Shoya Chiba, Yuya Hozumi, Takuto Yoshinaga, Yuto Uemura & Shun Horie

千葉 翔也, 保住有哉,, 吉永 拓斗, 上村 祐翔 & 堀江 瞬

SparQlew’s 2^nd full-length album will be released on 29 July! Starting with the lead song “SparQling Nova”, they talked a lot about the new songs on the album. In the MV close report, we will introduce the fun of the 5 people!

A complete report on the MV shooting for the 2^nd full album “evergreen”! The MV shadow of the lead song “SparQling Nova” was performed with a set in a large studio in the suburbs. We will deliver a friendly shooting scenery.

Staring with the shooting of the solo scene. First, it started with the shooting of Uemura-san’s solo cut. Find a close-up camera and piece! We will proceed in a relaxed atmosphere. After that, I went to Chiba-san’s solo cut. In the scene of turning the astronomical model, he showed a soft expression. In the off shot, he holds his guitar and has a playful expression. I was also impressed with how he put it back together (laughs).

I’ll be with everyone during the break. Let’s take a break to set up a scene with the five of us together. Horie-san, of course, chose a lunch box with eggplant and yuzu. There was also an act where a photo session was held using accessories in the studio with Uemura-san as a model. In the second half, all five practise choreography. Since each swing is different, I was making sure not to get caught.

When the setting for the scene where the five of them gather with impressive lighting is completed, the lip-sync scene with the choreography was next. I will change the angle and shoot. In the meantime, a photo session by Hozumi-san and a reading live by Uemura-san were held. I can’t wait to see what kind of video will be completed, such as walking between the lighting fixtures and shooting around the spherical light!

In the second shot, the solo scene will be shot. Yoshinaga-san was staring at the planisphere with a sparkling expression. There is also a scene where Horie-san picks up the shooting accessories with great interest. Hozumi-san was the last in the shooting order, so he was a little tired, but when the shooting started, he switched quickly and finished shooting smoothly.

A wonderful album title with the meaning of “immortal”. After about a year and a half, the second full-length album will be released. Yoshinaga: For me, it feels like “finally”. I think all the fans feel the same way, but we were also really looking forward to it. Hozumi: It’s been about a year and a half since the last release. I’ve kept you waiting for a while, but I have a very strong feeling that I’ve been waiting (laughs). Horie: Even for me, I think that the pace up to the second full-length album is on the fast side. Kiramune’s strength is that it can release constantly like this. I am grateful. Chiba: When it was decided, I was very happy. I’m sure the expectations of the fans are rising, so I tried my best to deliver something that can meet them. I think you will be surprised by the amount of time you have waited. Uemura: I’m really happy to be able to make a full-length album. Since the 1^st album “Bring it on!”, the number of variations of the recorded songs has increased, and I’m really looking forward to what it will be like.

How did you come up with the album title? Chiba: First of all, I wanted to create a title that encompasses the overall atmosphere of the album. In addition, we decided to add various elements such as the jacket and the atmosphere of the MV. Hozumi: As a result of discussions from there, Chiba-kun’s idea was decided to be “evergreen”. Chiba: It was like something flashed through my mind (laughs). Our unit colour is mint green, so as a result of further association from that, I came up with the idea of “evergreen”, which means “evergreen tree” or “a masterpiece that does not fade over time” in musical terms. Yoshinaga: It’s really good, isn’t it?

Please tell us about the song “SparQling Nova”, which is suitable for the current five members who are growing aggressively. Chiba: My first impression was that the lead song wasn’t energetic (laughs). The chorus of “Wow Wow” sung by the five of us starts with the chorus, and I think it’s a song that strongly reminds us that we’re all singing together. Uemura: This song might be the first time I’ve felt lonely recording alone. Hozumi: What I felt was a unique grandeur (laughs). In particular, the scale when the five voices are combined is really amazing, and I think it’s a song that expresses SparQlew’s basics, which are slightly different from usual, such as “Kirakira” and “Refreshing”. Horie: It starts with lyrics that aren’t positive, but in the chorus, along with the lyrics, “Let’s go, if we take even one step forward, we’re in the middle of our journey.” It felt like I was being pushed by this bright song. Yoshinaga: It was finished as a persuasive song for SparQlew. Once again, I’m glad that this song became the lead song.

The deluxe edition includes not only the MV of this song, but also a digest of the 1^st live replay that was unveiled for the first time. Horie: “SparQling Nova” was the first performance, but there was a great sense of unity between the fans and us. Chiba: We’re all talking about how the song was completed at that moment. It was truly spectacular sight that the Hoju audience was dyed in the sea of green with penlights. It was hot!

The album contains 10 new songs. Each favourite song, please let us know. Chiba: Mine is “Days of Apollo” by far. The lyrics are very literary, but they are also logical. The melody is also not the type that presses with the number of notes, but it has a sound that feels like you can quietly put your thoughts into it. Please listen carefully. Yoshinaga: I think it’s “QueSeraSera”. The relaxed tempo that makes you think of a holiday morning has a different atmosphere than our previous songs. Hozumi: It’s a song that will make you happy all day if you listen to it in the morning. I like “Shellbreaker”. I sang while thinking, “It’s difficult”, but it’s a really cool song. It’s an edgy song that’s far from unique freshness, and I think it’s definitely going to be lively. Horie: My favourite song is also “Shellbreaker”. Among the songs that have a sense of unity this time, I have the impression that they are flying quite a bit. Very catchy to listen to. I’m small, but the difficulty of singing was extremely high, and I had a lot of trouble. The rest is “Aka Aoki Midori”. For this song, I changed the way I sang it a little, and it was a song that challenged me to see how far I could go. Yoshinaga: You attacked at the last minute, right? Horie: When I sang in a way that was very different from what I normally do, people said, “That’s too much” (laughs). I sang a little mildy. Uemura: For me, it’s “Driving Force”. When I sing it, I can imagine scenes such as the sparkling smiles of the audience and the glow of penlights at live performances. It’s the most fitting, and I want everyone to listen to it as soon as possible.

In between the MV shooting and the friendly atmosphere, there is also a secret photo session. We also covered how the MV shooting closely. How do you like the finished video? Horie: It’s been a while since the MV shooting for “Shoujo no Uta” last time, so it was hard because I completely forgot how to make facial expressions. Chiba: You also practised choreography for the MV. The choreography with forming a circle was emo. Yoshinaga: It was finished in a video that has a chic and mature atmosphere. Compared to “Katsu Toshi no Uta”, it gives the opposite impression. Hozumi: Over there was like an athletic meet (laughs). My muscles were sore afterward. Uemura: In that sense, I acted out a video that I don’t often pay attention to in voice acting work, expressing my inner feelings and expressions. I think it was a very valuable experience.

Please tell us the story behind the shooting. Hozumi: It was the very last shoot for me, but when I returned to the waiting room, I was curled up in a massage chair and Shun was asleep. Horie: Was I sleeping? Hozumi: I thought, “Oh, he did his best,” and woke up with just a selfie of his sleeping face. Chiba: Yoshinaga was sleeping at another time too. Yoshinaga: Were you sleeping? Chiba: We took pictures of each other. Horie: We all took pictures. Hozumi: I’m taking pictures of Takuto, I’m taking pictures Chiba, I’m taking pictures of Uemura. Uemura: I did. Hozumi: The images from this time may catch the eyes of all the fans someday. Please look forward to it.

Lastly, please tell us what you like about the album. Hozumi: I’m always in charge of the first recording, and I discuss with the staff the standards for which key to sing the song in. In “Gamsha Life”, I wanted to sing it in an easy way, so I sang it in a lower key. After that, there was no sense of penetration at all, and I asked him to return to the original high key because it was no good. That might be the point. Chiba: I recorded the whole song “Gamsha Life” once, but the image of pop music didn’t come to mind, so I re-recorded it all. Yoshinaga: Both of them had an amazing hard rock feel. Especially when I listened to the sound source recorded by Shoya-san, the shout was more energetic than I expected, and I was surprised because he prepared with the usual tension of the song.

Chiba: Unlike the album before, even after the OK take came out, I continued singing until I was satisfied with the staff, saying, “It sounds like this, so wouldn’t it be better to take like this?” I was allowed to change it. Thanks to that, the recording time is getting longer (laughs). Horie: Compared to the previous album, I feel that there are quite a lot of parts where everyone has challenged themselves. Uemura: I think I’ve become able to add a richer and deeper colour to my singing voice. The five of us, who have grown up a little, are taking a definite step forward as SparQlew and are on a journey. I would be happy if you could listen to the lyrics and melody carefully and enjoy them.