Pile's NicoNico Interview (March 6, 2018)

- Please tell us what your thoughts are after hearing the complete album. Each year every album I make is a compilation of my feelings, such as, “Thank you so much for supporting me. I will continue to do my best from now on,” with really strong implications. This time, with celebrating my 10th anniversary and experiencing the Budokan live, it feels like I’m getting a brand new start. (She specifically says “start dash” here, which I thought was important to note.) Sort of like “Pile Chapter 2.” I wanted to show everyone, “I can do this kind of thing, too.” So it became a “showing off” type of work I think, like, “How about this type of Pile?” - Of course, that’s why the title is “SHOWCASE,” right? That’s right. Various types of songs were recorded, but I felt that they were similar to products lined up in a showcase. Other titles were brought up as I discussed this with staff, but it was decided that this one was the most fitting. And because there are also a lot of intense rock songs, I think that it gives me a strong “cool” image. On this CD jacket, I wanted to present various types of appearances. A little bit of a cute feeling among other things. I think that the album is becoming something like, “So Pile sings this type of song with this type of expression.” And because of that, I think that this album has the most variety that I’ve ever released. Also, almost all of the songs have a feminine tune to them. And because it’s something different from what I’ve done previously, it’s more fresh. There were so many tricky song lyrics, but this made it easier to release the more straightforward lyrics into the song world. - How did recording go? It was fun. Recording never takes very long. It is better to sing in a way that is like, “These are my feelings right now in this moment…” rather than think too intently about it before you even begin. Lyrics and songs that are produced on the spot and done on instinct are much faster and easier to record. When listening and singing songs in this way, you think, “Oh, I could do it in this way,” and begin to get many ideas one after the other. I can never prepare fully for anything, so I’m the type to do most things short-term. (laughs) - Let’s also talk about the LIVE Blu-ray that’s being released the same day as your album. This is a recording of your performance at Budokan in December of last year. Was this performance on the Budokan stage a big deal for you? My former self would probably think so, but honestly, I don’t really think about it that way. Of course I was happy to be able to perform a live on such a big stage. I think it was incredible. However, that does not mean anything about me is going to change drastically because of it. I seen how much the staff were continuously moving all around me throughout the live, so I wanted to do my very best to meet everyone’s expectations. However, I really love to sing. I thought that 4 hours would be a really long time, but it was then I understood just how much I love singing. (laughs) All of that singing wasn’t even enough, and after the show was over I went to karaoke. (laughs) A little while after the live was over, there was a lingering feeling of, “Wow, that was fun.” but soon after that we switched over to saying, “I wonder what’s in store for us next?” and immediately began running forward. It wasn’t so much a feeling of “That time was fun.” It was more of a “I had fun then during that time, too.” (this part was hard to translate, but I think she’s trying to say she’s not only had fun here at Budokan, but she’s also had a lot of other good times throughout her 10 year career, too.) I think this live really cultivated the past ten years of activities and made really good use out of them. - Judging from all this calmness, were you not nervous at all? I wasn’t. (laughs) Someone who has a lot of people supporting them doesn’t get nervous. On the other hand, someone in a smaller meeting hall would be nervous. Also, on the same day as the live I had photoshoot for my album that morning. So I was busy anyway. Doing this, and then doing that, “Oh, it’s time for the live already?” (laughs) I was busy with so much I didn’t really have time to even think, and maybe that’s why the tension was loosened and made a good flow of things. - Your dreams of singing with Emi Nitta also came true, right? I’m very happy because I’ve always said that I wanted to try performing with Tsun Tsun in many different places. The two of us didn’t get to sing together in Love Live, so it was such an amazing feeling to finally sing with her. Singing in rehearsal was already a lot of fun, but performing with her in the live the way that we did, taking in the atmosphere of that place and singing, was really enjoyable. Tsun Tsun really treasures songs, so she’s the type of artist that always seems to have fun while she sings. Her type of voice is different than mine, and I think with our two voice types combined together let our audience get a taste of something that has never been done before. - Which song did you decide to sing with Nitta-San? At first, I said that I really wanted to sing one of Tsun Tsun’s songs. But she said since it was Pai-Chan’s live, we should sing one of Pai-Chan’s songs. Well, when I was deciding which song we could sing, I wanted to pick one that was best suited for Tsun Tsun’s voice, and I originally wanted to go into an encore with it, too. So, I chose Melody. And as expected, she sang it very beautifully. - With experiencing Budokan recently, what kind of lives would you like to do in the future? Since I perform on so many simple stages, I think that it would be interesting to add some scenic things, such as short MV’s. I personally have always liked it being simple, and at the live I like for you to be able to listen to the songs first and foremost, but I wonder if it would be ok to make that kind of change. Especially since I now have a wide spectrum of songs with the release of this new album, I’m really looking forward to it. - Will the venue be even bigger? Of course, I hope that will be possible. But right now I don’t think it is. Aside from that, I want to sing with various other people and perform in many different places. Regardless of the size, I want to do a live in any venue where my feelings will be returned. - Lastly, please give a message to anyone who is anticipating your album and your LIVE Blu-ray. With this album, you will find many songs that are piercing, regardless of gender. And there are songs that would sound even cooler if they were sung by a man. I think there are many songs that are going to sound “new” even if you have already heard some of the album before. I also think that there were people who didn’t find interest in me until after they first seen me at Budokan. The live Blu-ray is content that you can enjoy and is great for those who do not know much about me, so I would be really happy if you could pick up both of them. Song reviews by Pile herself: 1. Dream Location This was the opening song played at Budokan. The live was actually our first time recording it. This song is strongly connected to the next song, Nounai Dreamer, so do not skip it (laughs) please continue to listen to it. 2. Nounai Dreamer I made this song with a familiar team from my music production. It’s a long tune and is very Pile-like, I think. 3. Brownie Kiss This is a surprising type of song. You get a sweet feeling from the title, and of course the lyrics are also really sweet, but the melody itself is heavy rock. It’s a song that betrays it’s expectations but contains a good meaning. 4. Kizuna Hero This was my 6th single. It’s a refreshing rock song with a little element of pop mixed in. Actually, it’s a fairly difficult song to sing. The next song after this is “moon,” which is a song with a different kind of taste, and the transition into it is really fun. So please listen to Kizuna Hero all the way through, too. 5. moon Since I’m going to many other different countries when I go on tour and not just Japan, I thought it would be nice to make an Asian-like song. I’ve never done a challenging song like this before. I’ve also always really wanted to try singing like this, so I was very pleased with it. 6. Primal Star The coupling track to Kizuna Hero. With a bit of a nostalgic tempo, it really leaves an impression. Because this song was so easy for me to sing, it’s easy for me to listen to as well. I’ve never showed off this song during a live, but since I put it on the album I think I have to now. (laughs) 7. Second Impression The lyrics are very feminine. Many ideas for MV’s have been brought up because this album has so many songs with really straightforward lyrics in them. This was one of those songs. I think this song is interesting to listen to because the tune of the song seems to change as it flows on. 8. Cliche This is another rock song, but I think it’s a little different that the ones before this. I think that a man singing this would also be very cool. I really want to sing this at a live one day because I think it would be so much fun to perform. So, I sang this song imagining the place where I would like to sing it live. 9. Undefined Angel The coupling track to Lost Paradise. This type of song is different from all the other ones because it immediately gets very lively. I haven’t performed this song at a live yet either, like Primal Star. But I would really like to sing it. 10. Signal The ballad. I really like the feeling of this song. This was also easy to sing like Primal Star, but it is a little more plain, simple, and painful. Also, I think that the melody is something that really sticks with a person of my generation. 11. Lost Paradise Here we have “The Pile” song. (laughs) Once again, I really love this song. It’s named after me because when we were gathered at the release, it was said that the song sounded a lot like my name. 12. Go My Way This was the first song that I recorded. It’s also a very Pile-like song to have on the album. It’s a rock song that’s then tied together with a feeling of cheerfulness. With every album I try to include songs that I will be able to sing with my fans, but because I always say, “I will keep doing my best from here on,” this time I wanted to say, “I will go one step further.“ “SHOWCASE” Questions: Q. [SHOWCASE] = Are there recitals that you remember well? I used to do ballet all the time, so probably ballet competitions. Thinking back on it now, the days when I couldn’t win a prizes in any those competitions is very similar to the time I made my debut. Back then, I was irritated because I couldn’t meet the expectations of the ones who were giving me support. I couldn’t do it, and I felt really sorry for myself. “Why can’t I do it?” But when you start thinking like that, you don’t see results, right? It was because I wasn’t convinced that I would find it within myself to be able to do anything. But because I had those experiences back then, it’s lead me to what I am now. “If you do not draw much attention, then you have to do your best to try and be seen.” Since I’ve began thinking this way, I became able to enjoy myself more. Even in places, such as festivals, where there were many people who did not know me. Q. [SHOWCASE] = In order, what are some things you would like to put on display? I would like to show off a lot of dinnerware. I like to change out tableware according to the seasons and the cuisines. I especially like going out to small restaurants, too. Aside from plates, I collect all different kinds of chopstick rests and soy sauce containers. I also like seeing how other people coordinate theirs as well. Also, because I like cooking, I would also like to collect seasonings, too. Original interview here.

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