This an interview from a few months back, she talks about her 1st best album.
Enjoy~☆
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The release of alan’s first best album: JAPAN PREMIUM BEST & MORE!!
Q: You debuted in 2007 with the single Ashita e no Sanka. More than 3 years have passed since then.
“That’s right. I’ve released 14 singles and 2 albums in Japan in these past 3 years. And I’ve released 1 single and 2 albums in China. I’ve also released 2 albums in Hong Kong.
Q: You have really made Asia the stage for your activities.
“My main focus is my activities in Japan, but I also return to my homeland China in between breaks to work on album and promotion activities over there. I am currently working at a pace that’s 80% Japan and 20% overseas.”
Q: So Asian countries are the stage for your activities, right?
“Japan will remain my main focus, but I am currently also focused on China and Hong Kong. I hope I can also be active in countries like Thailand and Singapore in the future. That’s because I also get a lot of messages from overseas fans on my blog and twitter.”
Q: JAPAN PREMIUM BEST & MORE is a compilation of your activities in the last 3 years. It will be released on March 2.
“It features my 14 singles, 2 collaboration songs and also 4 new songs. The limited first press edition also contains the PVs from my 14 singles. This album contains what I have done in Japan so far and shows all my hard work.”
I want to continue to sing happy songs.
Q: You, alan-san, can reach high notes and sing in a folk music style; you have made your unique way of singing part of your charm. This has been clearly present in your songs.
“My special way of singing was used in my debut song Ashita e no Sanka. The fact that my way of singing left such a strong impact on everyone is one of the things that allowed me to keep singing this long. If I had sung general J-pop songs, people might have quickly forgotten about me.”
Q: Certainly, your way of singing leaves a strong impact.
“Thank you very much. In future I want to continue to cherish that style while also singing more casual songs and becoming more approachable.”
Q: In your new song Venus Flower I can feel you be more approachable. It’s a pleasant song that melts into the heart. But at the same time, your new song ECHOES, which showcases your unique singing style, also has a new soothing quality to it and really fascinated me.
“I feel that people are always busy nowadays; their minds and bodies are tired. That’s why I want to continue to sing happy songs that will relax people.”
I have sung many theme songs for large scale productions, like period films, haven’t I? (laughs)
Q: When I listened to your best album, I felt that you have a lot of songs that really touch people’s hearts.
“I started out singing a lot of ballads, but I’ve also tried singing pop songs like Over the clouds.”
Q: You, alan-san, possess a voice that can sing various styles, right?
“Yes. Among my ballads, I am also singing in different styles.”
Q: You had a lot of opportunities to sing theme songs for period films. It’s probably because your voice fits grand ballads.
“RED CLIFF ~Shin・Sen~ for the movie RED CLIFF. Kuon no Kawa for RED CLIFF Part II. BALLAD ~namonaki koi no uta~ for the movie BALLAD ~namonaki koi no uta~. Kaze ni mukau hana for Hisshiken Torisashi. Kanashimi wa yuki ni nemuru for Sakurada Mongai no Hen. Ai wa Chikara, my duet with Kei Fukui-san, for the drama Sengoku Shippuden Futari no Gunshi... I have definitely sung many theme songs for large scale productions, like period films (laughs). But, in contrast, I want to show a new alan via the new songs on my best album.”
Q: I’ve definitely felt that. But ECHOES has a similar atmosphere to your other grand ballads, doesn’t it?
“It has a bit of Tibetan folk songs and a spice of world music. Actually, a Chinese production company and a Japanese animation studio called MADHOUSE worked together to create this song. It will be the theme song for the animation Tibetan Mastiff. I voice the female lead character. In Chinese, of course (laughs).”
I think that my songs are the kind of songs that don’t grow out of style, no matter how many years pass.
Q: Your new song Venus Flower is a very happy song.
“It’s a very relaxing and casual song. In the lyrics I sing that I want to swim like a mermaid. The lyrics contain a sense of freedom, about becoming a mermaid and swimming to wherever you want to go. I want to sing more songs of this kind in the future.”
Q: I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s nice to have songs that ring in people’s hearts, but I also want to be able to get energetic along with the audience during concerts. That’s why I want to sing more songs like Venus Flower.”
Q: What kind of album is your new best album to you, alan-san?
“What things have I expressed these last 3 years? What have I conveyed? I feel that the results of my efforts are all put together in this album. I wonder how listeners will react to this album.”
Q: If you had to grade your best album by yourself… would that be difficult?
“I can’t grade it. Because I put 100% effort into singing every single song. I can only say that I think that these songs are the kind of songs that don’t grow out of style, no matter how many years pass.”
Beauty doesn’t come from the outside, but from the inside.
Q: Motteco’s readers are mainly women in their twenties. You model for AneCan. You’re really beautiful. Please share the secret to your beauty.
“Beauty doesn’t come from the outside, but from the inside. The kinder a person is, the more beautiful he or she becomes. That’s most important. Of course, daily skincare is also important for women.”
Q: That means alan-san is a kind person, too.
“I can be selfish at times though (laughs). But I think it’s cute if women are a little selfish. Women like to be doted on. I think it’s one of the privileges of being a woman. But you shouldn’t be too selfish. It’s like the word ‘oniyome’ (demon wife): when you become a wife that’s scary to return home to, your husband will become pathetic in return.”
Q: You have worked with a lot of people. When I listened to JAPAN PREMIUM BEST & MORE, I was reminded of that.
“Shinji Nojima-san wrote the lyrics for Ashita e no Sanka, and Ryuichi Sakamoto-san produced Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~ for me. Nakanishi Rei-san wrote the lyrics for Ai wa Chikara. Furuuchi Touko-san also wrote songs for me. A lot of people have helped me. Whenever I work together with various people, I feel: “Music knows no borders”. I want to let various cultures exchange via my music. That’s one of my dreams as the artist alan.”
Q: Your best album also a DVD version. It contains all your single PVs. Your PVs also show their own world views.
“I always appear by myself in my PVs. Most of my PVs are shot in harsh locations. Some shootings used fire, and I’ve also been doused with water.”
Q: Do you mean…?
“RED CLIFF’s PV. It took 53 hours to shoot the PV. It was shot in two days and I only had 2 hours to sleep in between preparations. In the morning these was a scene on a boat in a lake that was several degrees below zero. In the evening I had to stand with a huge fire behind me. It turned into a beautiful PV, but the shooting was really tough. Kuon no Kawa was shot in Okinawa. First, I was filmed as a gorgeous princess. Later, I was filmed as a poor girl with soot on her face. Kaze ni mukau hana was shot in a desert where I was covered with sand. I have many memories of each PV shooting.”
Q: I want to watch them. Well, lastly, please send a comment to the readers.
“My first best album JAPAN PREMIUM BEST & MORE will be released on March 2. This album shows my hard work and results in the past 3 years since my debut. I’ve sung every single song with all my heart. Please listen to this best album in order to get to know alan.”
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Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:56 pm by 
Subject: [Interview] Motteco (2011-02) 
