The following interview is from the May (2003) issue of "J-Groove Magazine."

ZARD - Sakai Izumi
Walk on and on

--You newest single "Ashita wo Yumemite" has been a long-awaited follow-up to your last release, "Sawayaka na Kimi no Kimochi" in May of last year. How have you spent the past year or so?

Sakai Izumi: Right now, thankfully, I'm quite busy with work, to the point where it seems like I can't even remember what went on last year. (laughs) Yes, I've been able to continue with work that should once again fill my own personal "cabinet," which had recently gone empty, with such things as sensitivity and receptiveness. But, all in all, nothing really spectacular has happened.

--If there was anything concrete that you felt during that time, or anything that moved you, please tell us about it.

Sakai: Let's see... Well, if you go to the theatre and see the people in the back of the stage talking to each other with bored expressions on their faces, you think "Ah, it must be that way for them." Or, when you're just simply amazed after seeing the lead actor's marvelous abilities... There are small bits of drama even in everyday life. Oh, of course there are also many depressing things, as well. (laughs) All of that just makes me feel like I have to do my best.

--Speaking of everyday life, in the past year, in current events there have been such things as the North Korea kidnapping incidents, and the war between America and Iraq in the news. How do you feel, seeing such things on the news?

Sakai: It seems that as the world situation grows worse and worse, each and every citizen is starting to look at things in a new way. Though we don't usually think about things like "Happiness," and our views on life and death, as the idea of "Safety" seems more and more like nothing more than an illusion, we start to raise objections about what we can actually believe in concretely.

--That certainly is true. But, you being a lover of music through it all, you must have a lot of musical interests, and things that you've absorbed.

Sakai: When I want to forget about reality, I often listened to Baroque. And I've always had an interest in ethnic musics.

--And from all that, you've been able to expand on all sorts of ideas for your own music productions?

Sakai: Wouldn't that be a trade secret...? (laughs) But if you don't expand your experiences, your ideas will all shrivel and wilt.

--Moving on, I'd like to ask you some questions about your latest single, "Ashita wo Yumemite." The title, for one, could be seen as either about strength or weakness, but at the same time, gives the feel of your typical "ZARD-ness." From what sort of flow was this title conceived?

Sakai: First, I listened to the demo tape. After hearing it several times, I simply decided to start the refrain with "Ashita wo Yumemite."

--A person's dreams, their bold fronts, their weaknesses and their hopes are so openly composed within the lyrics, but it's because of your own unique brand of word weaving of feelings that everyone embraces that make the song so empathetic. Despite things always "Ending opposite the way I want," the lyrics encourage believing in your partner and "Dreaming of tomorrow." What sort of sentiment gave birth to this lyric?

Sakai: This might be unique to women, but everything expanded from keywords focusing on the way we participate in society balancing love and work, and how we spend our time alone when we don't interact with others, and our secret dreams.

--Yes, you do sing that you hurt each other and can't open your heart, but still want to go on living believing in your partner, and seeing them, and dreaming of the future. How do you yourself feel about the way that people hold on to such dreams, hopes, and strength?

Sakai: That's a hard question... "Strength" is the flip-side of "weakness," and I think that "weakness" is also the source of "strength." And I guess that happiness and sadness are also inside-outside of the same thing.

--And that's exactly why we can dream, right? I think that as long as people are alive, that is a very important thing, but what thoughts do you yourself have towards "dreaming?"

Sakai: I think... that by putting it into abstract words, the nuances come across more clearly, I guess. Dreaming of tomorrow, you think, can think, and wish for life. And, when you do that, you also start to think about the opposite "death," and everything falls into a much larger theme. But, in the lyrics to a song, I think that a more familiar romantic tone might get the point across more easily.

--The word "dream" which appears so often in this song can be interpreted in so many ways, but what kind of image did you have in mind for the word "dream" in these lyrics?

Sakai: More than dreams, I think it's hope... Even in art, it seems like the darker the personality, the more they like bright paintings, so the "dreams" in these lyrics could be both positive and negative, and it really depends subtly on the listener's psychological position.

--I guess it does change. So putting aside this current piece of lyrics, could we hear what you yourself think of "dreams?"

Sakai: My dreams? To travel to a different country, to be able to continue with music... That might sound a bit unrealistic, maybe?

--Not at all! (laughs) Next up, from the calm feeling you get in the opening intro to the song, it steadily builds up... Like something walking starting to run... That change makes this song somewhat fresh, but how did you come to imagine this?

Sakai: The demo tape only included a single refrain, and I had intended to do it as a slow ballad. But then, it was decided what the song would be a tie-up to, and with that, we just wound up making repeated changes to the arrangement. (laughs)

--Sounds rough. But even besides forcing you to test out new arrangements, in the end it was a distinctly ZARD sound. It seemed to me like you took special care in that respect.

Sakai: It would start by leaving it up to someone else. Then I would add in my own requests. And I guess through such exchanges, it just naturally took on a ZARD-ish sound in the end.

--With the beginning half, where you quietly sing about the confusion and weakness within your heart, moving to the ending half, where you speak of believing in others and dreaming, as a vocalist, how do you visualize the development so that you can sing it?

Sakai: Since I'm not the type to lean heavily on the contents of the lyrics when I sing, I emptied my mind of distracting thoughts and just sang with emphasis on the natural expression of the melody. To make it absolutely clear, I don't always think that it's best to get emotional when you sing.

--As you were recording the vocal track, because of the change to the arrangement, was there some freshness or new discoveries for you?

Sakai: Well, the arrangement changed only slightly. Because he was a new arranger, I sang taking special care to the details of the rhythm. But listening over it again, I was a bit pained to admit that I was out of practice. (laughs)

--Well, now that you've completed this song we've all been waiting for, how do you think it ranks in as a ZARD song?

Sakai: Well, in the positive sense that it expanded the boundaries of my lyrical world, it is a turning point song. And though I've got my own established path, as I continue to advance, this song could serve as a suggestion as to what kind of arrangement my next song could take on.

--Because this is your first single in quite a while, I'm sure that you're fans have been waiting eagerly to hear it. Knowing that, are there ever times when you're creating songs that you feel like you're going off your comfortable pace, or about to bow to the pressure?

Sakai: It's almost as if everyday, I wake up from a dream where I either lose my CD's, or I get yelled at by somebody, or I'm sent off to some place where nobody knows me. (laughs) When I have dreams like that which leave me wondering if they were real or not, I kind of get out of bed in a daze, feeling as if I have somebody I have to get in touch with.

--But you have fans to watch over your work, right?

Sakai: I'm very thankful for that... ZARD exists because of our fans.

--Well, in closing, having finished this latest song, if you can give us any idea as to the latest to come out of your work, please let us in on it.

Sakai: Well, let's see. All I can say is that this year, I intend to do my best, while maintaining my own pace! *

TEXT: Yamada Junko, PHOTO: Norikazu Tatsukawa; translated by Ryu