–You’ve decided to make your solo debut on October 2nd, but was it always a dream to be an artist under your own name?
Yuki Tanaka (hereinafter Tanaka): Before I even knew it, my grandmother used to take me to and from nursery school, and apparently she would sing the whole time on the way there. I’ve loved singing and anime since then, and they’ve become a part of my life, but I had a vague conviction that I would end up working in singing or acting. I also remember the scene when I realized that, and while singing in the car, I suddenly thought, “I guess I’ll be singing in the future too.”
–How much is that?
Tanaka: I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was listening to globe and MISIA, and they would play their live performance videos in the car, and I thought to myself that I wanted to stand in a place like that someday.
So you wanted to be a singer?
Tanaka: I wanted to be a singer, but we had to read aloud in class, right? I was the kind of kid who was serious about that, and I loved acting so much that I even said, “Let me play the lead role!” in the school play, so I liked both singing and acting.
–If you’re a voice actor, you can do both!
Tanaka: That’s right. When I found out about a voice actor who was working as an artist, I thought, “They can act and they can sing. They’re doing everything I want to do!”
I loved “Inuyasha” so when I was in junior high school, there were more and more kids around me who liked anime. Among them was a girl who liked voice actors, and she told me about Nana Mizuki, and I was shocked. From then on, I started aiming to be one. I was also watching the “Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha” series, and I thought the opening was cool, and later I found out that it was Mizuki who sang it.
–So that’s how it all started. But it’s amazing that you actually managed to achieve your dream.
Tanaka: But my mother was against it at first. She said, “It’s not a kind world!” Of course, she was thinking of me when she said that, but I kept saying, “But I want to be one!” And so, in my third year of high school, I asked to take this audition, and I took the Kimikoe audition.
–You passed the audition and made your debut as a voice actress and as a member of the group NOW ON AIR. The animated film “I Want to Hear Your Voice” was also really good.
Tanaka: Thank you!
–After you became a voice actor, did you ever think it was a tough world?
Tanaka: But I didn’t feel any stress or want to quit. I was just happy to get the job. Of course, I often worried about my work.
I often worried about my own growth, such as how I should respond to this job and how far I could go, but I enjoyed my activities.
–You’ve been working as a voice actress and musician since 2016. What kind of work have you been doing so far, and what experiences have you had?
Tanaka: As for voice acting, in the beginning, I mostly did voice-overs for foreign films. I still do that now, but I also like movies, and I like foreign dramas and horror movies, so I often watch them, and I enjoy acting in foreign films and anime too.
Speaking of artists, I am active as an artist in the units NOW ON AIR and Kleissis, and I also play the role of Serizawa Asahi in “THE iDOLM@STER Shiny Colors”, and sometimes appear at events as part of the unit that is featured in the show.
I think I was able to gain a lot of experience by performing on various stages there, which helped me become stronger. I think it gave me the strength to perform on stage.
–Especially when it comes to anime or game content, it can be nerve-wracking when you suddenly have to perform live in front of a large audience.
Tanaka: That’s right. I get really nervous, so I do get nervous, but when I’m on stage, it’s like a switch flips on and I have a lot of fun (laughs).
I can get excited together with everyone’s enthusiasm, and that atmosphere where you can get excited with the feeling of giving back in return, while being helped by everyone’s reactions, is really great. I think it’s something that can’t be replaced by anything.
–Did you feel like your singing and performance were steadily improving?
田中：NOW ON AIRでも、Kleissisでも、コンテンツのステージであっても、それぞれのユニットに合った向き合い方を私なりに真剣に重ねてきたつもりです。それが自分を成長させてくれたのかもしれません。
――どんなことにも真剣に臨まなければ、成長はできないですからね。
田中：そう思います。その活動の中でも、アーティストデビューをしたい！という軸はずっとあったので、自分の歌とか、気持ちも大事にしていました。
ユニットのメンバーは、一緒に高め合っていくことができる素敵な仲間ばかりだったので、その子たちと作るステージは大切にしていたんです。そうすると、自然に「もっとここはこうしたほうが良い」って意見を言い合える信頼関係ができてくるんです。それも、私自身をより成長させてくれたと思っています。
――そこからのソロデビューというのは、また全然違う挑戦になるような気がします。
田中：だいぶ違いました。ユニット活動で積み上げてきた自信がなくなるわけではないけど、新たなスタートラインに立つような気持ちになりました。
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