Yui Ishikawa was in charge of singing and narration, and Masumi Ito was in charge of the performance. The stage was basically just the two of them, and they invited us into the world of the story. The distance between the audience and the performers was close, so the power and excitement felt up close was captured on the disc.
Here, we will hear from Ishikawa Yui in detail about “UTA-KATA Melody Collection Vol.2 ~The Song Seller Girl~”!
-First of all, please tell us how the “UTA-KATA” project started.
Ishikawa Yui (hereinafter, Ishikawa): It all started with Heart Company’s producer, Saito Shigeru, saying, “Wouldn’t it be fun if you tried singing?” Personally, although I love singing, I’ve never felt comfortable performing live in front of people.
There are a lot of talented singers out there, aren’t there? When I thought about the meaning of singing, I thought, “I’d like to mix in a story as an actor and make it into a piece of work,” and that’s how the project took shape.
–It’s a world that only Ishikawa could create.
Ishikawa: The fact that it incorporated the worldview and music that I like was a big factor, and the nostalgic feel and folk music-like quality allowed me to create a story and music that was better than I had imagined.
Also, “UTA-KATA” is a title that comes from the meaning of song and narration, and the desire for everyone to spend that special moment together. Even if it doesn’t last forever, I hope to deliver a work that will last in everyone’s hearts.
–It’s truly a “bubble”. It’s a project you want to continue for a long time, but what did you think when you found out that Vol.2 was going to be held?
Ishikawa: Ever since we did Vol.1, I’d hoped that we could continue this as a life’s work, even if it was irregular, so I was really happy when Vol.2 was able to happen.
However, there are difficulties precisely because it is Vol.2, and even if it continues in the future, I thought that the direction would be decided here. So we spent a lot of time discussing what to do with the story.
What direction did you actually decide on?
Ishikawa: The stories are completely different, but we talked about adding a connection that would make people who watch Vol. 1 think, “Maybe this is it.”
The story also underwent many twists and turns, and various ideas were put forward, but in the end we decided to ask the lyricist Takase Aiko to write it. Even after she actually wrote the story, we made many revisions, such as “I want this part to be a little more like this,” and it gradually came together.
–The story is created first, and then you write the music, right?
Ishikawa: That’s right. He also wrote the story, so I left the lyrics entirely to Takase-san, who knows the story best. I don’t know if the lyrics or the music came first, but I gave him a reference song saying, “This kind of song would fit between this and that,” and then I ordered the music based on that.
–As a voice actor, you basically act out a script that you’re given, but was writing the script a fun task?
Ishikawa: I still think that it’s difficult to make something from nothing. In Vol.2, rather than saying “I want to do this from scratch,” I was more likely to request something more like “I’d like to try it a little more like this” based on what was thought up.
That’s why I think people who can create something from nothing are really amazing. What’s more, this is Takase-san’s first script! I’ve definitely felt a strong sense of narrative in Takase-san’s lyrics up until now, but I don’t think he’s ever written such a long story, so it’s really amazing.
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