Translated by Mandilinn
December 2017

Part 1: TK-Produced Era

Musician/Music Producer TETSUYA KOMURO
Interviewer: LiLy

What roads did I walk to end up with you?”

That line was from 1995’s “Body Feels EXIT”, Tetsuya Komuro’s first production for Namie Amuro. It was a particularly impressive lyric at the time, but hearing it again now, the importance of those words has increased.

“You” sounds as if it is referring to Tetsuya Komuro himself as he thinks about the future where two people build up an era from the starting point to now.

“No no, it’s not me. I just wrote that imagining someone who was close to Namie-chan.” Mr. Komuro, who penned those lyrics, laughs in denial, but at the time, Tetsuya Komuro was the “man of the moment”.

From Kahala Tomomi, Shinohara Ryoko, to others, he continuously produced million-seller hits, and the audition program “ASAYAN” was flooded with applicants from all over the country after TK’s productions were used. Tetsuya Komuro had started the TK Boom, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Namie Amuro, who had just debuted solo when they met, snatched the ‘90s music scene.

“There are many things that seem to be public opinion, but I think I’m the one that drew talent out. But with Namie-chan, a very large portion of the songs I composed were inspired by her. It wasn’t like that with others.”

In a calm yet gentle tone, Mr. Komuro is frank, but he carefully chooses his words as he looks back on that time.

“If people are judged out of 10, a child like her that does not speak would be a 2. But she was so charming that people would imagine the missing margin of 8. I have never met another woman like Namie-chan, so I think that kind of person is very rare.”

“When making music for her, (the blank canvas) was huge because I didn’t know much about her. She didn’t really talk much, so I made songs based on what I saw or imagined as I observed her.”

“For example, she seemed to be enjoying herself, but somehow she also seemed sad. Was that actually true? I don’t think I ever asked her that in person. But I was inspired by that.”

“When I met Namie-chan, she was a child who talks about as little as she does now.”

Many artists try to reflect their own lives in their work, even those who entrust writing, composing, and producing to others. But an artist like Namie Amuro, who never talks about her private live, is a surprisingly rare thing.

At the same time, Tetsuya Komuro, who immediately understood and respected Namie’s personality and style, and crafted songs using his imagination without prying into her life, could be said to be a very rare producer.

 

The silent Namie Amuro stirs the imagination of Tetsuya Komuro

The impression of her being “somewhat lonely” can be seen in the beginning passage, written by Mr. Komuro shortly after they met. Though the Namie Amuro of the time sang lyrics that made fun of past hardships like “What roads have I walked…..” with powerful vocals.

Her debut is not only an outstanding love song that emphasizes finally being able to meet that special someone, but it also shows awareness of the unique grief that comes with the hardships of being young, and the attractiveness of a spirit that is ready for more.

The song itself is perfect for a fresh start, and despite being a dance tune that describes a body aching to break into dance, from the lyrics, one can look past the teenage girl that had just debuted and see a “distinctive shadow”.

“Well, (in that sense), the song is a bit dark, isn’t it? Because it was decided that I’d be producing for her long-term, I had to make the first track a hit, so it was necessary that I wrote the song without any restrictions.”

Mr. Komuro speaks humbly, but in retrospect, the first song that displayed unshakable Namie Amuro-ism was a big hit, selling more than 880,000 copies. Her second single “Chase the Chance”, released just a month later, sold one million copies in the blink of an eye.

“From the beginning, she was a person who would become the center of a movement. ‘THE Night of the Hit Parade’ music show was the first time that I saw Namie singing a song of mine, so maybe that appealed to me (laughs). I don’t really know. I want to think that was part of it.”

 

What was the charm of Namie Amuro–who didn’t know he was watching her performance–that drew in Tetsuya Komuro?

“She was singing and dancing, but she had a provocative stare, too…it was overwhelming. From the start (after I began producing for her), I never forgot to honor her wishes. I tried not to invade her world too much.”

“She was still in her teens, so I thought it was my mission to a certain extent to send her down certain paths. But Namie was a person who left no room for compromise. Even if I recommended something, she made the final decision herself.”

“At the time (more than now), there were many people who sang, acted in theater, and did gravure, but Namie-chan was insistent from the beginning that she wanted to sing and dance. She didn’t want to talk about herself, because she felt like she was a fairly consistent person from beginning to end. There was a time when she worked hard at it (making TV appearances, etc.), but I think Namie-chan from the beginning was an artist.”

 

From her charm to becoming the very image of what women aspire to be

Namie Amuro and Tetsuya Komuro teamed up and Namie got her big break in the blink of an eye. That popularity crossed beyond the framework of the artist and became the “charisma of the era” that cause a social phenomenon.

“White t-shirts, mini skirts, boots. At times it seemed a little too simple, didn’t it? No matter her surroundings (laughs), Namie-chan always wears simple clothing. From the very beginning, she was like that. Her fashion is always one-hundred percent her.”

The schoolgirls who imitated the fashion of Namie Amuro were called “Amura”, and the cool feminine image that Tetsuya Komuro created with his lyrics and music influenced the values of a lot of young women at the time. In those days, I simultaneously spent my own youth admiring her, and there are a number of lyrics burned into my soul.

“I can’t help rushing, I don’t have time to stop” (“Don’t wanna cry”). “Rather than putting on an act for society, I need to handle things well. If I leave…” (“SWEET 19 BLUES”).

By the time you were a teenager, you had to learn to grab what you wanted with your own hands, and I think what I learned from such a cool attitude was an asset to my life.

“There was no Instagram at the time, so back then the pressure was high to have a good life outside of the internet. There was a feeling that if you couldn’t stand out strongly at the age of 19, was it even possible to get ahead?”
“People were constantly dealing with unseen things. ’Everyone worries endlessly over something, is there no joy in anything?’ It was Namie Amuro that brought those feelings out into the open. The stance back then was ‘Everyone mimics one another, but there isn’t anyone who is like Amuro-chan. I need to be cooler!’.”

What I learned through those love songs was not only views of life, but also a young girl’s cool way of thinking. For example, “When I lent you my lip cream, you were so cute” (“A walk in the park”). As if an older sister, her viewpoint was different from others’ in a big way.

“Can men and women be just friends? That realization was a controversy at the time: a man looking at a woman not just as a girl, but as a person to be respected, no matter how much they’re longed for. That did exist, and women like that were the coolest.”

“For instance, girls were beginning to be comfortable enough to call out a guy instead of being afraid to speak up.”

 

Naturally, it’s a Namie Amuro-ism

The opposite sex was usually seen as the weaker when compared, so it was only natural for her to be admired by women.

“It was a good fit for Namie, I think. It was a different idea, that a man fall for a woman and long for her, but in a good way.”

While enjoying everything that came from being a girl, she lived by chance without resorting to flirting with the opposite sex. Tetsuya Komuro and Namie Amuro brought a new form of feminism to Japan, something that crossed beyond gender: the importance of respecting one another and one’s charm as a person.

“Namie herself was of course attractive. Even the staff admired her. If she had any weaknesses of a young woman, she didn’t show them to anyone. I don’t know much about her private life, but I don’t think she was really any different there.”

What came through was the freshness of Namie Amuro, who never deviated from her image.

But at the same time, more young people tried to stand against the light, and deep darkness appeared in society as a reaction. The appearance of the Amura also marked the arrival of the Gyaru boom. It was also a time when the behavior of teenagers was viewed as a problem.

“Sometimes I don’t even know who I’m doing things for, what I’m doing things forI want to be myself, I want to show my true face” (“How to be a Girl”). “But the truth is, I’m nothing special” (“SWEET 19 BLUES”)“I know someone will be kind” (“a walk in the park”).

Without forcing ideas, Tetsuya Komuro’s lyrics saved the dark parts of the heart by wrapping it up in kindness.

Free-spirited Namie Amuro and lonely Namie Amuro. Both of them are Namie Amuro-isms. We admired one and deeply sympathized with the other. At the root of it all, love always flowed.

“If everyone wants to be the person they are…RESPECT THE POWER OF LOVE” (“RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE”)

But surprisingly, even though it had a significant impact on society, Mr. Komuro said this.

“I don’t think both of us agreed on the message to convey. I was reluctant to be pushy about it, even if it was my job, so I would say ‘You don’t think this is cool? But can we look at it anyway?’. Something like that.”

“Of course, Namie-chan knew very well that there were women listening on the other side of those songs. Rather than asserting her own purpose for the song, she made sure what music I gave her was perfect, and it sunk in just how professional she was. She was so young, but she already had the feel of a real pro.”

Prior to creating Namie Amuro’s worldview, Mr. Komuro had said he hadn’t forgotten to honor her feelings, and looking at the period before and after he showed up, you can see a diagram of Amuro-chan.

I’m certain it was “Komuro-san”’s affection for “Namie-chan” and the genius chemistry of the pair that made the first 6 years of Namie Amuro’s career.

“Writing songs for Namie-chan was like writing episodes of a series; I spent a long time doing it. But every pair has an end. Around the last year, it was implied that it would be better to take the next step without me. It wasn’t told to me directly, though I kind of knew already. We were friendly at the beginning, but we ended in a dispute! …Just kidding, it wasn’t like that (laughs).”

“I want to give you a summer that’s different from your reserved teenage years!” (“You’re My Sunshine”)

This line summarizes the feelings of Tetsuya Komuro in ‘96 and the backdrop of Namie Amuro, causing tears run to down and blur my vision. The two of them lived through “summer” and broke up their partnership in 2001.

After that, she produced her own activities and selected foreign/overseas producers, and Mr. Komuro, who had been watching and thinking, laughed gently as he said, “It suits her tastes, so it’s all right.”

 

“––I’m so glad I met you, who’s so much like me”

In 2017, Tetsuya Komuro provided Namie Amuro a song for the first time in 17 years, titled “How Do You Feel Now?”. Those of us that were listeners in our youth are now adults, and the title is simple and straight, a big question that pierces one’s heart.

“I don’t think it’s possible to do a direct translation of the title into Japanese. It would have been something like, ‘Ima, dou?’ or ‘Donna kimochi?’. About the reunion with Namie-chan, it was a little awkward, but it was pleasant. This was the most tense I’d ever been writing a song for her, but she said it was very like me and recorded it in one shot. I was very happy that she liked it.”

Do you think it was fate that you meet the person named Namie Amuro? Komuro gave his response to my last question.

“I don’t think it was fate. I think I was cast as a producer by Namie Amuro.”

 

Part 2: I Saw it From the Make-Up Room
Namie Amuro as a Professional

Hair & Make-up Artist Akemi Nakano
Interviewer: Kanako Hayakawa

The person who produced the magic of “Namie Amuro”

Hair and make-up artist, Akemi Nakano. A beauty guru who skillfully brings out the beauty and innocence of numerous actresses and artists, inventor of attractive make-up styles such as “Adult baby-skin make-up” and others, and one of the leading people in the industry. She is a curious and charming woman who loves makeup, music, and art.

Her first encounter with Amuro-san dates back 26 years. Since then, the tag team has expressed “Namie Amuro” in numerous CD jackets, MVs, and TV commercials. Though Namie Amuro has continued to express a cool female image through singing and dancing, there’s also a girly and pretty element to her. Mixed with the poison of music, Akemi Nakano is the other element that helped the “cute and cool adult female image” slowly bloom.

Their meeting 26 years ago: “She was special from the beginning”

“The first time we met was in Okinawa for a CM filming, just before Namie-chan’s debut when she was 14 years old. Even though she had the same choreography as everyone else, there was a sense of isolation from the beginning, like she was the only one in another world. More than others, the way time flowed when she danced was special, and it felt like no one could imitate her. So naturally, she caught my eye. I clearly remember what we talked about at the time. Back in those days, she liked Janet Jackson. Anyway, her face was small and she had a round forehead, which she didn’t think was cute. She basically said, ‘Don’t cut my bangs and show my forehead, I think it’s good to dance with long hair’ (laughs). It was shocking.”

The secret story of the CD jacket shooting

“Whenever we shoot a CD jacket, we decide on a keyword such as ‘gorgeous feeling’, ‘newly acquired baby skin’, ‘nudey’, and create an image from there. From the time she began producing herself, it always feels like that. The work that left an impression was ‘GIRL TALK/the SPEED STAR’. The topic at the time was ‘girly’. A candy lollipop, the wallpaper, and clothing were all based off her ideas. For ‘_genic’, it was ‘red eyes and lace’. The keywords were like solving a puzzle, and we talked with the stylist about how to do it in various ways. The process of experimenting with how to use red on the eyes until we came up with the final version was very interesting.”

“In the Komuro era, Tycoon Graphics was in charge of art direction, but the transparent strap and the bandage on her arm were things I prepared on a whim. At the time, a room was built in the studio and it was decided in advance that the photographer Hirama Itaru would shoot for something more artistic with monochrome. It was a nice, simple setting of course, but I thought it would be even better if Namie-chan’s own movements were added in there. So I suggested trying to put the string in her mouth, trying to tie her hair, etc. The person herself didn’t say much about it (laughs), but I think it’s a nice jacket with powerful photos that don’t fade from your memory, even now. I think it turned into a piece of work that drew out the charm of an uncertain Namie Amuro just before the age of 19.”

A person with outstanding intuition

“Anyway, she is very intriguing. Take magazine shoots, for example. She only needs to ask once about the 20-30 pieces prepared by the stylist, and just from that, she can instantly judge the size of Western-style clothes and get a feel for the image needed, quickly deciding on how many outfits and which ones we should go with. There’s no need to worry with her.”

“Then there’s CM shootings. In the past, she had to choreograph her movements according to detailed instructions to match the CG, but if you tell her, ‘the cellphone should soar from here’, she’ll attempt to do it in a single shot.”

“When we went to Hokkaido to shoot “NEVER END”, everyone crawled around and looked for a place with four-leaf clovers, but Namie-chan found it in an instant where she was standing. She has a superb ability to comprehend space and size. The first day of her 25th anniversary live in Okinawa, there was a rainstorm until just before, but the moment Namie-chan opened the door of the waiting room, there was a rainbow in the sky. The rainbow disappeared within two minutes, but it seems her special power is exquisite timing.”

Namie Amuro” as a professional

“Because she has good intuition, you have to be sensitive, because she has a clear idea of what she wants to do. However, since she’s not a professional in every field, she leaves make-up to make-up artists, clothes to stylists, and MVs to the directors. Still, she’s a sharp person with intuition that can find a four-leaf clover in a second. You can’t work with her unless you are a person who is sensitive to Namie-chan, and always looking a step ahead of her ideas, able to elevate her them. Even on the music side of things, the directors she’s worked with were always thinking one step ahead of her, and I think that’s why she’s here now.”

Reason why I love her

“Namie-chan is a good person, as well. She takes care of the people around her, and was kind to all of my assistants in the past. It’s been a long time since we first met, but something that hasn’t changed is that she always works hard. When we were shooting “SWEET 19 BLUES”, I wanted to make her hair and skin wet, so I used a spray. But the water got into her eyes and stung, so she couldn’t open them (laughs). I wiped it away quickly and fixed her makeup, but I remember her saying, ‘I’m all right, let’s keep going’, and then the shoot progressed wonderfully after that. I have always liked her since we first met, and I thought she was cute. That still hasn’t changed.”

Secrets of the make-up room

“In the era where thin eyebrows and lined lips were in, I did her makeup for TV programs and we liked similar things, so she always left everything to me since then. We don’t have many meetings before appearances, so 7-8 years ago, I said ‘I always do things without consulting you, so let me know now if you don’t like it’ and she replied, ‘I’ll let you know if I don’t like it~ (laughs)’ (laughs). While we’re in the make-up room, we always talk about trivial things while listening to music. We usually play nostalgic things like Janet Jackson and TLC, and immediately after Namie-chan records something, we’ll blast that, too. Sometimes when I’m winding her hair, she’ll close her eyes and shake her head slightly. She was surprised to hear that she does that, so she’s more aware of it now.”

Eternal Muse

“It doesn’t matter whether she wears casual makeup or goregous make up, she’s someone who creates magic there. Both clothes and makeup elevate her to a higher level. Because she’s a person that enjoys crazy ideas as well, it’s exciting and fun to imagine how cute Namie-chan will be when finished. In trying to create “Namie Amuro”, some parts of the creation process are a little aggressive. Especially when we’re creating something that is related to music, like CD jackets, or MVs, we talk about how soft the image is, what it feels like and the feel of the music in relation. It is my job to create the outer image that Namie wants at any time. Nonetheless, I will put that out of my mind, and always try to create a place where she doesn’t feel stressed. I’ve never heard, ‘Do you enjoy working with me?’ from her, so I don’t really know what she’s thinking (laughs).”

“I have liked Namie since the moment we first met and that hasn’t changed, even now.” Nakano-san’s eyes and voice were full of love and warmth for Namie Amuro, who she’d been watching all this time. Her words seem to represent the feelings of everyone who has been fascinated by the existence of “Namie Amuro” during the 25 years since her debut.

Hair and makeup artists are often closer to the artists than staff of any other position due to the nature of their jobs. Nakano-san, who has known Amuro-san from the age of 14, must understand her feelings better than anyone else. Still, Nakano-san has never thoughtlessly stepped on her feelings, exchanging silly stories while walking alongside her for 25 years, aiming to create great work.

Leading hair and Makeup artist and natural-born creator Akemi Nakano, and genetic level pop entertainer Namie Amuro. Because the miracle of the two meeting, “Namie Amuro” will remain in the memory of several parts of the music scene and continue to shine beautifully forever.

 

Part 3: Namie Amuro got to where she is because of “Baby Don’t Cry”

Lyricist & Composer Nao’ymt
Interviewer: Kanako Hayakawa

Everything started with “Queen of Hip-Pop”

Nao’ymt and T-kura&michico. For Namie Amuro, meeting these two talents after she began self-producing herself was huge. Longer than any other composer, Nao’ymt has made the world of Namie Amuro shine, sometimes as pop, sometimes as edgy. The destined path of this tag team began with the song “Queen of Hip-Pop” off of Namie’s 7th album of the same name, released in 2005.

“At the time, I was pursuing core R&B in a vocal group called Jine, but in the mainstream music scene, pop-leaning R&B was the big thing, which was something I couldn’t really understand. In any case, I talked about wanting to offer songs to other artists, and I made a demo CD with several different tracks. It landed in the hands of Amuro-san’s production team and one of them liked the song and contacted us (later the track was named “Queen of Hip-Pop).”

“In Japan’s R&B scene at the time, new things that were tried in the underground scene gradually made their way into the major scene. To be honest, before and even after working with Amuro-san, my process hasn’t changed much. However, I hadn’t got a good reaction from anyone who heard my songs, and then they suddenly caught the ear of major super star Namie Amuro. I may be singing my own praises, but I think the Amuro-san’s ability to find good music is amazing.”

Namie Amuro’s standards when choosing songs to sing has always been unqiue. She does not look at the producer of the song beforehand and chooses only by the feeling she has when listening to the demo of a song. This is possible due to her sharp intuition, but thinking of her and Nao’ymt’s strong advancement since “Queen of Hip-Pop”, one is surprised again by the sharpness of her ear.

“At that point, I proposed various ideas at times that I thought would be interesting for a top star in the Japanese music scene like Namie Amuro to try. Then came “WoWa”, this song we decided had a good tapping rhythm to it. Also, there was “Ups&Downs duet with Nao’ymt”, and Namie herself said she absolutely wanted to duet with me. The fact that something like this could happen really surprised me (laughs). There wasn’t much pressure. If overseas artists like a producer, they create an album together, right? Deep down, I wondered if this was similar. Thanks to Amuro-san, I’ve had many enjoyable challenges.”

 

A Mysteriously Beautiful Fantasy known as Namie Amuro x Nao’ymt

From that time up until her 10th album “Uncontrolled”, they were strong partners that produced a number of collaborations, but the first time Nao’ymt met Namie Amuro is still a memory that he vividly remembers. The impression he got at the time and the impact of seeing her live was a great help in creating music for her later on.

“When we first met in the beginning, I was unable to look her in the eyes (laughs). We were both shy around each other, I was a year older than her and still a fledgling in my 20s at the time, suddenly called to a big studio as a producer. But my impression of Amuro-san changed completely. She had a powerful image to me before we met, but she was actually a shy and modest lady, which was refreshing. That might have been the starting point for me to make music that had a mysterious feeling. Also, her live concerts left a lasting impression. Seeing her perform definitely changed the way I approached Amuro-san. In order to understand the narrative, it’s very important to create a world with the live show. Because you do not want to just do a live show without MC, you need to thoroughly establish a world of fantasy entertainment.”

Black fantasy created by Namie x Nao’ymt. That worldview is brilliantly embodied in the nationwide tour “Namie Amuro BEST FICTION tour 2008-2009”, where Nao’ymt worked on sound production. The dynamism of the raw band, the moment Amuro-san, sitting on the throne begins to sing “Do Me More” – the impact of the moment ‘Even if my eyes are closed, the fantasy does not disappear’ gives you goosebumps all over your body, and it really never disappears from your mind.

“I don’t think there are many people who can easily express fantasies. The density of the fantasy increases because Amuro-san does not reveal her private life, does not go on television, and her existence is more or less shrouded in a veil. How do you express a person who doesn’t talk about her life in the music? That’s why the person in the lyrics is always someone fictional, and there’s no true Amuro-san within them. For example, I don’t know what her perspectives on love are, and because I do not know, that may have led to fantasy becoming a theme. I also really like fantasy worlds. It was really enjoyable working with Amuro-san to create that kind of entertainment.”

 

I hope Namie Amuro is always the light for others

Creating edgy fantasies like “Break It” and “Dr.” became the turning point for Nao’ymt as a composer, but the mid-tempo pop tune “Baby Don’t Cry” is a song that continues to be loved by many fans.

“It was the song that was farthest-removed from me at the time. Though after I made that song, as a composer I came to be able to make pop songs without much difficulty. In terms of the lyrics, I wanted to express them in an indirect way. I think being able to do that is the beauty of the Japanese language. I like to express my feelings without using any direct words. But in the case of Namie, I realized when I watched her live concerts that she was a rare singer who could sing that everything would be all right and you would really feel that way. After I had that thought, I wanted to express the lyrics straight and simple. <Baby Don’t Cry> is exactly the same, it’s a title with no twists (laughs). But when she sings, ohhhh, I feel like I can do my best. “Get Myself Back” is similarly a direct title with a simple meaning. I feel like she always wants to be the light. Thats why with songs like “Baby Don’t Cry”, “Fight Together,” and “Tempest”, I didn’t want her to sing something that had a bad ending. Even if something is painful, I want you to feel hope at the end of it.”

Her best album “Finally”, which traces her 25-year history from debut until now, has songs such as “Contrail”, a title that symbolizes an uplifting feeling that moves one’s heart and opens up the Namie Amuro x Nao’ymt pop world. It’s a timeless form of pop, something unable to be replicated by another singer.

“Amuro-san’s life and the music she’s sung up until now are precicely why songs like “Baby Don’t Cry” and “Get Myself Back” work as well as they do. All kinds of people, from overseas fans and even small children have said they are encouraged by these songs, and as a composer it makes me honestly really happy to hear that. There are many types of songs I wouldn’t have made without Amuro-san, and because of her, I was able experience many things and look back on myself.”

 

Evolution and Success beyond an extraordinary 8 years

In addition to his own music activities, Nao’ymt is handling numerous artists as composer/producer. For Nao’ymt, what does Namie Amuro mean to him, as someone who continues to be a source of inspiration?

“I want to share a somewhat private story……my maternal grandfather was a graphic designer who designed posters for the Tokyo Paralympic games of 1964, the Japan Red Cross, and etc. He would say that no matter the amount of money you might make, it’s important that you never take a meaningless job. It’s a lesson that I still live by as a creator. My grandfather was was very worried about me because even though I knew I wanted to work hard in regards to music, after graduating from high school I had no job and would spend my days just playing keyboard and performing live house shows. Even after my grandfather died, I was still wandering around, and it was after that I began working with Amuro-san. After “Queen of Hip-pop” was completed, I heard from my mother that it was my grandfather’s wish that I’d get to work with such a person someday, and I conveyed what my grandfather had said to Amuro-san. I felt joy that I’d finally fulfilled my grandfather’s dream for me, but I was saddened that I would not be able to tell all this to my grandfather. Because of that, my work with Amuro-san is something special beyond the value and success of the musician within me.”

“Queen of Hip-Pop” and “PLAY” are two albums that sit at the top of those days of collaboration like a miracle. The one and only fantasy Namie Amuro, created by a spirited creator and a rare singer, became a turning point in the trajectory in her 25th anniversary since debut and will continue to stir much of our imagination from now on.

“It was a very dark period. I’m sure Amuro-san….was a person born under some unusual circumstances (laughs). There’s this feeling that she was born under a special star. I’m worried about the people coming out of Japan beyond this point (laughs). The power of her influence is amazing, it’s almost as if everything she touches becomes big. I’m happy at the thought that Amuro-san’s influence might have helped me, too. If I had to make one last song for Amuro-san, I can’t think of what I do. If some kind of direction fell from Heaven or something, I might be able to tell you, but right now I couldn’t say. If I get some inspiration, I’ll let you know.”