As this is her first self-cover album, the songs included were carefully selected by Shiina herself. In addition, the bonus track includes a cover of the theme song Yuzunai Nishiki'' from the TV anime Magic Knight Rayearth” in which Shiina played one of the main characters, Hikaru Shido, and is a content that even fans will be drooling over!
We asked Shiina to talk a lot about HARMONY STAR'', which has been remade with the Reiwa version” of both the arrangement and vocals, and is packed with attention to detail.
–“HARMONY STAR” is Shiina-san’s first self-cover album. Please tell us about the origin of the production.
Hekiru Shiina (hereinafter referred to as Shiina) : It’s the 30th anniversary of my debut as an artist, so rather than creating something new, I’d like everyone to listen to my old songs again. Production began with the concept of delivering a new version that fits the current times.
I had no resistance to self-covering at all. Rather than creating new songs and performing them live, I thought it would be a chance to look back on this 30th anniversary with everyone.
I think there are many people who got to know me when I was a student, and the songs from that time are a page from my youth for everyone. I wanted to re-sing the songs that have grown up with your youth.
It was decided that we should hold a commemorative live show, so I thought it would be a problem for everyone to sing new and unfamiliar songs there (lol). I felt that if it was a self-cover, I could create an album that was both nostalgic and new.
–The songs included were carefully selected by Shiina from his previous singles and albums. There are so many hit songs, it must have been quite difficult to choose one.
Shiina: It was really difficult (lol). About 90% of the time I end up saying “I’m sorry,” so I was very selective.
–What points did you focus on when choosing?
Shiina: It’s a song that has been loved live for many years. I also chose songs that I wanted to rearrange because I thought they would be more advanced and cool if they were made today.
――Among them, which song did you definitely want to include?
Shiina: “Kousou Metro” and “-Akai Hana- You’re gonna change to the flower.” On the contrary, the song that was competing with another popular song until the end was “No! No! No!”. Everyone said they wanted to listen to both, so I was like, what should I do? In the end, “Dameyo! Dameyo! Dameyo!!” hasn’t been sung to that extent live, so I thought it would feel fresh.
–Which song did you choose from the perspective of wanting to rearrange it?
Shiina: “Sora wo Nai nai” is a song that I wanted to make a big change to. This was also one of the songs I really wanted to do, and it was originally arranged with wind instruments and horns as the main part, but I decided to start by eliminating the wind instruments.
I thought it would be cool to make it in a hard rock style, using twin guitars and emphasizing the low-pitched Les Paul guitar tone. I wanted the music to embody the sounds that were ringing in my head, so I asked for an arrangement like that.
――Certainly, all of the songs had a stronger band sound, giving the impression that they were more rock-oriented. Speaking of Shiina-san, live! That’s the image I get, but I feel like it also reflects the many live experiences I’ve had over the years.
Shiina: That’s right. After all, the fact that we have performed so many live shows may be a big factor. In addition, not only the arranging equipment but also the tones have changed over time, so a song made 25 years ago will have a different sound. I also wanted to incorporate some freshness in that sense.
–What was the reaction from fans about the songs on the album?
椎名：皆さん、やっぱり「懐かしい」という声が非常に多かったですね。「２４６」や「ガンバレ」には、「入れてくれてありがとう」というコメントもいただきました。
「２４６」は、もともと「漂流者」という真矢さんとのコラボシングルのカップリングだったんですけど、ライブでもずっと人気の曲で、好きだと言ってくださる方が多かったんですよね。
ここまで愛されてきたのであれば、もう一度生まれ変わらせるのもいいかなと。アレンジを変えたことで、また新たな魅力が生まれた曲になりました。
あと、そういう意味では「Graduater」も、皆さんの中で思い出が強い楽曲なので、リアレンジでどういう風に生まれ変わらせるかちょっと悩みました。「Graduater」は、ツインギターがやっぱりかっこいいんですよ。そのギターサウンドがぐっとくるところに、萌えを感じていただきたいです（笑）。
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