May 31st was the final performance of SJJD Taeyeon's national tour "TAEYEON JAPAN TOUR 2019 ～Signal～", which had seven performances in four cities. Five thousand fans greeted her at Tokyo International Forum Hall A.
I watched the first concert of Taeyeon's two-night stand at NHK Hall. It was an opportunity to hear the new songs on her first solo mini-album VOICE, which will be released on June 5. Her dynamic and delicate "beautiful expression" draws the listener into Taeyeon's world. She seemed slightly nervous before singing the new songs, such as the tour's title song "Signal", about the strengthening power of solitude and silence. Performing with a backing band, Taeyeon's pop songs increase in rock colour and powerful songs become even more so.
On the day after the concert, I interviewed Taeyeon as she prepared for her second day at NHK Hall. I asked her about the tour and her first solo mini-album VOICE.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: During this live show I sensed nervousness before the new song "Voice", and I was really surprised that someone with such an accomplished career as Taeyeon would ever get nervous.
Taeyeon: Because the songs were released yesterday, I was consciously nervous about the reaction of the fans. (laughs)
Tanaka Hisakatsu: With the live band, the pop songs had a more rock n' roll feel to them. The heat was really turned up.
Taeyeon: It was really fun to perform with this band. These days, music is not limited to genres and there are a lot of opportunities to collaborate and synthesise different sounds without getting trapped by musical labels.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: Last year, you did your first solo showcase concerts in Japan, "TAEYEON - JAPAN SHOW CASE TOUR 2018". These concerts feel somewhat different than those. Did you make any specific changes for this tour?
Taeyeon: Between last year's showcases and this tour, I was able to learn more about myself as a solo singer. I look back on those showcases with an ability to recognise, "when I lift myself up, I will project a better personality." I noticed and analysed a lot of things about myself. It was an opportunity to grow, and I think I've been able to display that growth during these concerts.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: It's surprising that since your solo debut in 2015 you've already released three mini-albums, one full album and three singles (including digital) in Korea, but this is your first release in Japan. When it was decided to create the mini-album VOICE, what kind of songs did you want to make?
Taeyeon: Because it's a solo album, I wanted the lyrics to include my own self. I wanted to sing songs that express who I am.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: Junji Ishiwatari and the other writers created beautiful Japanese lyrics to match Taeyeon's heartbeat, and they really echo in the listener's heart.
Taeyeon: The songwriters wrote exactly what I wanted to sing, and the lyrics are very beautiful. I can relate strongly to these songs, and I'm very attached to them. I wanted to convey the feelings and emotions that I'm feeling right now.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: The title track "Voice" is a song about a lost relationship that overflows with a powerful mixture of emotions. It uses "your voice" as encouragement, but at the same time there is the lyric "You pushed me in the back/Therefore I can walk." This is also the first song of the album, so that lyric could also be read as being about the relationship between you and your fans too.
Taeyeon: I think there are various kinds of love. There is friendship and love amongst men and women, there is love between parents and children, there are many different kinds. How one receives it, the interpretation varies from person to person, but I think that's what singing is about.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: VOICE contains six songs in a range of styles and genres, and even though it is only six songs it is as fulfilling as a whole album. I know it's a difficult question, but which is your favourite song?
Taeyeon: It's "Vanilla". It's from the perspective of a woman who can't express her feelings honestly. I think it's a song that women will empathise with. In terms of the lyrical content, it's "Horizon". "Horizon" was difficult to record. (laughs)
Tanaka Hisakatsu: How did you struggle with "Horizon"?
Taeyeon: There's a real atmosphere in the melody, isn't there? It is my job to express the song in an attractive way, but my emotions were different on the recording day. With the feeling that 'Horizon' has, my emotional condition didn't fit. I was too serious (laughs).
Tanaka Hisakatsu: The lyric "Now, I'm not living for love / But you give me the love to live" is a really impressive turn of phrase.
Taeyeon: Ah, I love that part so much!
Tanaka Hisakatsu: All the songs contain fine Japanese nuances, and each are beautifully executed at just the right temperature.
Taeyeon: The Japanese lyrics were translated into Korean, so I could understand them, and from there I did the work of fitting them to the melody. With the help of the staff I was able to sing (in Japanese). For the live performances after recording, I still read the lyrics over and over to understand the meaning more. There is a language barrier, but they gave me incredible lyrics, so I try to understand and sing them to the best of my ability.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: Via the MC at the concert, you said you wanted to travel around the world, including Asia, in the future.
Taeyeon: I went on Asia tours with Girls' Generation, and I have had Asia tours since my solo debut three years ago. I want to go everywhere in Asia again, but I don't think there's an Asian country I haven't been to yet, so I'd also like to meet the fans who are a little bit further away.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: You've been loved by Japanese fans for a long time, since your days in Girls' Generation. What is Taeyeon's impression of Japanese fans?
Taeyeon: Everybody is very emotional, but they hide it at first. Then there is a moment when the emotions all come out at once. And that's when I always get very emotional too. Many of them are very emotional.
Tanaka Hisakatsu: Please tell me what is most important to you as a singer.
Taeyeon: Everything is about signalling, communication and contact. It's important to do as a singer but also as a human being. SNS is one way to make contact with others. One form of communication is song, and I think I can use music to transmit a message to you. Now I want to make a full album for everyone in Japan, and I want to go everywhere in Asia.
Translated by @309KTYSS
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Source: Yahoo Japan
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