Toshl on Album 'IM A SINGER VOL.4': The Pure Heart of Ryuugen Toshl — "It's That Bright, Fun, and Happy Thank You Feeling"
This interview was originally published in Japanese on barks.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.
The Depth and Wonder of Toshl as a Singer. The Purity and Innocence of Ryugen Toshl as a Human Being.
You can experience both of these things in 『IM A SINGER VOL.4』, which releases on July 1st.
The fourth installment in Toshl’s cover album series centers primarily on anime songs. His vocals as he sings these classic and contemporary masterpieces head-on are sometimes intense and powerful, and in other moments remarkably tender and poignant. This range and expressive power is the charm of Toshl as a singer, and at the same time, the silhouette of him as a human being emerges from behind it all.
I think there’s meaning in emphasizing this here and now, so I’ll state it clearly: Toshl, who can sing with such overwhelming power, is also an incredibly pure and genuine human being.
With the anime song festival he produces, 〈ANISON LEGENDS FES JAPAN〉, just around the corner, Toshl spoke to us with a very positive and open atmosphere about the album, his current thoughts, and his feelings. It was an interview where I found myself wanting to return the words “thank you.”
■Anime Songs Felt Untouchable ■I Came Into This With Serious Resolve
Q: This is the fourth installment in your cover album series, and listening to it, it really hit me emotionally. I think anime songs often contain the emotional aspects, delicacy, and dramatic elements of each work, and that matches really well with your singing.
Toshl: Thank you so much. I’m really happy to hear that. It made it worthwhile to create this album (laughs).
Q: (laughs) So I’d like to ask—how did this series come to focus on anime song covers?
Toshl: If I trace it back in order, it started with “愛をとりもどせ!!” About three years ago, I got an offer to sing this song, and then about two and a half years ago we recorded it… and from there it was like, “When’s the new ‘Fist of the North Star’ series going to start?” (laughs).
Q: So there was a gap before it aired.
Toshl: Yes. But at that point, I had this feeling of, “Finally, I’ve joined the ranks of anime song singers!” And I thought, if we were to make the next 『I AM A SINGER』, I’d want it to be an album centered on anime songs. Then eventually the conversation came up about making an album. Recording started about a year ago.
Q: So you’ve had the desire to sing anime songs for a while now?
Toshl: That’s right. “愛をとりもどせ!!” is a sacred song to me, and I was honored to sing it. And with the cover album 『IM A SINGER』, we’ve done things with various themes up until now, but it was like, “Finally, anime songs have arrived!” For me, it was the biggest hurdle, or rather… anime songs felt kind of untouchable until now. I had this feeling that you shouldn’t face anime songs without serious resolve. But given that this opportunity came along, I decided it was time to challenge myself. So I came into this with considerable resolve.
Q: I see—that makes sense. I felt that level of intensity in this work.
Toshl: Yeah, so for me, it’s really an album made with resolve. It’s been a challenge before too, but this time it’s a challenge against an even higher hurdle, a thicker wall.
Q: So how did you go about selecting these songs?
Toshl: Well, anime songs as a category have an enormous number of them, so I listed songs from anime I’d loved since I was a kid, anime songs I’d often hummed, and songs that have been supported by many people. Then I listened to my staff’s opinions, gathered feedback from fans, and narrowed things down and down… I carefully considered things like different eras and what would reach the widest audience. Some cover permissions went through and some didn’t, so we made inquiries in that context, and ultimately these are the songs we ended up with.
Q: I see. Of these songs, which one did you most strongly want to sing?
Toshl: Well, I really want to sing all of them (laughs)… but “紅蓮の弓矢” was definitely a song I wanted to take on. I attended one of Revo’s concerts maybe seven or eight years ago, and I really liked his music. He expresses a unique, grand world that fuses symphonic, hard rock, and every other genre—and it’s precise at the same time. I thought, “If I could put my voice on top of that, it might sound really good?” At the time, I was so into that world that I wanted Revo to write songs for me. I loved the world of Linked Horizon.
Q: Yes, he’s an artist with a sense of scale, expressing things in a grand way.
Toshl: Exactly. So I was really happy that this came true this time. Also, I think Revo looks a bit like me in appearance. I thought it might be funny if the two of us stood side by side (laughs).
Q: Speaking of which, you both wear sunglasses (laughs).
Toshl: So when I’m watching his stage, I think, “If I appeared and smoothly stood beside him, wouldn’t that be great?” (laughs). So it’s kind of a dream of mine to one day stand together and sing with him. Including that aspect, I took on the challenge of “紅蓮の弓矢” this time.
Q: Furthermore, GLAY’s HISASHI participated in recording this song as a guitarist.
Toshl: For “紅蓮の弓矢,” I requested Junichi Murayama as the arranger—someone I’d worked with before on several songs. As a guitarist who would be perfect for this wonderful song, HISASHI came to mind immediately. So I asked Murayama, who’s also a support member for GLAY, “There’s no one but HISASHI, who absolutely loves anime songs, to play guitar on this track—would you ask him if he’d be willing, even if it’s a long shot?” with some passionate pressure (laughs). Apparently HISASHI responded like, “Of course it’s me!?” (laughs). The guitar work was genuinely cool to the extreme—he added a truly magnificent flower to the piece.
Q: I see. Among the selections, Official髭男dism’s “ミックスナッツ” is relatively recent, right?
Toshl: Yes. I chose “ミックスナッツ” simply because I love Official髭男dism and wanted to try their music. When I meet the Higedan guys at music programs and such, they tell me passionately that they’re fans. When I listen to their songs, I also feel like I’m learning cutting-edge music from today. So partly as a return of that favor, I selected “ミックスナッツ”. There were a few candidates, but I thought “ミックスナッツ” would suit me best. So while keeping some of the Higedan image intact, I added jazzy piano arrangements and took it in a speed metal direction. I hope Higedan will be pleased with that approach.
Q: Right, it’s a very dynamic arrangement.
Toshl: Yes, working with the arranger to put together demos, I thought this could actually turn out really well.