Karen Anzai I want you to see the life-sized Karen Anzai who is "unusual" in a good way.

Born in 1999, she made her debut in May 2019 with "I Felt the Whole World Was My Enemy, Even I Loved Solitude." She also co-starred in the drama "M: There's Someone to Love," which became one of the most talked-about dramas of 2020. In addition to her activities as an artist, she is also a fashion icon, attracting attention for her looks, having repeatedly appeared in store visuals for the cosmetics brand "M·A·C" and as a colored contact lens ambassador.

Her new song "18 no Tokyo" will be released on September 29th. This song is filled with the feelings she had when she moved to Tokyo from her hometown of Fujisawa at the age of 18. "You can't survive in Tokyo unless you have your own axis, make choices, and live strong," she thought, and the song also reflects her current state, where she has become immersed in Tokyo. We spoke to her about her musical roots and more.

■My student days were filled with music

　I had been learning the electric organ since before my debut. I started playing the electric organ just for fun, but I think that by learning it I gained knowledge of chords and other things. When I was a child, my father would play rock music in the car and at home, and I listened to it a lot. When I was in junior high school, he took me to a Rolling Stones concert, which sparked my desire to play the saxophone in jazz, and I played the alto saxophone in the brass band.
After that, I thought, "My voice is also an instrument, so I want to be able to do music in general!" and so I started singing. When I was a student, I would often go to karaoke on days when I didn't have lessons and sing at local competitions.
　
　I debuted in 2019, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I didn't have the opportunity to perform live in front of people, so I wasn't able to interact with my fans in real life, but I was really happy to receive comments on a small comment I made on social media. My fans feel like a warm family, and I can't wait to meet them in person and perform live with them soon.
Being able to work on the music I love is a lot of fun, and I feel like I'm in a very fortunate environment.

■My way of being as a singer and lyricist

　When I write lyrics, I always make notes of my emotions, any questions I have, and any ideas that come to mind, and then I put them all together when I write the poems. There are times when I can't seem to write and I get overwhelmed, but the way to motivate myself at times like that is to eat something delicious and go to sleep (laughs). There's no point in thinking about it forever, so I just say, "Nah, never mind," and give up for a while. Then I try to control my mood so that I can think, "Let's do it."

When I write lyrics, I try to be myself and not overreach myself. However, I sometimes find myself struggling with the question of "what words should I use to express this emotion?", so recently I've been watching a lot of movies to broaden my range of expression.

■ What is the idea behind "18 Tokyo"?

　I moved to Tokyo from my hometown of Fujisawa when I was 18. Tokyo is sparkling in a good way, but you also get absorbed into it and are pushed around by it. In the song, I portray the conflict of "you can't survive here unless you live strong." I learned that not all people are nice and the environment is good, and that you can't stand on your own without making your own choices, and I feel that being true to yourself has made life a lot easier.
I hope this song reaches people who are moving to Tokyo or working hard in Tokyo. It has a catchy melody that is different from my previous songs, so I hope you will sing it at karaoke. The first verse describes the time before moving to Tokyo, and the second verse describes the time after getting used to living in Tokyo.

■7 consecutive months of releases with exciting new developments

　Starting with "18 no Tokyo," I plan to release new songs for seven consecutive months, and I'm already excited about it. I hope to be able to "reflect various sides of Karen Anzai that are not typical of Karen Anzai," in a good way. I'll be trying out various genres, including rhythmic melodies.
Personally, I'd like to try different hairstyles. I'm already tired of blonde hair (lol). I'd like to appear in a music video with long hair. I'd also like to include an alto saxophone performance in one of my songs.
Now that more people know me as "Anzai Karen," I would like to use this as an opportunity to get people to know my songs, not just "Anzai Karen sings that song," but "Anzai Karen sings this song."

■Message

　I personally have a lot of admiration for university students. Since we're the same generation, I can't say anything big, but I think there are many different times, so I hope you enjoy your job hunting! The world is in a dark mood due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I hope you don't overthink or rush, and live your life the way you want to.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on September 13, 2021 by Mari Okabe, a first-year student at Kunitachi College of Music

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