[INTERVIEW] Aimer at Anisong Stage – AFASG

On 27-29 November 2015 the biggest annual Japanese Pop Culture event in the region, Anime Festival Asia was held in Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore. AFASG strikes again this year for it’s 8th time with more amazing guests and stars each year.

This year they have something more special for their I Love Anisong Concert. Titled I Love Anisong Reboot,  AFASG 2015 have 17 artistes directly comes from Japan singing popular Anisongs and most of them are having their first in Singapore. On  the 1st day I Love Anisong Concert (Friday, 27 November 2015) we have Aimer, BACK-ON, bless4, CHiCO with HoneyWorks, and ZAQ on the stage. We are very honored to get the chance to interview Aimer on that day. She is really sweet and calm while answering all of the questions.

Aimer first debut in anisong with her song “Rokutousei no yoru” was selected to be the ending theme song Anime series “no.6”. Since then she started to sing more Anisong theme for many popular Anime Series, such as “Bleach”, “Natsuyuki Rendezvous”, “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn”, and the latest “Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works”. Her unique sweet gentle yet husky voice can sing pop ballad and rock is a perfect balance for her singing career.

Find out many things about Aimer and her singing career. So check out our interview with Aimer and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Since you’ll have your first concert in Singapore, how is your feeling for tonight ?

Yes it’s my first time here in Singapore, I’m honored to get the chance to sing here, but I am a bit nervous. Nevertheless I am really looking forward to it.

You start your debut with your song Rokutousei no Yoru from anime series “no 6”, so looking back now, how do you think your music career has evolved since then?

It was when I met Sawano Hiroyuki san. Since my debut, the genre I sang are more gentle and relaxing,  but after I met him I began to try singing strong rock songs. Now I sing these genre, I think that was the most changed part in my music career.

Between your song AM02:00, AM 03:00 and AM04:00 are there any connections between them?

All of them are connected and have the theme of midnight stroll. The first one starts from AM02:00, for me it was the first time I sang R&B. The fans responses are good, and they are really happy about it. So when making albums,  I decided  to make the series of the songs.

If you could describe your songs in 3 or 4 words, how would you describe it and why?

Hmm, I think I’ll describe my songs in 2 words than in 3 or 4 words. So there are 2 words in my songs, light and dark. The light side represents kindness and happiness, then the dark side represents sadness. Both of these feelings are really important for my songs.

My official fan club is also called “blanc et noir”. The word blanc et noir is from French means black and white. It represents the same meaning of my song which is light and dark. I chose French words because my name Aimer is also from a French word.

When you are 15 years old, your vocal chord was injured. The accident make you have your husky voice now. Is it really tough at that time? But now your fans like your husky voice, how do you think about it?

I see, yes that time was really a tough experience. I lost my voice and it was really traumatic. But now because of that I have been able to make singing become a bigger part of my life. It is also become the reason I have my own singing style now. So I think it is become a good thing after all these years.

Even now my vocal chord is still a bit injured. If it get worse I can’t sing anymore, but if I heal it completely maybe my voice will become different. I don’t want it to happen, so I decided not to go for a surgery, because I think this is the perfect balance at the moment.

Your live tour “DAWN” has ended this month. What is your feeling about this tour?

DAWN represents the end of the night, and I’m able to connect the feeling of my songs with the fans more than before in this tour.

Can you tell us a bit more about your live at anywhere project?

Live at anywhere is the project I have always done since my debut. This project could make me to do live from anywhere I want and sing and any songs that I like. For example, I’ve sung at the aquarium and planetarium. So, I’m planning to continue doing this project.

Growing up in musical environment, have you become a singer that you have always been dreaming of? Who is the first person that inspire you to start singing?

Yes I love singing from I was young and I’m always dreaming to be a singer. The first one that really inspires me to love singing is a movie called “Annie”. I like the main theme song of the film called ‘Tomorrow’. I really admired the clear vocal on that song. Speaking about other artist who inspired me, then the most that I like from the very start even until now is a Japanese band called SPITZ. I really like them.

Speaking about other artist and musician, who do you want to have a collaboration with the most?

There is so many artist that I respect. It was really hard to narrow it down. For example maybe ONE OK ROCK or EGOIST, I really like their vocals. It will be nice if I could have a collaboration with them.

How does it like working with Sawano Hiroyuki?

I have many collaboration with Sawano-san like for Gundam Unicorn and I even have collaboration album with him. These songs are mostly strong powerful rock songs and some of them is written in English. Through working with him, I think I found a new singing style for myself.

During LisAni you’ve collaborate with Kalafina, how do you feel about it?

I’ve collaborated with them. They all have very unique voices and singing together with Kalafina san able to make me able to realize my own strength and uniqueness of my voice.

Sometime you include English lyrics to your songs, and you used to live overseas. Where have you been before and how does it influence you?

Yes, I used to live in Bristol in England before. From then on, I really like to hear English songs and I learn the lyrics, how to pronounce the words and how it sounds like. Because of that, I am able to cooperate English lyrics into J-pop now.

You have been learning to play some musical instrument. Do you think by doing it, it might help you to gain another ability in your singing?

That’s right. I’ve been learning to play piano and classical guitar since I was young. I feel that it is really related, I am singing and playing them at the same time. I also perform in public recitals. I think it really helps me to become who I am today.

Are there any genre of music you would like to try? What genre do you like?

In terms of music that I listen to, I listen more to rock, country, and even EDM. If it is about genre I want to sing, it is not restricted. As long as it is about happiness and sadness, the main theme in my songs.

What is your expectation and ambition for your next live tour “Billboard Live Tour”?

My live tour DAWN was the end of the story since my debut, so I want to make a new story in the next live tour, this Billboard Live Tour. I also want to get closer to my fans in this tour and I see it as a new challenge for myself since I will have a new style of live performance.

Do you have any goals that you like to achieve in your singing career?

The most important for me now is to continue singing as long as I can. I want to response my fans through my songs whether it is in happiness or sadness.

What is your challenge as a singer? Do you have any advice for a newcomer singer?

As a singer I’ve perform on many stages, I also sing many genre of songs. As a singer I think the most important is to understand your own song and your own unique form of expression.

That’s all we have for Aimer. Thank you so much Aimer for your time. Good luck on your career, wish the best luck of you and see you again.

 Special thanks to: SOZO & Amuse Inc