Morning Musume interview from Kindai magazine
Written by Ronin & Kuno, updated: 21:26, 22-Mar 2009
A recent issue of Kindai magazine has an interview with the nine members of Morning Musume. They talk about each song on the album, their current tour, and their lucky numbers.
Thanks to H!O user Ronin for the translation!
Full Story
Morning Musume Revolution
Two years after their last album, Morning Musume have released their 9th album "Platinum 9 DISC" including four singles, featuring album versions of live songs and solo songs for the first time. Listen to this album, attend their spring tour, have a taste of the recent Morning Musume and feel the revolution!
Interview:
- Your highly anticipated new album "Platinum 9 DISC" has been released. We want you to tell us more about the album-exclusive songs. "SONGS" is a perfect opening song, raising the curtains like a marching band, isn't it?
Takahashi Ai: It is. It makes you feel that something is about to start.
Niigaki Risa: When the song starts, you get fired up, and it's really cool, too. We've been talking about how we can't wait to perform it live.
- Don't you think this song is a perfect opening song for concerts too?
Michishige Sayumi: Ahh, that's a very good question. (lol)
Takahashi: That's a secret though. (lol)
- The third song, "Ame no furanai hoshi de wa aisenai darou?" is a regular in Hello!Project concerts, but this time it's been released on CD for the first time as a Morning Musume song.
Tanaka Reina: First time? ..... You're right! It doesn't feel that way, since we sing it all the time.
Niigaki: In this version, the chorus is sung by Morning Musume members only, but we split up into two groups to sing the high and low-pitched parts, so I think it has a new feel to it.
- What did you think about the Chinese lines in the chorus of this song, Junjun and Linlin?
Linlin: I was very happy. I feel close to this song since it has Chinese lines. I could put my feelings into it, too.
Junjun: Fans said that they were close to tears when they heard us sing in Chinese in a concert and now they try their hardest to sing the Chinese parts with us in concerts. I'm happy that even if we sing in Chinese, it still reaches the fans' hearts.
- The fourth song, "Take off is now!" and ninth song, "Jounetsu no kiss wo hitotsu" are two songs of a different type sung by Ai-chan, Risa-chan and Reina-chan.
Tanaka: It's the first time that the same combination of members got to sing two songs (in one album).
Niigaki: We've performed "Take off~" already a few times in concerts, and it was really fun.
- Since "Take off~" is a cool number, the atmosphere in the concert hall completely changes when you perform it, doesn't it?
Tanaka: Aren't you curious about what the fans think of this song?
Niigaki: I am. The only thing I know is that when we're dancing during "Take off~", all the fans are just standing there staring at us. I feel like "Eh! What? I'm being watched!!". (lol)
Takahashi: As for "Jounetsu~" on the other hand, it's one of the songs I want the fans to listen to carefully. The lyrics are quite mature.
Niigaki: They really are. You'll see when you read the lyrics...
Takahashi: It's about things you normally don't get to experience as a woman, or... how should I put it... it's meaningful. It's a song about a second woman.... What do you call that?
Mitsui Aika: (Quickly) Adultery? (lol)
Takahashi: Right. That's it. (lol) That's why I think these two songs are both surprising in their own way. It makes you think "So, they're trying out this kind of songs, too."
- The fifth song, "Watashi no Miryoku ni Kidzukanai Donkan na Hito" is Aika-chan's solo song.
Mitsui: I was very happy since it's my first solo song. But at the same time, I felt a lot of pressure. When I performed it for the first time during the previous tour, I was very nervous during the whole concert and felt like crying. Nervousness really gets the better of me. But the fans were totally fired up and I felt like I had overcome a hurdle after it. It's still a secret, but I might get to perform it in the current tour too, so please look forward to it.
Michishige: The way you just said that, you totally gave it away. (lol)
- The seventh song "Guruguru JUMP" is sung by Koharu-chan, Junjun and Linlin and it was already performed in the previous tour.
Kusumi Koharu: This song is so much fun that you could almost say it was written for live concerts. In this song, you can mess around as much as you want. When I sing this song, I feel like I'm part of the 8th gen. (lol)
Linlin: When I sing this song and hear the intro, my tension rises in an instant. It steadily rises until I feel like flying off into the heavens. (lol)
Junjun: When I heard that I'd be singing this song, I got very nervous. This song is cheerful and cute and I was worried if I could express all that. Kusumi-san and Linlin were born in the Heisei period (1989–present), while I was born in the Showa period (1926–1989). (lol) But when I sing it and dance to it, I feel like a child again and the fans dance with us in concerts, too. Now, it's a lot of fun.
- The 10th song, "It's You" is Sayumi-chan's solo song.
Michishige: It's the first time I got to sing a solo album song, so I was really happy. Therefore, I really want you all to listen to it, but there are those spoken lines in this song. Thinking about how you'll get to hear those lines makes me feel so embarrassed... Ummm, everyone who'll listen to the album after reading "Kindai", please prepare yourselves before you listen to it. (lol)
- The melody of the song, as well as the atmosphere of the song feels different from your usual character, doesn't it?
Kamei Eri: Like a little devil.
Niigaki: That's right. When I first heard that Sayumin will sing alone, I thought it'd be a cute song, but when I actually listened to it, I was surprised that it's the cool and sexy type of song.
Takahashi: It's embarrassing for you because it's different from your usual character.
Michishige: In this song, it's more like I'm looking down on others than acting spoiled...
Kamei: You're always like that, though. (lol)
- The 12th song, "Kataomoi no Owari ni" is Eri-chan's solo song.
Kamei: This song is about a boy and a girl who have always been good friends, and about the feelings of the girl who wonders if they think of each other as more than just friends. You often say, "It's only fun until you start dating," right? It's a cute song about the little feelings of excitement in one-sided love, like, "We talked a lot on the phone today," or "I wonder if he'll feel the same for me one day~?" So, I found it was easy to sing.
- Well then, the spring concert tour that accompanies this album has started.
Takahashi: This time, it's different from all our tours so far. There are many opportunities for each member to shine, so I want you to pay special attention to each one of us. It's full of surprises too, in terms of the choice of songs to be performed and choice of members to perform them.
Kamei: I think it will betray all expectations, in a good sense.
Tanaka: There won't be many songs that all nine of us sing together, but when we do sing together, I think it'll feel even more powerful.
- Now the last question. Since you've released your 9th album with nine members, I'm sure the number "9" is a fated number for the current Morning Musume, but please tell us your individual lucky numbers or favorite numbers.
Mitsui: "397". It was my entry number in the audition.
Takahashi: It's amazing you still remember that.
Mitsui: Mom told me, "Your number means "bloom" (sa ku na = 397). Bloom like a flower." I remember she asked "Isn't that why you won the audition?" and I replied, "You're saying I won because of my entry number?!" I like the number 397.
Michishige: It's "4" for me, because you read it like the "shi" in "shiawase" (happiness). I use my lucky number whenever I need a number.
Takahashi: The first number that came to my mind is "0". If you were to express "0" as a color, I think it'd be white. It's like it can turn into anything.
Junjun: "2" for me. In Chinese, you pronounce "2" like "Ai" (love). I think loving someone and being loved by everyone is something to be very happy about. That's why 2 is my favorite number.
- Your birthday is in February, too.
Junjun: Ahh, I hadn't thought about that. (lol)
Niigaki: It's "8" for me. I was born at exactly 8:08 and it seems like many things related to the number 8 kept happening from when I was small, so Mom and Dad told me "8 means infinity, it's your lucky number.". Now I always overly aware of the number 8.
Linlin: "3" for me. I was born in March, I joined Morning Musume in March too, and I'm 154.3cm.
Kusumi: It's "7" for me. The audition I won is the "Lucky 7 Audition", my debut single was the 27th Morning Musume single, released on July 27th and my Tsukishima Kirari debut single was released in July, too. 7 in all of them. Even my birthday is in July.
Tanaka: It's "1" for me. My birthday is on November 11th of the 1st year of Heisei, so I thought it might be 11, but I chose 1 because "number one" is always good.
Kamei: I think it's "1223" for me...
Takahashi: Your birthday.
Kamei: You noticed?
Michishige: It's the first thing one would guess. I bet you just couldn't come up with any other number. (lol)
Kamei: Well, don't you think your birth date is a lucky number? That's why I use it for the PIN of my phone too...
Everyone: EH!?
Takahashi: You can't tell others your PIN! Change it directly after this!
Kamei: Nah, the PIN is more than 4 numbers. Of course there are more numbers after the 1223.
Takahashi: I said don't tell others about your PIN! (lol)
Subject: Re: Morning Musume Interview from Kindai Magazine...(English Version) 
Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:54 pm
IM GONNA LOVE IT!
