“Toy Frame'' is where I put all my current skills. Looking forward to explosive power at live performances
──Can we assume that “Toy Frame”, which also has a music video, is the lead song of this album?
Toki:There was no absolute protagonist on this album, and all the songs were centered around one main character. Among them, “Toy Frame'' was created from the idea of “I wonder what would happen if I poured all my current skills into making it.'' It's the flashiest of the songs on the record, so it's the lead song.
──What kind of order did you receive?
Toki:I was able to put all my skills into it, and it had an atmosphere that I like with strings, and the harmonies were strong. But it also has elements of fast-paced rock. I asked Mr. Onoshi (24chocolate) for a difficult question: it's stylish, but it also sounds like a classic chord progression. We communicated so many times that I don't even remember what I had to fix (lol). Mr. Onoshi improved upon my request and made it.
──The intro has a thick, exciting tone that feels like something is about to begin, the A and B verses are refreshing, and the chorus is rock-like, with a call-and-response feel to it. I feel like a new killer tune has been born.
Toki:When I received the song, I thought it would look great live. However, I think that not only this song, but the songs on this album go well with the previous songs, and I can feel the synergy between them, so I have a feeling that they will give off a grain no matter where they are placed during a live performance, and that they will look great live.
──What I thought was a toy box was actually a jewelry box.
Toki:The last song on the album was “Time is Jewel,” and it concluded well. However, I have the impression that a jewelry box is a treasure for adults. I believe that treasures are different for each person; for me it's a toy, but for you it might be a beautiful piece of jewelry or a letter from a loved one. I think if you put whatever you like in furigana above the word “Jewel”, anything will work.
Also, in this song, I sing, “It's like a small jewel box in the universe,'' and “It's like a big future toy box,'' but the time and space of live shows and radio, where I spend time with everyone who always supports me, is also very important to me. As expected of RUCCA, who expressed such various feelings in the lyrics.
──When I listened to this song, it made me think that the time and events I spent with my friends in the past are irreplaceable and that I should cherish them forever.
Toki:It's a song with a strong message. The song begins with the song “Don't you forget?” and the last chorus is “a heartbeat that connects the days when you cry and the days when you laugh to 'tomorrow'”, which gives off the feeling that it's still running until the end, and it's full of energy all the way through.
Therefore, the completed music video is a video that lets you feel great power and various atmospheres. Whether you're singing it or listening to it, it's full of energy and power, so it's a song that's so explosive that you wonder, “What would it be like when sung live?”
──I thought it was a song that would touch the hearts of people who live their lives to the fullest.
Toki:I believe this is a song that will touch the hearts of everyone, not just Toy Frame. However, I didn't want the listeners to think, “I'll try harder,'' but rather, when I sang, I wanted them to lean into me and act like a detonator or gasoline. I myself have been drawn to singing, and I hope that people who are giving their 100% will be able to give it just a little bit more, even 101% or 102%, and that it will become a part of everyone's lives.
──The MV starts with a live scene of you singing with the band, then a scene of Toki watching a video of a child, and then a scene of you singing with a group of buildings in the city at night.
Toki:The director listened to “Toy Frame” and asked me to create a storyboard based on the image he had in mind, and I expressed it. I love the story of the music video, and the message of moving forward while feeling nostalgic for the past was conveyed through the video. I also tried my best to look cool (lol).
“Bun Kai Sensation” is a towel song that has never been done before. “Rhythm of living” is like watching Toki-san on holiday!?
──The first song, “Bunkai Sensation,” that Toki-san was particular about, is a song that seems to express what you are like at the actual live performance from the beginning of the live performance, and is a song about passing towels around with your fans as much as you can.
Toki:None of my songs up until now have me emptying my head and spinning the towel. I thought Hige Driver was a genius at creating such songs, so I asked him to do it this time.
──I had no idea that Toki would sing a song like this, so I was surprised when I heard it.
Toki:I think your impression of me singing this song will be different depending on how you know me. Those who know me from my role as Rurikawa in “A3!'' will probably think, “Toki-san has songs like this, too,'' and I think they can understand the depth of my resolution. Just as there are many people who think I play mature roles and people who think I play cute roles, some people think that “Bunkai Sensation'' is more like me, and some people think that “Azalea'' is more like me, and some people think that “Kibou Luminousity'' is more my style. But every song is me, so it might be fun to listen to it once you remove your preconceptions and filters.
──In the early days of your career as an artist, you were surrounded by music and musical instruments since childhood, and listened to a lot of music from Japan and abroad.The songs you sang gave a sense of your personality, and this album also shows the diversity of Toki's music.
Toki:I listen to a variety of music, and my favorite genres vary, but whether or not I can express myself is a different story. For example, even if you listen to rap a lot, that doesn't necessarily mean you can sing well. This album is full of “messy'' songs, and if it were me a few years ago, I might not have been able to sing them because I lacked the skill. Through “Another Birthday'' and “Log.'', I gradually began to draw more and more out of myself, and by being able to express what I want to do and the songs I want to sing, I think I was able to put everything I have into myself.
──There are songs that are unique and have a great presence, incorporating Toki-san's singing skills and thoughts.
Toki:All of the songs reflect the composer's color and worldview. For example, “Order Made Life,'' composed by Keiichi Osawa and Yumemi Kujira, is a fast-paced rock-style song that is in line with current trends. I've been listening to songs like that for a long time, but I've never sung them.
Also, I've sung a lot of chill songs up until now, but the lyrics of “Zuratsuru Rhythm'', which was composed by Genji Miyano, can be heard slowly, and the lyrics go, “Isn't it okay to just spend the day forgetting about your busy days?'' It's the perfect song to listen to when you're just lazing around and doing nothing. I think most of my songs cheer up the listeners, or even the chill songs have people snuggling by their side, but “Zuratsuru Rhythm'' has the least amount of movement, and I feel like I've never had a song that I could sit still and listen to. So, I was able to sing it in a way I had never done before, and I think this is the song on this album that features a particularly new way of singing.
──From the beginning of the song, “The sun shining through the window,'' to the last phrase, “Let's meet again tomorrow in the song,'' I felt comfortable that Toki-san was close to the listener.
Toki:For me, it's more like when I casually write “I'm on vacation'' on social media, people share “me too,'' and we all ask, “Is it a day off?'' I feel like everyone is watching me take a break, so I think there are people who can relate to it, but the message isn't very strong. Music is not something that forces you to listen to it at this particular moment. I think the timing of when you want to listen to a song is different for each person, so I hope you can enjoy it by finding the songs you want to listen to at your favorite time and timing, not just “Rhythm of Living.''
