asked for help! The production has just started, but the meetings have been great so far! We are confident that we will be able to deliver an incredibly wonderful and magical song!

Both POP and Kentaro Sonoda were very warm and supportive. They also taught me about things other than production that I didn't know about and encouraged me. I am so happy to be able to work with my two favorite people!

Takada Hideki, who has worked on many of my songs, such as the first single Anata ni Raburinchu♡ and Kamoshika, will be participating in the music production once again! They also support us as our weekly voice training teacher. Takada Hideki has been watching me from the very first day so I can rest assured that Takada-sensei will create the perfect sparkling song for Kaepyon. I'm excited to discover what new charms I can show off this time!

This is a pretty epic project, but I chose not to crowdfund it because I want you to see what I do on a daily basis, one activity at a time! Instead, you can support me through my daily events, you can purchase my music and order on my website, and so on. I hope you will enjoy it and support me in whatever way suits you the best! Thank you very much!

Even now, when we're having our daily production meetings, I'm really having fun! I will try my best to make many dreams come true and deliver strength and motivation to you! Please look forward to it!

Finally, is there something you would like to say to your overseas fans?

Tsukimori Kaede: Thank you for finding me out of all the existing idols! When you are happy, we are happy together, and every word of support and happiness that you share with me brings me joy!

My dreams have expanded greatly since I met my overseas fans. I hope that I can become a wonderful idol just for you, an idol who can push you forward. I will continue to do my best! I am rooting for you, too! Together...Let's make our dreams come true!

JaME would like to thank Tsukimori Kaede for this interview opportunity.

Fans can follow Tsukimori Kaede on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel to stay tuned for more updates on her future activities. In addition, she will be holding a livestream event called Door to Kaepyon Dream on July 11th to commemorate her first overseas interview, and the first 20 minutes, held from 9:15am to 9:35am (JST), will be free to watch - details on how to catch that portion will be announced on Twitter. The ticketed portion of the stream will take place from 9:40am to 10:30am (JST). Tickets are priced at 2,000 yen, and they are available for purchase here.