Press Conference at Granada Comic Convention, Spain

The "Salon del comic de Granada", (Granada Comic Convention) was held on March 11th, 2006 in Granada, Spain.

For the first time in Europe, four anime JPop artists were invited, each performing a live concert.
The following singers participated: Kageyama Hironobu, Yuka, Yoko Ishida, and Yumi Matsuzawa, who are all known for their works for various anime soundtracks.

Here is the transcription of the press conference in which we had the chance to ask the singers various questions.


How did you start in music as a professional?
Kageyama Hironobu: I started with the band LAZY.
Yuka: I had a part-time job doing chorus for songs and because of that the opportunity for singing anime songs came along after a while. Nowadays I mostly do sing songs for animes about robots, and because of that one day I want return to Spain to sing those songs.
Yoko Ishida: Hello, I visited Granada last year and I enjoyed my time here very much.
I started in anime music because I won a singing contest in Tokyo. I was able to do the Sailor Moon Ending and thanks to that it gave me the opportunity to start in anime music.
Yumi Matsuzawa: In 1995 there was a singing audition for the anime Nadesico, and although the first time I was not chosen for the job, I changed some verses and I made some other adjustments and due to that I was accepted. I then began my career in anime music.

What kind of training is needed for singing anime songs? Is there any kind of special training?
Kageyama Hironobu: It used to be just important just to train your voice well. But now more effort is expected so there are schools especially to train people for specifically singing anime style songs.

Do they train you to compose music?
Kageyama Hironobu: They only teach you how to sing.
Yuka: In those places they only teach you how to sing songs depending on the people who will hear the particular song. This is because different styles of singing are needed to sing an anime song for children, as opposed to an anime song for young people. It’s also a very good thing because you meet talented people who are there because they like the same kind of thing as me, and I like that.

What do you usually do?
Kageyama Hironobu: I perform 2 monthly acoustic concerts, I also do about 3 or 4 anime concerts a year in Japan and abroad and I participated in a concert with the JAM Project which was watched by more than 5.000 people.
Yoko Ishida: I usually do anime music concerts. There are also some concerts dedicated to a certain theme, like for example one dedicated to anime robot’s songs. Another example would be “The Dragon Ball Night” which is a 7 hour long concert dedicated to just music from the anime series Dragon Ball. What I sing depends of the type of concert I was requested to perform at (Dragon Ball, robots, etc…)
I was also chosen by my label for being the disco music singer and I’ve been doing a tour in the USA which has been a big success.
Yumi Matsuzawa: Now, I live in London, (I came from there to Granada) because I’m studying singing, but when I was in Japan I usually did a small concert every 2 months or so.
Yuka: I started 15 years ago more or less doing Dragon Ball songs, and after that I left anime music. I then composed my own music and lyrics and released some CDs. But 2 years ago, I was called for an anime music project and thanks to that I am active again.

Which is your favourite character from Dragon Ball?
Kageyama Hironobu: I am not really sure, but I think it's Trunks.
Yuka: Goku!

When you started singing anime music, did you think that you would develop a worldwide fan base which would allow you to travel out of Japan to perform?
Kageyama Hironobu: No, I never thought when I started that it would be possible for me to perform concerts all over the world and to enjoy the experience too. In Japan, English is spoken very little and because of that, Japan is usually quite closed but anime is a global culture and is popular both inside and outside of Japan.
Yuka: In Spain lots of anime songs are translated, and I would like to know what is your opinion about this (everybody in the room laughs and they explain that they think most of them are awful because they prefer the original versions, and she laughs because of that). One time in Japan I met some people who translated anime songs into every language and that's when I heard THOSE songs. (laugh again).

Is this the first time you have worked together? How has the experience of you four working together been for you?
Kageyama Hironobu: I had already worked with each of them individually on separate occasions, and each time was always a very good experience. They hadn’t met each other before (meaning the other members) and it is the first time us four have worked together. I have been very happy being the only man in the group alongside three women.

Do you know any Spanish musicians? Have you heard any of their music?
Kageyama Hironobu: I really like acoustic music. I went to the last concert that Paco de Lucía performed in Tokyo.
Yuka: Sorry but I don’t know anyone.

Do you think that a European composer can be successful and produce popular music whilst working in Japan? Do you know of any examples of this happening?
Kageyama Hironobu: I don’t know any example but if a European composer wants success in Japan, then they must go there and try to work very hard.

Can you tell us about JAM Project and its future?
Kageyama Hironobu: (He explains what JAM Project is, it's origins and reason for it’s creation as well as about it’s members and their achievements so far). JAM Project has a very important mission which is to try to support traditional specialist anime singers, the anime music spirit and to fight against this new tendency of big record labels using their groups to sing anime instead. (Everybody applauds)
I can tell you that Super Robot Wars will have an anime version and that JAM Project will be the theme singers.

Many times, when Seiyuus (people who do anime voices in Japan) became famous, they started to perform music too. What do you think about that?, is that bad for you?.
Kageyama Hironobu: I think that is normal that if a seiyuu puts a voice to a character, then they go on to sing in that anime. For example, Hayashibara Megumi can easily sell out a concert in a big stadium when she performs and that is excellent motivation for us to work better and harder to sing for anime. I have never done a spoken anime character voice but I am looking forward to doing some voice work in the new anime for the first time in my career.

Why didn’t you sing any robot song in the concert?
Kageyama Hironobu: It’s really strange because they usually request me to sing those kinds of songs, but it could be the organiser of the main songs. (People laugh).

What are your feelings about working and singing with possibly the most well known and popular anime music man, Mr: Ichiro Mizuki? (Mazinger and it's sagas) is he following the JAM Project?
Kageyama Hironobu: He is the leader of anime music. (translator explains saying Ichiro Mizuki is known as “the king”, and directly under him is Kageyama , known as “the prince”, under of them there are other famous artists, and the majority are from JAM PROJECT). He’s a temporary member of JAM Project because at his age (59 years old), he can’t follow with the “speed” of the younger members.

What is your favourite anime work?
Yuka: Dragon Ball, it was my best time in anime music and it made me famous in this “world”, and also because I had the opportunity to work with one of the masters, notably Kageyama.
Yoko Ishida: My favourite song was “Open Your Mind” from OH! MY GODDESS because I liked the originality of the Celtic style and I wrote the lyrics and worked with a very famous and talented composer for that particular work.
Kageyama Hironobu: “Cha-la Head cha-la”, that song changed all my life and because it is a special song that cheers you up.
Yumi Matsuzawa: Nadesico, because I started in anime singing there and it brought me a lot of opportunities. Also, Saint Seiya Hades because I composed the songs myself. I was enchanted with the reaction of the concert audiences who were singing my own songs with me.

Do you like Spanish food?
Kageyama Hironobu: I would like to eat Gazpacho and Paella but we couldn’t because of lack of time, next time though I will try them! (Note: while Kageyama was saying this in Japanese, people understood Gazpacho and Paella and people in the room felt proud thinking that Kageyama had eaten those traditional Spanish foods until the translator explained the situation, this provoked a lot of laughs from everyone including Kageyama).
Yuka and Yoko Ishida: (IN SPANISH) “We want Gazpacho!” (The room explodes in applause)

What do you think about the fact that anime music is very popular outside of Japan?
Yuka: When I saw that outside Japan anime music is popular and loved, I was very happy. (Everyone applauds).
Yoko Ishida: When I came to Granada last year, I came here without knowing anything of what I was going to see, but when I saw that everybody was singing and dancing to my songs I was very happy. I have never thought that this year I could come back to Granada again, but when they told me that I could come back this year AND with these 3 great musicians I was amazed!. (The room explodes in applauses)
Yumi Matsuzawa: It was amazing to come to the other side of the Herat and to see how everybody knows the lyrics of the songs and they give it their all when they sing along. (More enthusiastic applause)
Kageyama Hironobu: This was the first time that we have performed a concert in Europe with live accompaniment and because of this we were just a little worried that we might have trouble with synchronising with the Spanish musicians in such a small amount of time. But it was kind of magical to see that everything went really well and we all performed wonderfully. (More applause).

And lastly to finish…, what would you say to the European anime music fans that are here waiting years for these kind of concerts?
Yumi Matsuzawa: Yesterday, everybody sang and knew all the lyrics, but I want to know how they could know the lyrics of songs that have never even arrived in Spain. . (Everybody laughs and starts to shout: “E-mule” “Bit torrent”, but the translator doesn’t say anything to her so everybody was laughing more and more).
I like when sometimes, a European fan writes to me through my web-log to say that they want to see me in Europe. That motivates me a lot. (Applause).
Yuka: Now, in Japan, young people are losing the traditional anime music spirit and I want the European fans who are requesting more and more anime songs to try show your love for anime songs as an example for young people in Japan. (Cheering and applause)
Yoko Ishida: Through my website I receive messages from European fans, so that I like to come to Europe because I want to sing for my fans in Europe. (Applause)
Kageyama Hironobu: For me, the best thing about anime music is that I can make new friends. Thanks to anime music I can go outside of Japan and make even more friends, that is why I think that anime music is an international instrument of friendship. (The room explodes into wild applause at Kageyama’s final comment).


Thanks to Alejando and Emilio de Veleta, Canal Buzz and ADAM.