Notice
The purpose of this page is to publish an interview with KOKIA for archival purposes that was originally published free of charge on a web page. However, we will promptly delete the page upon request from the copyright holder.
Source
- Original URL: http://www.fullcast.co.jp/cv/interview_02_05.html (dead link)
- Source URL: a backup in WebArchive (in Japanese)
The Third Voice: “Since music has saved me, I want to save people with music. “
It may be suprising, but KOKIA says she has had more difficulties since her debut. She says it is difficult to balance between what she “should” do as a professinal musician and what she “wants” to do as an artist.
— You want to do something that goes out into the world, not as an artist living only in your own world, don’t you? You want to communicate with people.
KOKIA: Hmmm… it’s hard to talk about that. But I think it’s human greed, and I always say at my concert that if even one person listens to my songs, I will keep singing.
— I understand that you say that from the heart.
In other words, I would do anything if more people will listen my music.
— I see.
I am a type of person who wants to communicate, to be heard my music, and to express myself very much. So how do I get a lot of people to listen? That is my job.
— Oh.
If many people will listen to my music through tie-ups, that is fine as an entry point. I want to have many entrances without changing the core, my feelings, or what I want to convey.
— Is it not limited to music?
For example, let’s say I am asked to write an essay. Someone find out about KOKIA through the essay, and say “I didn’t know she was a singer”. But if they read it, think it’s good, and listen to my music, then I would be like “he-he…”. I’m lucky if that happens.
— Is that one of the reasons why you are interviewed for this free paper?
I would be happy if people would come to know about KOKIA for the first time and say, “Oh, there is such a person”, and someday they will listen to my music. It’s only natural for me to take singing seriously. So, it maybe strange to say that it comes as accompaniments, but I’m working hard on the things other than singing.
— So, you take everything.
I’ll take it on, or rather, I’ll do my best. There are many different kinds of musicians, some sing for themselves, some sing to be famous. I sing because I have something to convey. So if I don’t convey it, it is meaningless.
— This is connected to the episode you mentioned earlier about being saved by music.
I myself have had many scenes saved by music since I was a child. It may sound like a lie, but when I hear stories like, “I was cured of my illness after listening to KOKIA’s songs,” or “My daughter, who used to stay indoors, started to leave the house…” Hearing those, I am glad I kept singing.
— Every word from fans is a source of your strength.
You often hear people say, “My fans have supported me”. It’s true. Even when I’m having a bad day at work, just reading one fan letter makes me feel like “I have to keep trying!”. I can’t tell you how much my fans have helped me.
— I think that it is unrecognizable how realistic it is, except for you. Like, “Really?”.
But I can say up front, I can do my best today, thanks to my fans.
When she feels down, KOKIA says she watches movies and plays with her dog. But the last thing she comes back to is…, yes, it’s music.
KOKIA: Sometimes I get frustrated, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I also put it to music. I would play the piano for hours to vent. The reason I started playing piano is that I was a latchkey child. When I come home, the piano is the only thing in the empty room. I dare to say that, she, the piano, was there, and she was watching me. When I talked to her, she talked back to me.
— So, the piano was such a part of yourself.
I played piano when I was sad, and I played piano when I was happy. I was the child who would come home from school and play the piano while saying, “Hey, hey, listen”, as if I were asking my mother to listen to me. It was rather like… I was traveling in a fantasy world, playing the piano.
“I truly believe in the power of music.”
KOKIA has always had music by her side. She has been saved by music and says that her dream is to save people through music. However, she says she often gets hurt because of it.
KOKIA: From now on, I would like to do more influential work by giving good live performances and having more people listen to my music. Entertainment will always have people in the front and become very influential to the world. When we finally get to where we are going, I think it will be volunteer work and charity concerts. For this reason, I want to be an artist who can have an influence.
— That’s your dream.
I want to bring music to people who live in countries and lives without music. I often say beautiful things, so people bash me for being only beautiful.
— What?
You see, there are many things written on the Internet. Like, “Even if KOKIA wants to convey her love through song, no one’s stomach will be full.” But, then again, suppose we all have the same conditions: no meal, no money. If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do? For me, I want to sing. Poverty of heart can be avoided as much as possible. Poverty of money may not be a good thing, though, because of realistic problems. At the very least, I would like to make some space in my heart that is as rich as possible.
— I see, I see.
But I think it’s a different story when people can’t even create that space. There is so much we can do through music, because we are together, listening, singing, and creating music. I believe that.
KOKIA says she gets hurt on the Internet and is saddened each time. However, she also feels that she has become so influential. We want to support her dream, don’t we?
(“The Fourth Voice”, to be continued!)