Interview with miwa at Japan Expo 2024

miwa at Japan Expo 2024 in France miwa at Japan Expo 2024. Picture by Ryunako.

We had the opportunity to interview miwa at Japan Expo 2024 where she came along with staff of the movie Child of Kamiari Month and participated in various panels.

miwa is the incredible singer you heard on Bleach's 12th opening "chAngE", My Hero Academia's Season 3 ending 1 "Update", but also the catchy "Shan Ran Ran" from Flying Witch and many more anime songs!

In this interview, we tried to learn more about her involvement in the anime songs she performed but also asked her about her latest album "7th" & the appearances she made on THE F1RST TAKE YouTube channel.

This interview was originally conducted in French at Japan Expo 2024, and was slightly altered to fit to text format.

You started writing music at the age of 15, and you signed at Sony Music at only 19. The same year, your song "chAngE" was selected as the 12th opening of Bleach anime, and "Aozora" was featured as the ending theme for Keiichi Hara's "Colorful" movie. How did it feel to have your songs featured on popular anime on TV and in theaters at such a young age?

miwa: I felt so happy! For "chAngE" I took direct inspiration in Bleach to write the song, so I was very moved when I saw my song synchronized with the opening animation.

BLEACH © Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO dentsu, Pierrot
Colorful © 2010 Mori Eto "Colorful" Production Committee

When you are selected to sing for an anime such as Bleach, My Hero Academia or Boruto, are you asked to write a song specifically for the anime?

miwa: Yes, I wrote each song specifically for the anime in question.

You also sang two songs for animes from Hiromu Arakawa's manga adaptations: "Chasing hearts" which served as the opening song for Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, and "Kiss You" for Silver Spoon. Was it a coincidence, or was this something you or your label wanted?

miwa: I really wanted to sing for Hiromi Akarawa's manga anime adaptations, but it was a pure coincidence! Generally speaking, it's hard for an artist to ask to sing a song for a specific anime.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos © Arakawa Hiromu・HAGAREN THE MOVIE 2011
Silver Spoon © Arakawa Hiromu・Shōgakukan / Ezonō Festival Executive Committee

In 2020, during the pandemic, you collaborated on the "BEYOND" album, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise. You sung "A Red Ray" along with legendary guitarist SUGIZO, could you tell us more about this collaboration?

miwa: It was a real honor to work with him, SUGIZO is a big-hearted man. Gundam is a franchise with a lot of dark stories, so we discussed together how we could translate that part of the darkness of the story & characters into the song. SUGIZO got the idea of using my voice as the light to follow in the dark, and that's how we decided that he would compose the song and I would write the lyrics, bringing my own light to his composition.

You wrote and sang 3 songs for the movie Child of Kamiari Month, could you tell us more about how it all started?

miwa: In 2019, I was also here at Japan Expo for the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise. I was singing on stage and that's when director Toshinari Shinoe heard me and decided that my voice should be in his movie!

How did you write those songs? Were you able to see the movie, or did you have to start writing from a script or storyboard?

miwa: When I met Toshinari Shinoe at Japan Expo, he showed me character sheets and briefed me about the story. It's only after that I got the first version of the script, from which I started writing three songs. One of these songs was supposed to be selected as the movie's theme song. But when I proposed the songs, the director & the rest of the production team couldn't agree on one song and decided to go with all of them. "Daydream ~Arishihi no Yume~" is used as an insert song in an important scene where the heroine runs, "KANNA" is the movie's theme song, and "Kamiarizuki no Kodomo" was used as the ending song.

You also made multiple appearances in THE F1RST TAKE YouTube channel, where you performed the movie's theme song “KANNA" and other of your songs. Could you tell us more about this experience?

miwa: It's a funny coincidence, because Child of Kamiari Month is a movie about the bonds between people, and when I made that recording session for THE F1RST TAKE, I didn't know the musicians playing violin and cello with me, we didn't even have time to talk before. Each musician was isolated in their own booth, and we had to synchronize ourselves through music in order to record this one take. Those two musicians later joined the band with which I made my Billboard Live Tour in Japan in 2023. So we can say we first bonded through music!

Let's talk about your latest album, "7th". In April 2024, you unveiled the album cover, on which you are seen with a rainbow dress and a completely new hair color. Was this a desire on your part to mark a physical change for this new album?

miwa: Indeed, it was a means for me to express that no one could "dye" me, that I decide myself of what I am and how I look. I decided to show it through my hair color, but also on the dress I wear, which was originally white and that I dyed with many colors. It's a way to show that I am me, in my own way.

How did your fans react to this change?

miwa: It's still a hot topic on the internet! (laughs) It was a shock for everyone, but they seem to love it!

The album opens with the song "GIRL CRUSH" that you wrote with rapper Shinnosuke, and closes with "7days" written with Okinawan rapper Rude-α. Was it your intention to add a touch of rap to the album?

miwa: Absolutely! I always loved rap music and I even wrote songs before but never had the opportunity to sing them. On "7days" I asked Rude-α to write with me, and the same goes for Shinnosuke on "GIRL CRUSH"'s rap parts.

Has it been challenging for you? Do you see yourself doing more rap in the future?

miwa: Yes, it was! Also having Shinnosuke, Rude-α and NAOKI-T (Editor's note: NAOKI-T produced many of miwa's songs) watching me during the recording session put me under a lot of pressure, I was even wondering if I could make it!

I'd love to make more rap in the future, even more now that hip-hop is trending in music compositions. But it's a different art and way to express yourself, whether it be in the way you use your voice or the way you write your lyrics, so I would have a lot to learn before doing so.

Now onto our favorite questions: could you tell us your favorite anime?

miwa: Difficult question! (thinks) I really loved Yuru Camp△, it's an anime that soothes me and made me want to try camping. I even bought the camping equipment, I went only once so far (laughs), but I loved the experience!

And last, but not least: if you had one wish, which existing anime would you like to write & sing a song for?

miwa: (thinks) I'm a huge fan of Detective Conan, I would love to write a song for the anime. But each year I'm hearing new artists which are not me (laughs)

AniPlaylist: We hope we will hear you someday on Detective Conan!

AniPlaylist would like to thank miwa for this interview, her team & the Japan Expo staff for making it possible.

Posted by Willy Reyno on 27 Aug 2024 at 12:48 UTC