Suzuki Ami Supreme Show interview for livedoor

publisher: livedoor 
published: November 13, 2008

In 1998, Suzuki Ami made her debut at 15 years old with the single “love the island” through the TV Tokyo talent search program Asayan. Having welcomed her 26th birthday in February of this year, she released the single “ONE” in July as a celebration of the decade since her debut. Following her new single “can’t stop the DISCO” which went on sale in September, she released the fully Nakata Yasutaka (capsule)-produced album Supreme Show on November 12th in commemoration of her tenth anniversary.

Acting, DJing, and making music that feels good

Before your latest album Supreme Show, you released two singles titled “ONE” and “can’t stop the DISCO.” Was the album already completed by that point?
We finished it all this spring. All the tracks on the album were done in the span of about a month. Generally, I would sing and then wait until the final check, but even if I was right there in the middle of the whole process, it’s not like we were working at it for the full month, so that made it extremely fast.

Nakata-san has his own unit capsule and produces other artists in addition to you.
I also had drama filming, so it felt like we fit it in between each of our obligations (laughs).

Then you had “ONE” and “can’t stop the DISCO.”
We set those aside for single cuts.

“can’t stop the DISCO” felt quite aggressive for a single. Why did you choose it to precede the album release?
“ONE” had a total summer feeling, and my debut was in July, so I thought it had the most fitting lyrics to celebrate my tenth debut anniversary and chose that one right away. After that, when I was considering what to release before the album dropped, I thought it’d be nice if I could put out a song with a different face from “ONE” that had something a little unexpected to it. I wavered a lot between “TEN” and “can’t stop the DISCO,” but I thought it’d be better to have something with actual vocals (laughs). Finally, I went with “can’t stop the DISCO.”

The lyrics of “TEN” are certainly appropriate for your tenth anniversary, but it’s even more impactful in its sound.
“TEN” is full of messages to myself, and I would’ve been perfectly fine with it as a single. But, well, taking into account promotion and radio airplay, I think there’d be a lot of people who wouldn’t understand it (laughs).

“Disco” isn’t a word you hear often lately. Did Nakata-san come up with the title?
He did. If I had to say one way or another, the titles are just something extra tacked on after the fact. I feel like I basically leave the titles up to him, and Nakata-san doesn’t put too much deep thought into them himself, since the sound is naturally the most essential part. Well, the point is to make it simple and easy to grasp.

I heard from MEG-san, another artist Nakata-san produces, that when she went to his studio, he’d already burned a CD with his choice for the tracklist and no one could get a word in to change it. Did Nakata-san decide your album track order as well?
He did (laughs). But because we were recording in advance, with every track we finished, we discussed roughly how the album should flow. Nakata-san came to see my birthday live event, and I wanted something I could sing in concert or at a club with as little change to the track order as possible. He was conscious of that going into the recording, so we created it with that purpose in mind.

More than spending time in the studio, it seems you both figured out the album’s image through framing it in the context of live performances and clubs like that.
Ever since we did “FREE FREE” together for my join series, we meet at club events or other gatherings and work it out a little at a time.

What did you talk about then?
From the beginning, I had hoped for the album to be bright, flashy and fitting for my tenth anniversary. Naturally, I also wanted a bunch more feel-good songs I could spin with confidence in my DJ sets. In any case, my ultimate objective was to make something people would hear and think, “Is this really Japanese music?”

Out of the ten intervals between the eleven songs on the album, four are fully connected and take you into the next song without a break in the energy as you listen, which I thought was a very DJ-like element to include. Were you particular about these transitions as well?
I approached it as another form of music, without any rules that it had to be a certain way as an album, and just tied together the parts that I thought felt good. I actually wanted all of the songs to be mixed through if possible, but there was each song’s individual vibe to consider, too, so that factored into it. I just wanted to go all out and make the album as interesting as we could.

“SUPER MUSIC MAKER,” a single track you released ahead of your previous album DOLCE, was remixed and titled “SA’08S/A mix” for inclusion here. Is it a special song to you?
Yes. It’s a song I love a lot, and “SUPER MUSIC MAKER” was the first track I recorded with Nakata-san when we initially linked up for my join collaboration, so everything started from there, too. When I play it in clubs or sing it live, everyone really responds to it. Seeing that reaction, I thought it’d be nice if I could spread the song to more people. The arrangement is a little different — the mix included on this album is the earliest version of the audio we recorded.

The original?
Yeah, it’s the original. Well, there are actually several more versions, so who knows how many there are (laughs). Out of those, this one had a really simple feeling that made me think of a live environment. There was a little bit of cuteness to it and I thought the arrangement felt rather nostalgic, so I wanted to include it here.

Just one song, “LOVE MAIL,” is listed as a joint work between you and Nakata-san in the lyric credits. How did you go about that?
Around the time we’d gotten past the midway point of recording, I started to think, “What if Nakata-san might be about to lose steam a bit? Maybe he’s running low on ideas.” I personally offered them to him as something he could use if he felt uninspired, just casually, not outright demanding that he had to include them or anything. Because Nakata-san is obviously coming from a male point of view, I thought it might be nice to have some more typically girly lyrics expressing how a girl feels. I just gave it a try and wrote some lyrics completely from the female perspective like that, wondering how he’d react to it. And then he pretty much used the whole thing (laughs).

So he practically adopted it.
Yes, he used them exactly. And just like that. If only he’d let me know, I would’ve written them less sloppily (laughs).

You never thought he’d use them completely as-is.
I went about it basically like writing a letter, without any real organization, just to give him some material. I wasn’t even very precise about my choice of words when I wrote it, and then to think he’d use it just like that! But it’s just Nakata-san’s style to charge right ahead that way.

It has a playful feeling to it. But women often say Nakata’s usual lyrics show a good understanding of what a girl’s emotions are like, too.
Yeah, that’s true.

Was the album title “Supreme Show” added last of all?
It was honestly the very last thing we did. I chose it at the last minute.

Did you not think about it too deeply, like how you described the song titles earlier?
No, I at least thought about this much (laughs). Nakata-san is usually the type to throw out an idea like “we’re going with this,” but for this album title, he was totally hands-off. This album is celebrating my tenth anniversary, of course, and I’m doing my favorite genre and what I like best right now, so I wanted the title to reflect that. But I also wanted it to have a kind of “appetizing” feel (laughs), and no matter how many different angles I considered it from, nothing jumped out at me. In the end, instead of basing it on the sound, I first thought about the concept as being centered around one girl. I went from the perspective of a girl like that being dressed up and adorned with the atmosphere of each of these songs, then finally coming forward into the spotlight, and so I came up with the image of a showgirl who’d been colored by all of these songs. But it still didn’t quite feel like enough on its own, so I settled on “Supreme Show” to capture the meaning of it being the greatest and most impressive.

I imagine many different artists gave you vocal direction on your last release, DOLCE, but I felt that Nakata-san’s vocal direction here was of very high quality. He expertly highlighted the best parts of your voice from low to high tones, and his manner of applying vocal effects also varied from track to track. Like you mentioned before, excessive processing can affect how you’re able to promote the song, and I believe it’s important to consider ease of listening as well, of course. Do you talk about that between each other?
We do. If it’s more of a vocal-based song, I naturally don’t want the effects to be too heavy. When the focus is on the emotional content, we aim for as little processing as possible, or I often ask him to undo the edits and he listens to those requests.

Has that path to mutual understanding gotten smoother as you collaborate on more and more releases?
Yes. It’s really a game of bargaining (laughs). We’re both rather hard to budge and don’t like to compromise. Nakata-san will put his foot down on some things — like “it’ll be cooler if we do it like this” — so I’ll give in and accept it, then come back and push for what I want on something else. There was so much of that kind of back-and-forth that if we didn’t stop and put an end to it, we’d never be finished.

It must’ve gotten easier to speak your mind.
In the end, we both just want to make something good, so we understand each other on that level.

What kind of person is Nakata-san from your perspective?
I’m not sure how to put it. Even though he’s such a big creator and producer, he isn’t at all obstinate or unmovable. He’s flexible, offers potential and is really open-minded. He’s an interesting person who loves music more than anyone else and whose head is full of nothing but music (laughs).

And has Nakata-san ever said anything to you?
Let me think. Something I’m often told is “You’re more responsible than I expected.” (laughs) I don’t know if it’s my image or what, but he calls me scary (laughs). I’m not scary in the least, but he says, “She’s scary. Everyone else leaves immediately, but this one always sits here and puts pressure on me.” (laughs)

Did you also come up with the costume you’re wearing on the album cover based on that showgirl concept?
The cover art is based on the style of music found on the album. It’s glittery, obviously, and looks like she’s been dressed up in it.

As a quick change of subject, are you careful of anything in particular when it comes to your body?
There isn’t really any special thing I do consciously. I was in a musical just recently, and that became really intense exercise, so it kept me fit by extension (laughs). Before that, I had a lot of performances during the summer. Between all of that, it more or less evens out.

It’s just my own arbitrary mental image, but you seem like someone who doesn’t need to worry too much about dieting.
(laughs) The kinds of food I like have never been all that junky, so it turns out like that naturally.

You like spicy foods, so I suppose your metabolism must be on the good side, too?
My metabolism is good.

I heard that you personally DJed your “ONE” release party. Have you been practicing for a long time?
I’ve truthfully only been doing it since July. I started going to clubs, and I’ve always liked dance music, so I thought it’d be interesting if I ever had the chance to DJ. I was lucky in that there were a lot of people in my social circle who were willing to teach me.

Then you must have a turntable and CDJ at home.
Yes, I have them (laughs). When I start to like something, I’m the type to get pretty deep into it. I don’t use any other machinery, but music-related hardware is my sole exception.

In September, you appeared in a musical, and while your music is of course not something you make alone, theater is something created from the involvement of many more people, so I imagined it must’ve been a different experience from when you record in the studio. What was it like to actually give that a try?
It’s a completely different world from music. Every single person standing on the stage is really indispensable. The performance changes based on the attitude each of them brings to a scene, and your own energy changes how your partner will respond. There’s that kind of give-and-take involved in plays, so it’s all about how much we can do as a group to bring it to life. They’re similar in that both are a place where I’m creating something, but this is a piece of fiction that’d be completely impossible in real life. In that sense, everything depends on how well we’re able to suspend the audience’s disbelief in order to bring them into that world, and there’s nothing else to back you up. In a live performance, I’m really supported by the music, and they’re my own songs, so I can receive that kind of acknowledgment from the audience. But to become another person and convince them just through your lines is very difficult.

There may be some aspects of this that are relevant to singing songs, but when it comes to something like expressing emotions, were there parts that you could implement in your music?
Expressiveness is something I’m able to make significant use of in my music as well, but in terms of my own feelings, when I do theater, I want to be entirely separate from Suzuki Ami, and because I have that side of me through acting, music is where I want to just be totally myself. I feel like I want to do music in the way that I find it most fun, with a real sense of playfulness.

You’ll be starring in the TBS drama Love Letter beginning on November 24th. Have you been practicing sign language for the role?
I’ve been conversing with my teacher a little at a time. My teacher is deaf, so we tend to talk through lip-reading. There are definitely parts of it I’ve found hard, but I’m learning that I can express myself differently through sign language compared to spoken language and how it’s possible to communicate with others in a whole variety of unexpected ways.

You previously acted in the movie X-Cross as well. Do you hope to continue pursuing stage roles in addition to your music activities in the future?
Yes. I would really like to do both as much as possible.

Are you not particularly concerned about which one takes precedence?
It’s not about having any preference. Honestly, music is where I go to relax and feel at ease. It’s the place where I feel most at home and can find a sense of relief. I can’t settle myself without music; it’s where I can just let loose (laughs).

Outside of music and acting, is there something else you’d like to challenge next year?
Not much (laughs). I aim to make music that feels good, DJ and act. For the time being, I want to do those three things well.

DJing is one of those three pillars.
You’re right. DJing is on the lowest tier (laughs). But I do want to get better at it.

As a DJ, is there anyone you respect?
For right now, I respect everyone!

Concerning live performances, you'll show up to a club event if something interesting is happening there.
That's right. I'm going to the trouble of learning to DJ, too, so I hope to make something out of that (laughs). I want to give some thought to new performances.

Any type of song you’d like to do in the future?
House and electro, of course.

Although it wouldn’t be part of your join project anymore, is there any possibility of you working with other artists beyond Nakata-san down the road?
My join series was about being produced by others, so I approached it with totally brand new feelings. Now, though, I want to work with confidence as Suzuki Ami. While bargaining my way through recording, of course (laughs).