[Honey’s Anime Interview] Explore the themes and inspirations of Maaya Sakamoto’s 11th album “Kioku no Toshokan”

We live closely with memories every day. I imagine these memories being stored in a kind of storage unit in our minds, like a quiet space with different memories neatly arranged on shelves in a box. I had places like this in mind when I created this album.

It is said that the 8 newly recorded songs in this album are based on original stories shared by Maaya. I had a chance to see this concept story, and I was very interested in “a memory bank that manages the memories of everyone in the world” and “a boy who recovers “abandoned memories””.

I think human memory is really amazing. Sometimes we can’t forget what we want to forget, and sometimes we forget what’s really important. Perhaps there is a limit to the number of memories we can store in our brains, so we unconsciously choose what to keep and what to let go. I have just reached the midpoint of my life and I am wondering what memories I will carry with me and what I will forget in my life.

Ma Ling-san, you are not only a singer, but also a lyricist, and you can always create beautiful lyrics. You wrote the lyrics to 8 songs for this year’s “Memory Library.” What do you consider when writing lyrics?
Also, if there are any words or lyrics among the 8 songs created this time that are particularly special to you, we would be happy to hear them.

Ever since I was a child, I have loved expressing things through words. That’s why I also love writing lyrics, it’s an important place for me to express myself. For my latest work, I wanted to write bright and light-hearted lyrics that capture small scenes of everyday life, but without being too complicated. But when I finished, all the songs had heavy themes and were not lighthearted at all…I was surprised to find that this is exactly who I am now. But I think maybe I unconsciously wanted to sing lyrics that delved deeply into myself.

For collaborative songs, I will read the original work or script of the project and listen to the director’s requirements to find out what kind of lyrics are appropriate. I always try to find a theme that resonates with my own feelings, which allows me to expand on it and write lyrics, no matter the project.

When Ms. Maaya looked at the completed album again, what did she think? Please tell us your honest impressions of the finished album!

There are many musicians on this album that I have collaborated with for the first time. It is an album full of new encounters and inspiration. I have been a singer for over 25 years. While I think it might be easier to stick with familiar people and methods, it can be hard to discover new things or be surprised. It is difficult to constantly take risks and challenges, but I believe it is very important. I want to use the discoveries and challenges of this album as nourishment for my next work and continue to work hard.

There was no sudden change in my expression. However, now that I have children, I am even more aware of the many miracles that surround us. I think this will continue to inspire me.

Please tell us what you like to do in your free time and if you have any recent interests.

What I love most is spending time with my family. Other than that, I’ve been really into Pilates over the past few years. When I move my body, I feel refreshed and energized.

Have you already started planning future events? If you have anything to share with us, please let us know! Or if there’s something you’re not planning to do now but would like to try in the future, let us know!

I have a concert tour planned (in Japan) in June. I plan to perform many of the songs from my latest album.

We are very much looking forward to Maaya-san’s future activities. Finally, I would be very grateful if you could leave a message for the many Maaya fans overseas!

Your support is always appreciated. I feel very lucky because there are people all over the world waiting to hear my songs. It’s a pity that I haven’t been able to travel abroad due to the epidemic in the past few years, but because I love traveling, I hope to go to many different countries in the future!

Thank you Ma Ling-san for your precious time. It was an absolute honor to interview such an icon, and we’re sure our readers will enjoy the talk too! We sincerely call on all music lovers to explore Sakamoto Maaya’s music, and stay tuned for “Memory of Tang Library” to be released on May 31!