mottoyomitai | [MAGAZINE] Tsurubo Shion (JO1) x Ishihara Shinya (Saucy Dog)

It's been a while since I did a translation for this series! I discovered Saucy Dog through Shion being a massive fanboy for them so this particular issue was extra-special to me, I was really thrilled to be able to have the time to work on the translation :> The two of them talk about singing, writing lyrics, and dealing with conflict within the group.

The scan I was relying on was pretty blurry, and I had to guess at the meaning at some parts where the kanji was unreadable. Please excuse me in advance for any minor errors! ;o;

~

JO1 Meets…: Ishihara Shinya x Tsurubo Shion

Talk Theme: Music that moves the heart

Saucy Dog and JO1 both made waves when they made their maiden appearance at the 73rd NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen last year. This issue, we feature a dream cross-talk between Tsurubo-san and Ishihara-san, who he admires. They talked a lot about their music origins, the mindsets they hold to be important, the type of voices that move them and the secret to composing lyrics! Please enjoy this peek into the minds of two people you shouldn’t take your eyes off of this year ❤︎

Message: Shion to Shinya

I’ve been seriously obsessed with Saucy Dog-san’s music ever since I heard Ishihara-san’s voice in your famous song “Cinderella Boy”, which gave me chills ♡ I’ve always been praying that I’d get to meet you for this cross-talk segment, so ever since it got confirmed my motivation’s been at its peak. I’m really happy that my dream came true! I’m primarily a rapper, but I’d like to become a singer like Ishihara-san whose voice can move others’ hearts.

Message: Shinya to Shion

After we got to meet each other at a music show, I went on to attend JO1’s concert as well, and it was, in the best way possible, nothing like what I had imagined… The songs and performances were of top quality, and everyone was very cool! Usually I don’t really have many chances to interact with people younger than me, and through today’s cross-talk it felt like Tsurubo-kun was less of my junior and more like my adorable little brother. (laughs) Thanks for inviting me today!

Cross-talk

A singing voice that brings itself closer to the sound and thoughts they wish to convey

Tsurubo (T): I’ve really been looking forward to today. I look forward to speaking with you! I was really happy that you came to our concert the other day! (tears up emotionally)

Ishihara (I): Same here, I’m looking forward to speaking with you. During JO1’s concert, your solo part was really amazing, Tsurubo-kun! Without even thinking about it, I’d texted you “you’re good at singing!” on LINE, didn’t I.

T: I was so happy just from the fact that you’d said that to me…! But I’d like to polish up on my singing and performance skills even more. Please, let me learn lots from you today. (prays)

I: There’s a lot of things that I just picked up on my own, but ask me anything (and I’ll try to answer)!

T: Yes! I’ve been to Saucy Dog-san’s concerts before, and during them, you sing on your own for long periods of time, don’t you? I bet your throat gets hoarse… How did you come by that (vocal) stamina?

I: It wasn’t something I consciously focused on, but in the past I’d appeared at livehouse events where we had to perform for 30-45 minutes a day for 10 days straight, so I feel like my vocal stamina just naturally developed from there. I felt fine back then, but now that I’m older, I feel like I’ve got to take care and make sure that my throat doesn’t die out.

T: Is there anything in particular you do to care for your throat?

I: I sleep with a mask on so that my throat doesn’t dry out, and when my voice doesn’t come out well I’ll take some traditional medicine that’s good for the throat. How about you, Tsurubo-kun?

T: I’m particular about what I drink. I heard that oolong tea strips away even the oils that are essential for your throat, so before concerts I make sure I drink green tea instead. Also, there’s something I’d been wanting to ask you if I ever got the chance to meet you… Ishihara-san, please teach me the way you hit your high notes. I sometimes go to karaoke on my own, and when I do I suffer because the key of Saucy Dog-san’s songs is too high. (sweats)

I: I get you! They’re high, aren’t they. There’s times when even I’m like, “give me a break!” (laughs)

T: Even you yourself think that (the key) is high?!

I: Yes (laughs) Well, we could compose the songs at a lower key, but if we did then the feel of the song would be off. So at times like that, rather than whether or not the song would be easy to sing, we’d prioritise the worldview contemplated by the song instead. It’s like, I’ll match the vocals to the song after we complete it. This is just entirely my way of doing things, but in order to reach the high notes I’ll sing with my vocal chords slightly closed, if that makes sense. Imagine slightly pinching the opening of an inflated balloon with your fingers; when you relax them a little, the air will escape with a high-pitched eee sound, right? I sing while keeping that kind of image in mind. I feel like it produces a sharper, high-pitched sound.

T: I’ll try to keep that in mind when I sing Saucy Dog-san’s songs! I’m the (group’s) rapper, so I rarely have to sing high notes in JO1’s songs, but it would be nice if I got to use this technique in our music too.

The birthplace of realistic lyrics that resonate in the heart

T: I really love the music that you create, Ishihara-san! What inspired you to go into music?

I: H~m… When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a manga artist, and in middle school I wanted to be a comedian. (laughs) I wasn’t good at my studies, to the point where I got told that if I kept going the way I had been I wouldn’t make it into high school. Around that time, I was listening to songs from a CD by “THE BLUE HEARTS” that my friend had lent to me, and the lyrics resonated with me, as though the music was spurring me forward. I studied so hard I felt like I would die, and got into high school, and it was that realisation that music can move peoples’ hearts that got me started (on this path). The potential music has to touch people is infinite, and I wanted to try my hand at dabbling in it, too.

T: I see. Ishihara-san, the lyrics you write touch me deeply, too. Actually, I’ve also been trying to start writing my own lyrics, too, and I’d love it if you could give me some tips. Did you study how to write lyrics, or anything?

I: I didn’t study any special material or anything. I read books, and I watch movies. Everyone has their own way of conveying their ideas, but for me I use my own experiences and feelings as a base, so the expressions and stuff that I use are all connected to that as well.

T: I’m a rapper, so I tend to pick words that sound cool on their own, while taking into account their balance and rhythm. Ishihara-san, is there anything that you’re particular about (when writing lyrics)?

I: For me, in addition to expressing the message I want to convey in a straightforward manner, I try to see how I can analogise it to something or use some kind of metaphor. I guess you could say that I want (the listener) to be able to feel the intent that’s not expressly written in the lyrics, as well.

T: Of course. I really love your song “Contacts Case”, and those lyrics really resonated in my heart.

I: For that song, I wrote it as though I was the contact lens case that my girlfriend left behind, and went from there. In truth, I finished writing that song in 30 minutes.

T: 30 minutes?! You’re a super genius. (laughs) When do you write your lyrics? For me, I write them when I’m on the move, in the car; I’ll write them down on my phone.

I: I’m not the kind of person who can just suddenly come up with lyrics on the spot; rather, I won’t be able to write them unless I purposefully sit down and go like, “okay, time to write!”, and put some effort into it. I’ll have my phone in one hand and take down key words and phrases that come to mind, and then I’ll pick out those that seem usable and build from there. There was one time I panicked because I thought I’d lost the data on my phone, but it was synced to my computer so that was a great help. (sweats)

T: Woah!! Without that some really great songs would not have made it into the world. By the way, what do you do when you’re faced with writer’s block? For me, I’ll try to write out what I can, and then come back to take a second look after I take a break.

I: I have writer’s block every time, you know. (laughs) There’s times when I try to push through the block quietly without giving up, but sometimes it’s just impossible! At times like that I’ll watch some anime and refresh myself, but when I just can’t get myself to write anything I’ll try to hang on until the very last second. There’s been times when I end up only writing them on the day of the recording itself.

T: That means that you have treasures left behind in your phone, like those words or phrases that you didn’t end up using, right? As one of your fans, I’m really curious about those!

I: There’s lyrics in there that I definitely wouldn’t have been able to come up with now, so when I look through it sometimes I can turn up gems. Come to think of it, with the sense (for writing) that I’ve developed now, I might actually be able to turn some of those into completed songs.

T: I’ll eagerly await your new songs ❤︎ Personally, I would love to read a novel written using your style of writing, Ishihara-san. It’s guaranteed to be an interesting read!

I: If you say something like that I might just end up writing one, you know. (laughs) Well, I guess you could look forward to it someday?!

By singing with confidence, you can capture the hearts of your listeners

T: Ishihara-san, what’s the one thing you prioritise the most when you make music or perform in concerts?

I: As a vocalist who leads the band, I think it’s important to hold yourself with confidence when you sing. A singing voice that lacks confidence means that there’s no persuasive value in your song. More than anything, you’ve got to make sure your fans enjoy your performance from the bottom of their hearts.

T: How cool! Saucy Dog-san also does battle-of-the-bands-style concerts, right? At times like that, do you communicate with the other performers?

I: I do, a whole lot. We’ll go for meals and talk about each other, and there’ve been times where that has made me think that the other bands have no weaknesses. But I think that the feeling there is mutual. Precisely because we take pride in our music and uniqueness, we’d want to sing with all our might in order to make sure that not just our fans, but everyone in attendance, thinks that our performance was top-class.

T: That’s a wonderful way of thinking. For me, I’ll do my best to give a performance so good it lingers in the hearts of the audience, and becomes the best one they’ve ever seen!

>> Part 2