--What kinds of songs do you listen to?Kuraki: Mostly R & B. I really love it. When I hear it, it really makes me feel relaxed. Don't you ever feel like that? When you're really irritated, and you put on some music, and you just relax and let the tension slip away?--Well, right now, I'm listening to your songs! (laughs)Kuraki: If that's the case, then I'm really happy! (laughs) If people listen to the most recent, "Stand Up," and feel like it gave them courage or something like that, then I'd be really happy. Because it's a song I want them to hum along to. --The music video makes one imagine a live concert where they can sing along with you, doesn't it?Kuraki: Yes, I guess it does. It was really fun, but also had a kind of retro feel to it. But, there was one time during the filming when I felt burnt out. There were so many opinions, that there were times that I myself felt like I was losing track of things. But I believed that it wasn't something that needed to be thought about.--Just like the lyrics say! (laughs)Kuraki: Yes. (laughs) I thought that I'd act in a way that I wanted to. By doing so, I was able to finish it. Of course, there are times when I worry. But I believe that I want to go on listening to the opinions of all sorts of people, and speaking my own mind, all of us co-operating together.--Speaking of which, you were surrounded by colored musicians, weren't you? (laughs)Kuraki: Yes, I was. On the jacket for this CD, I even leaned my elbow on his shoulder. (laughs) Though I did it kind of nervously. Kind of like, "excuse me a bit." (laughs)--Ha ha ha. Next, let's move on to the coupling song, "Double Rainbow." This is a sweet love song, with a different air to it than "Stand Up."Kuraki: This is YOKO-san's (YOKO Black. Stone) song. It's very easy to put feeling into one of YOKO-san's songs. And then, I tried throwing in a little popular belief. (laughs)--Where from?Kuraki: When we were recording this song, everyone was saying how much they wanted to go to some island in the south, and the conversation turned to how there is a legend in Hawaii that if you see a double rainbow, then you can find happiness. I thought that I'd try taking that and putting it into the song. When I first heard the melody I thought it was such a lovey-dovey tune, so I figured, what the hell, I'll make it into a lovey-dovey song. (laughs) That's why it has kind of drama feel to it. Even in dramas, the story has a happy ending. It has the feel of "Ah, I wish that would happen to me."--Do you yourself enjoy that kind of lovey-dovey world? Like, are you the type to watch a drama and think "I want to have that kind of romance?"Kuraki: Well, there are times when I think "Lame, lame," and there are also times when I think "Ah, I wish that would happen to me," very girlishly. So I guess I'm pretty tempermental that way. (laughs).--I hear that you like movies. Which do you prefer? Sweet love stories, or love comedies?Kuraki: Love comedies! (laughs) Like "You Got Mail." I like stuff with a kind of cute feel to them. If it's too dramatic, it may be great as a dream, but personally, I'd start thinking "Lame!" (laughs)

--Even though you write such sweet lyrics! (laughs) The vocals have so much feeling in them that it is hard to believe that it's the same person as the one who sang "Stand Up."Kuraki: Yes, YOKO-san's songs have a lot of feeling. Even the endings are very intense. But I wonder if I was able to sing it comfortably. Because the key for this song was really high, I had worried about how to sing it nicely. But, in the end, rather than thinking and singing, I decided it would be better to just go with that feeling and sing. When you think about it, you get confused. (laughs)--And the third song, "YES or NO ~TRANCE Continental Remix~ (Radio Edit)" sounds like yet another vocalist. (laughs)Kuraki: Yes, that's right. That's why, this CD, all three songs are very new. But, I had thought that I wanted to sing this kind of song, and the lyrics are kind of similar to those of "Stand Up." So I tried making "YES or NO" into a more romantic style. Again, it wound up becoming lyrics where I felt like I was trying to express my own feelings.--Weren't the vocals difficult?Kuraki: Didn't the song have a kind of burst-out feeling? That's why, I could do it just by singing with all my might. (laughs) This song, too, was just a matter of singing my own way, taking the image from the melody. There are times when I listen to the tune and think "I like this melody," or when I just naturally decide that "I want to sing it like this. But in the end, I wind up singing by the image from the song. That might be why I don't think about it too much. (laughs) --But it's different from when ordinary people go to Karaoke to sing, isn't it? Did you become able to just think "I'll sing it with this feeling" because you've been singing so much?Kuraki: I wonder when I started doing that? I guess it must have been because when I was making my album, there were dark songs and bright songs... all sorts of songs. If I sang them all with the same feeling, I figured that they would cease being interesting. I guess I started changing after that.--Is it alright to think that it means that the concept of "songs" have changed within you?Kuraki: I might just naturally think that I want to express myself like this, or I want to sing like that. I guess it was that part of me has changed. But, I want to keep studying more about songs. I also think that I'd like to gain more expressive ability.--Listening from an observer's point of view, I can feel a sense of ease from the vocals. It seems that you're unique style of singing and atmosphere are established. It's very fascinating.Kuraki: Really?! (laughs) I'm just taking things drip by drip, drip by drip (bashful smile, she meant to say little by little). [trans. note: in the original text, she says "POTSU-POTSU," or the sound that water makes as it drips; and she meant to say "BOCHI-BOCHI" which is used in Kansai the same way that "maa-maa" is used in the east, to mean "nothing really special"] I'm just thinking I'd be happy if I could sing in my own style.--Have you ever had times when the recording of songs got just so difficult that you winded up hating music?

Kuraki: I haven't ever hated music, but there were times when I couldn't go on singing. Times when I would personally feel worn out. When you keep singing the same song over and over again, gradually the newness wears out. So you start to wonder if you had done the last take right, and your mind fills with all sorts of thoughts. But because I love to sing, I can't ever hate it. Moreover, I feel like I want to keep on singing, one song at a time, with a fresh state-of-mind, no matter what the circumstances.--It's quite a learning experience, isn't it? (laughs) By the way, the theme of this month's JGM is "The Scenery in Kyoto." So we conducted our shooting as one of the many scenes within Kyoto, in your case going with an image of college life. What kind of place do you consider Kyoto to be?Kuraki: I love it. There are still so many places I have yet to see, but the image is very relaxed, what with the temples, and the maiko (geisha in training) and such. I'd like to try being a maiko for a day. But, my college is in Kyoto, and I know I want to go sightseeing, and if I do, I'm sure that my image will completely change.--Like it will become a regular part of your life, right? Having entered college, is there anything that you would personally want to "Stand Up" for?Kuraki: I think that because I'll definitely be able to meet all sorts of new people, I'd want to be able to go on discovering all kinds of things about them, in my own way. I want to go on doing what I want to do, and "Stand Up" for them.--This might be something that you've had to prepare for, but entering a new environment, there will be times when you'll be looked upon like "So this is Kuraki Mai."Kuraki: Well, there's really nothing I can do about that. Though I think that I can make friends in school, there will probably be those that look at me as Kuraki Mai, and those that will see me as just another individual, but I really can't tell. But I think it's really important to make lots of friends and talk about all kinds of things. So I feel that if I can make a lot of friends, as we talk, we'll be able to develop a trusting relationship with each other. Then, I think I'll be able to tell them apart. That's why I don't really worry about it too much. I've got to take the initiative on my own. I want to be able to move forward, without letting the fact that I'm Kuraki Mai get to my head. That's the manner in which I want to "Stand Up."--Please give it your all. Though you'll have quite a busy life ahead of you. (laughs)Kuraki: All I can think about now is my live concert. (laughs)--I know you're scheduled to go in to rehearse after this, but is there any other measures you're taking to deal with it?Kuraki: I'm exercising. Building up strength for the concert. After all, I am the focus, and if I don't have stamina... Also, because it's summer, I definitely won't be able to eat as much. That's why, I'm trying to get stronger, so I'm thinking of going down to the gym after this. (laughs)--Do you feel confident with your conditioning?Kuraki: No, unfortunately. (laughs) I'm not confident, but I want to be able to try my hardest for this concert in my own way, and build my stamina. At any rate, the key is to try hard and get stronger. * TEXT: Yamada Junko, translated by Ryu

同一个东西有必要发2遍么...

哪次的采访啊