here I leave the translation of the interview of YUI X Avril Lavigne ~enjoy~
Avril Lavigne -- who has come to Japan for Summer Sonic -- and YUI have completed a dialogue interview. Both of them debuted in their teens, and both are now in their early twenties. Both play guitar and sing, and both have experience acting in a movie. So, please enjoy this similar pair's discussion of music!
--Comparing the time you debuted to the present, has your way of dealing with your music changed?
Avril: My style is changing, because I'm challenging a lot of new things. But I think that the basics haven't changed. Each time I make an album I've gotten older, so my music inevitably changes. I think that's the extent of the change.
YUI: It's been three years since I debuted, and I think some things have changed. In the past, when I would perform on the street, a lot of times I was just performing for my own sake, but now, I perform while thinking of the people who are listening to me. But I think that the distance between myself and the music hasn't changed.
--Do songs come to you naturally? Or do you search and search?
Avril: They come to me very naturally, very suddenly. I often write with someone, but at those times, it seems even more natural, all of sudden the song is done, that often happens.
YUI: Songs can come to me easily, but I've also had times where I've had to search. Whichever happens, though, I am able to enjoy making the music I want.
--Does YUI-san also sometimes write songs with other people?
YUI: I mostly write on my own. Although when I make a song I have the director listen to it and give me their opinion.
Avril: In my case, having other people there increases my motivation. It inevitably makes me feel increased pressure to write (laugh), and when I get stuck, I can get ideas from the other person. Although I work on the melody, lyrics, and sound myself, I can have someone next to me playing while I write lyrics, making songwriting comparitively easy.
--I think songwriting is like affirming yourself, in a sense.
Avril: Yeah, it is sometimes.
--Have you discovered any changes in yourself recently through your writing?
Avril: My previous albums were like therapy to me, but this time, for 'The Best Damn Thing', I focussed on making a fun album, so I don't think there was really anything you could call a discovery.
--The characters in 'Girlfriend' and 'When You're Gone' are completely different. Is that something that was called up by the mood of the song?
Avril: Yes, of course. People are beings who have numerous emotions, and depending on what I felt that day, what I experienced, I write fun songs or serious songs.
YUI: Yeah, I agree. The images each melody conjures are different, so the emotions in me enter into it there, I think.
--Has YUI-san made any discoveries about herself recently when songwriting?
YUI: I feel like in the past I would always focus on thinking about my way of life. But my emotions are more open now and I receive power from various things, like, Oh, that person's cool, or, This book was interesting.
--I see. That is a big discovery, I think. Both of you are in your early twenties, so what messages are you two trying to communicate to the world?
Avril: My message is generally be strong. I want to write songs that give people who are stuck the feeling that 'No one will stand in my way'.
YUI: I'm centered mainly on myself at the moment, so I can't really pick any clear message, but I put my anxieties and conflicts into my songs, and I'm happy if someone can relate to them. I think music that gives people courage or cheers people up is wonderful.
--Both of you have experience acting in a movie. Are music and acting completely different? Or do they share similarities?
Avril: They share many similarities in the sense that performing is about expressing your emotions. People who write songs have a lot of emotion, so I have the feeling that it's fairly natural for them to go in the direction of acting.
YUI: I also thought they shared many similarites in the sense that they're both about expression. But acting was very difficult for me.
Avril: Although I hadn't had acting experience previously, I strangely felt I would be able to do it. But that doesn't mean I completed every scene with ease. I had to warm up, it's something you have to gradually work at.
YUI: I feel the same. I felt that, rather than acting in a film, you 'live' in it.
Avril: I think if you're doing a larger role, it might become a smoother process as you go along.
--Now, I'd like to ask the two of you what you personally feel to be an ideal girl?
Avril: Ha ha, that's a difficult question. YUI-san, you go first, please.
YUI: Maybe a girl who is strong but also kind. I think it's wonderful when I meet a girl who lives her life and shines with those qualities.
Avril: I see. For me, it's a girl who is independent, strong, and has a good head on her shoulders.
--What is 'rock' to you?
Avril: 'Rock' has many meanings right now, like people will say, Those clothes are rock. Hmm, maybe it's about being independent. I can't really find a good word, but I think rock is about not being bound by the rules, being rebellious, about that sort of lifestyle.
YUI: To put it simply, I think rock is not sulking over things. Perhaps rock is also about always being able to act stupid and be cool.
--By the way, for guitars, do both of you often use Telecasters?
Avril: They're small and light, and they sound good during lives, so I often use them for PVs and lives.
YUI: When I'm with a band the sound stands out, so I like Telecasters too. Of course, I also like Stratocasters too.
Avril: I also use several types. When recording I use a Gibson (Les Paul).
--How was the Summer Festival?
Avril: Events like Summer Sonic that have a lot of artists appearing have big crowds, everyone is excited, and it's just a lot of fun. Being able to see other bands is exciting.
YUI: Yeah. After I finish my performance, I can relax, and I also watch a lot of other bands. Everyone comes to the event to have fun, and that atmosphere is unique.
--Big or small, do you have any dreams right now?
Avril: I'm going to start a clothing brand soon, and I'd like to complete that. I'd like to focus on my acting more seriously.
YUI: My goal is small, I'd like to get my driver's license (laugh).
Avril: Ahahaha, do your best.
--What were your impressions of each other?
Avril: I thought she was someone who was very sincere about what she does.
YUI: Aw, that makes me happy! Thank you. I was fifteen when I first heard Avril-san's music. It was around the time I was thinking about starting a band, and her music was great motivation for me. When I saw that she was still making music just as wonderfully as she was then, I felt very happy.
Avril: Wow, thank you!
--Thank you for the interview today!
Question to YUI
Q: What is something you'd like to challenge?
A: Cooking.
Q: When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A takoyaki ojisan (takoyaki cook).
Q: What are you really into right now?
A: Wakame (seaweed).
Q: What is your method of stress relief?
A: Listening to music.
Q: What's your favourite colour?
A: It depends on my mood.
Q: What is your motto?
A: Yuugen Jikkou (make good on one's promise).
Q: What is something you do habitually to maintain your physical health?
A: Gargling and handwashing.
Q: What sports are you good at?
A: Badminton.
Q: If you could be reincarnated which would you be: a man or a woman?
A: A woman.
Q: When you wake up in the morning, what's the first thing you do?
A: I look at the clock.
Q: Are there superstitions you practice?
A: I play from the sixth string.
Q: What would you say to yourself ten years ago?
A: 'You can't give up.'
Q: What will you be doing ten years from now?
A: Music.
Q: What's your favourite phrase?
A: 'Ii to omou (I think it's fine).'
Q: What's your strong point?
A: I don't sweat the small stuff.
Q: What's something you feel you lack?
A: Patience.
Q: What do you want for your next birthday?
A: An air cleaner.
Q: What's your cellphone wallpaper?
A: I left it on the original setting.
Q: What is the movie that has moved you most?
A: There are many. 'Kiki's Delivery Service' comes to mind.
Q: If you could go have fun for a day, where would you take Avril-san?
A: Kyoto. Because I want to go too.
Q: What's your cooking specialty?
A: (In summer) somen.
Q: What pets do you have? What are their names?
A: Turtles and goldfish. Jaian and Suneo and Nobita. Kyorochan and Swimmy.
Q: What is something you are proud of about your hometown?
A: The ramen is delicious.
Q: What is your image of America?
A: Hamburgers.
Q: What do you think of girls your age?
A: They're all so stylish.
Q: What do you think of boys your age?
A: They're positive.
Q: If you had one wish that could come true, what would it be?
A: A nationwide tour!
Q: What was your impetus for pursuing music?
A: I feel like I awoke to the music my mother listened to on her stereo.
Q: Doing music, what are the parts where you feel, 'This is the best!'?
A: During a live when the tension gets really high, when I finish a song.
Q: Which artists' CDs are you listening to a lot recently?
A: Pet Shop Boys.
There was also a YUI interview on 'LOVE & TRUTH', which I will just summarise, since it was pretty straightforward. Essentially, YUI says she read the original novel and script for the film before writing the song and based it on that. She says that the director asked her to write a slow tempo number, but other than that, she was free to write what she liked. She says that she wrote the song with a slightly positive tone since the move ends on a sad note. She says that she usually writes songs while humming with nonsensical YUI-language lyrics, but this time the Japanese lyrics came to her first (specifically, 'ai no uta wo kikasete yo') and she wrote the rest of the song from there.
The interviewer asks her how she felt during the scene when the protagonist looks at the person they love and sees that that person is looking at someone else. YUI says that it made her feel how miserable unrequited love is. The interviewer then points out that the protagonist still loved that person despite the pain. YUI agrees with that, and says that she feels that she expressed that with 'mou deatte shimatta no ('we've already met'). YUI mentions that the director was surprised to hear the finished product, the chord progression and the song in general came out stronger than what he imagined, and he might have had an acoustic song in mind. But YUI stood her ground and the director came to like the song. YUI feels very strongly that the song was perfect for the film, the lyrics and the music.
YUI says that 'L&T' has a slightly different touch than her previous works due to the orchestra. She says that she was thinking of how the song would play over the end credits, so she wanted an orchestra.
She says that writing the song for the movie added another element to the songwriting, in that she had to consider the song from the aspect of the movie in addition to how it will sound at lives, the theme of the lyrics and the beat and other various criteria. She says it meant that she had to be concerned about more people's opinions than usual.
She says that when she recorded the vocals she focussed on having the cry of someone pained with unrequited love. She tried a new vocal style, straining her voice a bit more. She says the orchestra made it easy to get into the mood of the song.
She says the hard rock parts of the song are meant to symbolise misery; the combination of quiet and rough parts express the conflict of this sort of love.
She says she titled the song 'LOVE & TRUTH' because she wanted to sing a simple love song and those were the words she arrived at ultimately. She says she wants everyone to listen to this song and think of their own personal 'love' and 'truth'.
The interviewer asks her what she would do if she were in the protagonist's position. YUI says that she would want to be able to accept the past, to have that strength to say that. She says that was the one line in her song she wanted to stress most: 'Kako mo zenbu ukeireru tte kimeta (I've decided to accept all of the past).' She says that when you want to be with someone you love, whether you can or cannot accept the past holds significant meaning.