TV Guide - Sutonzu no Rensai (SixTONES Style Vol.69)
Theme: Ambitions and Aspirations
“Ambitions” and “Aspirations” were originally positive words to me, but if you think of it as ‘dreams beyond one’s reach’, I honestly feel like it has probably become less meaningful to me over the years. After all, once you are able to see what you can do realistically and begin to think of how you can align what you want to do with your needs, you are no longer able to say what your aspirations are without thinking, like how you did when you were in your teenage years.
But I don’t think that this is a bad thing. If I look back objectively, there were times when the jobs that I came across because of a twist of fate become my weapons unexpectedly. Therefore, instead of narrowing down the future and decreasing the possibilities by doing only the things that I want to do, I have a mindset of wanting to absorb everything and anything.
After all, I came across musicals due to that (way of thinking) too. When I was in my teens, I had wanted to do music on my own, but after SixTONES was formed, I stopped thinking of wanting to do it at all costs. In the past, I was so desperate that I even took the songs that I had created to the jimusho.
To me right now, “Ambitions” is no longer about what I hope for the future, but things in front of me right now that I desire to do. For example, when we are deciding the coupling songs for our single, I would want the song to keep our style while making it feel like we are challenging new things at the same time. In that aspect, I would never compromise. Even though it might sound a bit arrogant, if we feel that, “The first verse and chorus are catchy but isn’t the second verse a bit weak?” after listening to the demo song, there are times when we would convey it to the staff so that they would rearrange the song.
When we are discussing stuff like that, what everyone is thinking of is not about things that will happen years later. I think our style is not the one where we strive to accomplish something by a certain time but the one where we do our very best for the things that are right in front of us.
This is the same for overseas activities. Of course, we were really happy when we heard that MTV aired our MV and that we have gained more overseas fans thanks to us singing the anime’s OP. But our ability and English level are not enough so it’s pointless for us to suddenly go to America. I think that first and foremost, gaining recognition within Japan and Asia will become a strength, so I still want us to take it step by step by accumulating our experiences. By doing that and steadily forging along, we might actually get to perform with The Rolling Stones one day! That is not a dream that I am declaring, but it is fun to leave that thought somewhere in the corner of my mind.
If you think of aspiration as a desire to improve oneself, the time when I get fired up is when I listen to my favourite artists’ awesome songs. When I listen to Mr. Children’s newest song, I would think that I can’t lose even though it is impertinent. I started practising the bass because I really love the bass sound of FLOWER FLOWER’s song. It may end up being a spiritual topic, but I feel like there are signs from God lying around in our daily lives. When I randomly hear a song, I feel that I have accepted the sign if I start practicing the instrument because of the sign instead of doing nothing about it. I want to be someone who does not miss a good sign and be active about it instead.
-- Tv Guide 16/10/2020 --