The second digital single, “My Truth”, will be released on Wednesday, July 24th!
Animate Times interviewed Naota ahead of the release. He talked in detail about the thoughts behind “My Truth,” his relationship with “Lavender Blue,” and what went on behind the scenes at his first live show.
–In the last interview , you said that with less than two months until your first live show, you are hurriedly recording new songs, including guitar parts. Furthermore, there are songs in which you will participate in the live show by playing guitar… Considering the practice and preparation, I wonder if Naota’s activity time is really 24 hours a day? I wonder…!
Himena Naota (hereinafter, Naota) : 24 hours (laughs). I practice late at night, but I’m not the type to cut down on my sleep to practice, so I get 7-8 hours of sleep. As for recording the instruments, I thought it was dangerous about two days before, so I started by making the music score…it’s like the last day of summer vacation (laughs).
-Do you create it from sheet music?
Naota : I receive the general score, including the chord chart, but I listen to the guitar recording and write down how to actually play it to the best of my ability. I practice that before recording!
–So you start by learning by ear.
Naota : Yes, that’s true for guitar recording. For vocals, it takes a little longer, but because I’ve sung a lot of songs up until now, I’ve gotten to the point where I can memorize the melody quickly by looking at the sheet music. I can often sing in an hour or two, and then I think about how to add nuance to it. It’s the bands I’m involved in that take the most time… (laughs).
–You’re not doing this activity alone, are you?
Naota : Although they can concentrate on the guitar, it takes about a month of careful practice to get to the point where they can work together as a band and not make any mistakes. When you think about it, my solo activities are based on singing and playing the guitar, so I do a lot of backing (musical accompaniment to the vocals). I can apply what I’ve learned up until now, so it doesn’t actually take that much time.
–So, the way you practice changes depending on the part the guitar is playing.
Naota : That’s right. This time, I was working on the band’s live until about two weeks before the May live, so I switched my mind and focused on my personal activities for two weeks after that. I always practice through the set list every day before going to bed, and I practice in a way that makes it a habit. That’s why it didn’t take much time (laughs).
–That said, I imagine it must be difficult given your busy schedule…
Naota : It’s the same because we practice during the hours everyone else is working (laughs). Sometimes we practice while watching dramas… We don’t work hard, we just have fun.
–So, please tell us again about your first live performance (“Hina Suguta 1st LIVE – Sings -“). What were your honest thoughts after the performance?
Naota : Looking back, it went by so quickly… I think it was a very intense time. I was a bit worried because we didn’t finish it until the very last minute, but once the afternoon session started, I wasn’t nervous anymore.
I’ve been to a lot of live shows, but I’m always nervous. This was the first time I’ve been to a live show where I wasn’t nervous, so I was surprised at myself (laughs). (This live show) was a storm of discoveries, and I’m really glad I was able to do it.
–What was the reason you weren’t nervous?
Naota : There were a lot of familiar faces in the audience. Moreover, because it was a solo concert, I felt at home because they came to see only me, and because (my backing band) Riajubone was standing behind me, I felt like “Even if I make mistakes, it’ll be okay!” (laughs).
The atmosphere on set was very warm, both on the day and during the preparation period. I was surrounded by such warm people, so even though I was nervous, I was super relaxed before the performance (laughs). I did a thorough rehearsal, but I think I was able to stay calm afterwards because I was with people I knew well.
ーーライブが進んでいく中で、周りの人から安心感を得られたんですね。
直田：そうですね。「これだけの人が関わってくれているんだ」というプレッシャーも感じてはいたのですが、みなさん優しくて。ありがたい環境でした。
ーーあえてお伺いしたいのですが、やはり「いつも来てくれているお客さん」はわかるものなのですか？
直田：どんな場所でライブをやったとしても、わかります！ よくお見かけする方はもちろん、今回はリリースイベントなどを経てのライブだったので、「この前のリリイベで初めて来てくれた方だ！」って気がつくことができました。ステージって意外とちゃんと見えるので（笑）。
しかも、みなさんがいい表情で目を輝かせてくれていたので、パフォーマンスの励みにもなるし、私も楽しくなるんです。やっぱり楽しんでもらえているのかは一番大事なので、みなさんに「見えてますよ！」って言いたい（笑）。
ーー今回のライブのセットリストは、初披露の曲がそのほとんどを占めていました。初披露の曲にも、お客さんたちはノッていましたよね。
直田：本当に！ みなさん、初めての曲でも臆せず楽しめる方たちなのは知っていましたが、今振り返ると「よくノれたね！」って思います（笑）。
お客さんが昼公演と夜公演の空き時間で「この曲はこうしましょう」とか「ライトをこの色にしたい」「ここでコール&レスポンスする！」と、お友達同士で共有してくれていたみたいで。お客さんも、直田姫奈の1stライブに参加している一員として、どうにか盛り上げて成功させようと率先してくれる方がたくさんいて。おかげで初披露っぽくない会場の空気になれたのかなと思いました。
ーー実際にライブ映像などを見返しても、どうして初披露なのに一体感があるんだろう？と思っていました（笑）。
直田：なんで知ってるんだ？ってなりますよね！ もちろんライブの最中も思いましたし、YouTubeに上がっているライブ映像を見返しても「なんかコールがすごいな……」って思ったり（笑）。そういうコールが合わさった曲たちを聞くと、ライブはお客さんありきだなって実感します。
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