Wednesday Campanella writes new song for Lotte Ghana Chocolate TV commercial "Charlotte" starring Minami Hamabe

■ “I wrote lyrics using the word ‘Charlotte’ to describe the gesture of someone who makes everyone feel positive and energetic through chocolate.” (Wednesday Campanella, Kenmochi Hidefumi)

Minami Hamabe will appear in the new TV commercial for Lotte’s “Ghana Chocolate” which will begin airing nationwide on September 3rd. Wednesday Campanella has written an original song for the commercial, “Charlotte”.

The concept of this TV commercial is the new slogan “Happiness comes from chocolate,” which was created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Ghana brand. Minami Hamabe continues to be the main character. During a break in filming, Hamabe takes out a Ghana chocolate from her bag while listening to music in the dressing room. When she takes a bite of the Ghana chocolate, she breaks out into a smile overflowing with happiness, embodying the slogan “Happiness comes from chocolate.”

The original CM song “Charlotte” was written by Wednesday Campanella producer Kenmochi Hidefumi. It was created based on the theme of “Charlotte”, the girl the protagonist of the masterpiece “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by the German literary master Goethe, from which Lotte’s company name is derived, is in love with.

The song is danceable house music typical of Wednesday Campanella, and the phrase “Charlotteru” in the lyrics is, according to Kenmochi, “I used the word ‘Charlotteru’ to describe the gestures of someone who makes everyone positive and energetic through chocolate.”

The song “Charlotte” will be released on August 30th. The video also shows people having fun on the beach, eating Ghana chocolate and feeling happy, and dancing to the pop and light-hearted melody.

[Shooting location report]
The TV commercial was shot on a set modeled after a dressing room during the filming of the drama. Hamabe entered the set in a light yellow top and white mermaid skirt outfit, her refreshing smile brightening the atmosphere and the filming began with her energetic greeting, “Nice to meet you!” After the director explained the plan to her, the first scene she shot was the one where she takes Ghana chocolate out of her bag. When the director called out “Cut!”, she immediately checked with the director for the timing to take it out of her bag. We got a glimpse of her serious side as she practiced, paying attention to even the smallest details of her acting and humming the song “Charlotte” that was played on set.

In the scene where she is enjoying listening to “Charlotte,” Hamabe holds the headphones firmly to her ears, listens intently to the song, and bobs her head to the music, showing various expressions of her enjoying music as if she were in private. When the director praised her, saying, “It feels so good!”, she couldn’t help but blush and laugh.

■ Moved by the message from Wednesday Campanella’s Utaha
Utaha of Wednesday Campanella, who provided the original song “Charlotte” for the TV commercial, sent a surprise congratulatory message saying, “Happy 24th birthday! This year marks the 60th anniversary of Ghana Chocolate, so I hope we can celebrate together! I know you’re busy, but please take care of yourself and have a wonderful year.” Hamabe was also touched by Utaha’s message, saying with a big smile, “Thank you! I haven’t met Utaha yet, but I hope to meet you someday!”

■ Interview with Minami Hamabe after the shoot
Q. Please tell us your thoughts after finishing the shoot.
This time, there was a scene where we had to make hand gestures while listening to “Charlotte,” and it was a lot more fun than I had worried about, and I’m glad that I was able to finish filming while having fun with everyone.
Q.What are some key points for hand dancing?
I was told that “it looks beautiful if you rotate it from your wrist.” I tried doing it that way, and it really did look different on camera, so I had a lot of fun doing it.
Q. The key message of this TV commercial is “Happiness comes from chocolate,” which is also the Ghana brand’s slogan. What makes the beach “happy”?
I love eating sweets and delicious food after filming, but I’ve recently become addicted to exercising on a stepper after eating. It feels like a little exercise, but after about an hour I sweat a lot and feel refreshed, so I’ve been doing it a lot recently.
Q: That’s quite a long time!
Yes, I think an hour is a little long, but it makes me feel really happy and motivated to do my best tomorrow. Today might have been 60 points, but because I was able to exercise on the stepper, it’s 70 points! By exercising on the stepper, I feel like I’ve added about 10 points, and I can go to sleep feeling great.
Q. Tell us about a moment that made you happy recently.
There is a location that I go to about once a year, and nearby there is a restaurant that serves delicious tamagoyaki (rolled eggs) and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). They offer takeout, so I like to stop by on my way home and enjoy the seasonal flavors, thinking, “This is delicious food that comes once a year!”
Q. Do you go at the same time every year?
That’s right, there’s a location that I always go to around spring, and when I eat rolled omelets or yakitori nearby, I think, “Spring has come again,” and even though I think, “It will be a year before I can eat this again,” I feel happy.
Q. This year marks the 60th anniversary of “Ghana Chocolate”. We are relaunching our chocolate bars to be thicker. Now that you’ve reached your birthday, is there anything you would like to add thickness to or renew?
As I get older, I want to improve my level in everything, but if I had to pick one thing in particular, I would like to increase the “depth” of my “communication.” When I go to the set and meet someone for the first time, it takes a long time to close the distance, and there are many people who end up not being able to talk much until the end. From this year, I would like to increase the “depth” so that I can communicate more deeply with many people, and so that I can communicate in a way that I don’t have to regret when I go home. In particular, I recently realized that I am not good at communicating with actors younger than me… It is quite difficult to find a common topic, and after talking about my favorite food, I end up feeling like “there is nothing left to talk about,” so I would like to increase the variety of questions I ask.
Q. The song used in this commercial is “Charlotte” by Wednesday Campanella. What did you think of the song?
Once we got to the shooting location, we listened to “Charlotte,” and it was really pop. During the shoot, there were some choreography that required following the rhythm, and I naturally got into it. It was fun, and the song was so great that even the choreography was uplifting; I’m sure it will stick in your mind and spread to many people! Just listening to it made me feel happy and brightened up. The choreography was simple enough that even I could do it, so I’d love for many people to try it out.
Q. In this TV commercial, you can be seen listening to “Charlotte” and eating Ghana, which makes you feel “happy” and it was very impressive to see your smile burst out in surprise. What do you do when you want to cheer yourself up or feel “happy”?
Usually, when I enter a production, I try to greet people with a smile, in a loud voice, and in a bright manner. I hope that by greeting people in a loud voice, I can brighten not only myself, but also the atmosphere around me. When I greet people, my eyes become clear, and since I work by using my voice, I feel like it also works in my voice, and everything works in a positive way, so I greet people in a loud voice.
Q. In the TV commercial, you were in high spirits and you started tapping along to the rhythm without even thinking about it. Is there anything you do when you’re in high spirits?
I think it really shows on my facial expressions. I don’t think it shows as much when I’m feeling negative, but when I’m in a good mood I can’t help but smile. I can’t help but smile, and I exchange glances with my manager and staff, and we all spend the time sharing the fun together. Also, I have a habit of laughing unintentionally, so when I think I shouldn’t laugh I end up giggling instead…it can be fatal sometimes, but I try not to hide when I’m having fun.