Konomi Suzuki
Interview by David Cirone
June 12, 2017
A short conversation with anisong singer Konomi Suzuki (No-Game, No-Life, Re:Zero, Fairy Tail, Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) before her upcoming performance at Anisong World Matsuri at Anime Expo 2017.
Since your debut with “Choir Jail”, you’ve been able to display a lot of passion throughout most of your anime theme songs. How do you find the right emotion to match each song?
Konomi Suzuki: Since my heart is always burning, I’m most comfortable when singing passionate music. Passionate songs have different emotions inside. For example, the opening theme “Redo” for the TV anime Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-, the heat came from the desire to protect someone. I whispered to myself “I must protect her until the end!” right before I began singing. I sang with the image of the people most important to me in my mind, and the emotion fit naturally with the song.
What anime theme song has been the most challenging to get right when you were recording?
Every song was hard to record, but “DAYS of DASH” (from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou), I still remember how difficult that was. I sang focusing on the image of a deep blue sky, but my voice didn’t come out as expected, so we came back to record a second day. When we started again, I was able to change my feelings and get it right for the recorded version.
You’ve created a few ballads, too, like “Ryuusei Requiem” and “Anata ni”. What side of your personality do you get to express in these softer songs?
Ballads also give me the chance to explore different emotions. For example, “Ryuusei Requiem”, the insert song for TV anime Lord Marksman and Vanadis, is a song of gratitude to those who fought. For “Anata ni”, I put my feeling towards my fans into that one. When I’m singing ballads, I pay attention to making my voice gentle in more sections, and adding lingering finishes to the end of the lyrics.
What do you enjoy most about being an anisong singer?
It’s really interesting to express emotions other than my own, singing with the world view of a particular anime and the emotions of those characters. Anime brings me to a world that I’m not able to reach by myself, and the thrill I get at the moment I finally get to listen to my song playing with the anime when it’s broadcast, it makes me really thankful to be able to be an anisong singer.
Tell us about your favorite anime and manga titles. What series are you enjoying right now?
My favorite manga is Kakegurui. It’s a story about a school that ranks the students by their ability to gamble. It’s thrilling, and the strategy method is astonishing. I always want to read the next episode as soon as possible. I also like the dark atmosphere of the art style. It will be animated soon and I look forward seeing those characters come to life.
You just released your new album, Lead, a few months ago. What does this album say about your current focus? Is there a theme you want to share with your fans?
Lead was made with the theme “lead everyone with songs”. Until now, I was able to sing with everyone’s support. From now on I want to spearhead and make a road for others. That’s the backstory of this album. It’s packed with songs reflecting my current emotions, and I definitely hope you to listen to it.
Konomi Suzuki performs live at Anisong World Matsuri “Japan Super Live” on July 1, 2017.
Tickets and info → http://bit.ly/AWMAX2017
Anisong World Matsuri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnisongWorldMatsuri
Anisong World Matsuri Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnisongWorld
Konomi Suzuki Website: http://konomi-suzuki.net
Konomi Suzuki Twitter: @Suzuki_Konomin
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