barbosa2007 | Wink up Sept 2010 - Sakurai Sho (Reply)

The people at Wink Up magazine sit down with the members of Arashi to talk about their new album and recent happenings.

What do you think the fans like about Arashi?

Two factors come to my mind. Firstly, well, you could say we’re likable because we resemble sons which are hopeless cases. It has to be the fact that we slowly came into who we are today. I think that the people who have watched us grow strongly feel that they have journeyed with us. Of course there are people who have become fans only recently. But I do think that there are people who have come to like us based on everything we’ve done up till this point.

Secondly, it has to be how we can act idiotically. The important thing is that we can be idiots, but we’re not stupid. (laughs) I can’t explain it in a nutshell but… This is the imagery which I came up with. Somehow, it feels like this: in a classroom, a girl looks on and giggles from a distance while a guy does idiotic things next to the blackboard. That would be Arashi. (laughs)

Tell us about “Boku no Miteiru Fuukei”.

I think this is the album where we had the least number of singles. Therefore as you listen through to the 20 songs on the album, when it comes to listening to a song [that came out as a single], it gives off a different shine. I mean, I just thought that we just sang “Everything” on the recent tour and now it’s on this album?! There are 10 new songs on the album too. I thought there were quite a few tunes which were aggressive, and also tunes which were cool… It’s not an album which put together everything that we have yet to try out, but by listening to the songs you could tell that “[Arashi] has matured a little.” I made various changes on the way I rap in the songs. I didn’t change the way the RAP was composed, but rather the manner in which it is presented. I just thought it would be received by the people who listen to the album.

Forgive this sudden question, but please tell us an interesting story which happened recently!

There is a song entitled “Summer Splash!” on the album to which I wrote the rap for. The five of us sang it like a mike relay. At the end of the song, we had to create an effect of chattering where everyone prattles on. The five of us went into the studio to record that. On the 3^rd or 4^th time, where our chat was being recorded, I suddenly shouted the title “Summeeeeeeeer Splaaaaash!” like it was some special move of mine. Nino then went, “Sho-chan, bring it on one more time! The Summer Splash!” and made a fuss out of it. And that went into the recording of the song. (laughs) So do listen to the recording right till the end! Basically the five of us don’t record the song together in the studio, so it was really enjoyable [to have done it together].

[Translator’s note: After listening to the song, there is chatter towards the end, but for the life of me I can’t tell when Sho is shouting “Summer Splash”. Someone with better hearing than I do please enlighten us on this!]

Tell us about the tour.

It is the one festival in the year. It’s still enjoyable to be able to tour, and I can’t believe the number of people who come to support us! The tour is the only place where I can see it with my own eyes. Usually, people don’t scream at us as we’re going about our daily lives. That happens only once a year! A festival where we can have people who go “Kya, kya~!” over us. (laughs) It marks the new start to our 11^th year… I feel that in an album tour, the songs tend to mature as we perform them on the tour. We know how the audience is hyped up after listening to a song, and taking the audience’s reaction in mind, we want to know how the beloved daughters we have brought up under our care [the songs on the album] have been married off! We enjoy that tremendously. Our daughters this time have a rich personality to them, so please look forward to seeing them at our live performances!

A question for my readers:

I'm thinking of making this blog more interactive (love hearing from the readers, i.e. you all), so here's a question for you!

Which member's interview do you like reading and why? Give your answers in the comments section below!