Interview with Ayane Yamazaki

Ayane Yamazaki was debuted in Japan at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL when she was a teenager and debuted worldwide distribution with the album “LIFE” from AWAL in the UK in 2019.

This album tune “Kitchen song” and “Sleep to Dream” were listened to by indie music listeners all over the world.

In 2020, the legendary city pop cover “MAHOU O OSHIETE” became an indie hit.

In November of the same year, she released the album “Yobikakerarete”.

The album was picked up and playlisted by media, DJ ‘s and influencers around the world in Europe, North America, South America, Oceania, Africa and Asia.

It has twice reached No.1 in the German indie charts.

The song became a hot topic among young and new indie listeners around the world.

June 23, 2021, New Album “Ribbon”

October 8, 2021. New Single “Melody-Alternative Version-“

Ayane Yamazaki is in heavy rotation/recommendation on over 20 radio stations in the US and Europe, and is especially well heard on indie/alternative music radio stations and college radio.

She is steadily building up her achievements overseas.

Have you got a ritual of sorts when writing and thinking about your music?

Nothing in particular, but I have routines and rules that I follow and live by.

I have routines and rules that I follow in my life, such as taking care of my food, taking long baths, decorating with flowers, cooking candles, doing yoga and stretching, writing in my journal, keeping my room and belongings clean, and not using social networking sites and the Internet too much.

I am sure that such routines and the choices I make everyday support and protect my inspiration.

What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?

My music does not fit into any particular genre.

I can’t even trace the roots of my music.

There are many things I admire and like, and I consciously try to imitate them. But I just can’t be like them.

I think it’s because I’m unique.

I don’t even know if I’m clever or clumsy, which is probably the most unusual thing about me.

When you create music, what is your personal purpose or goal?

When I first started playing music, it was a means and a way to become independent.

As I became a teenager, it became a way to learn about myself, about other people, things, and society.

In my two albums, in “Yobikakerarete” and “Ribbon” it became a way to heal myself, my listeners, and the universe at large, and I sought universality for myself.

And now it has become a way to love myself and the rest of the people, things, and world.

I always have my own life force first, before the music.

I think music is a means to live and a necessary way to express myself.

What inspires your writing? Do you draw inspiration from poems, music, TV, or other media?

I am inspired by my own consciousness.

When I meditate, there are sights, smells, and feelings that are reflected.

Even if it’s not the real world, even if it’s a place you’ve never been before, even if it’s not your age, or even if it’s not your body, somehow there are things that you see and feel through yourself. I make sounds and words out of them.

How do you go about writing a song? Do you have a melody in your head and then write the other music for it?

I write most of my songs on a small 25-key keyboard. I start with a melody or phrase and build the whole thing from there.

Do you enjoy recording and production?

I like it. Free work without manuals or rules. But it’s like a classified mission, and it’s not a game. It’s a lot of fun because it allows me to focus and use my intuition. Recording is the most pleasurable of all the things in life.

What is the most useless talent you have?

To love and be able to eat very spicy food.

If you were to write an autobiography, what would the title be?

My Philosophy

You are a new addition to a crayon box. What colour would you be and why?

Silver.

If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be?

French (language)

What would you bring along to an idyllic picnic?

A leisure sheet and a book to read.

I go to the park on my days off and lie down on the grass and read a book.

Ayane released on October 8 “Melody – Alternative Version -“. It is another version of the lead single of the album “Ribbon”.

The original version is an ambient pop, while the alternative version is a new pop music composed of the string quartet and the sound of the piano. In both versions feel the sense of the sound producer, Kei Maruyama.

Kei Maruyama is also in charge of mixing.

The mastering was done by Yuka Koizumi, a famous mastering engineer in Japan.

The chic and sparkling sound, which is similar to European movie music, brightens up Ayane Yamazaki’s ” beautiful silky melody”.

It’s an alternative version with like a new song.

Comment from the sound producer, Kei Maruyama.

“I created this album with the image of Ayane Yamazaki singing in a deep forest with a small orchestra of mainly strings. If you listen to it with your eyes closed, you can see the scene. This song contains many delicate expressions.”

– Kei Maruyama