Enka singer Yusuke Hashimoto (50), who is celebrating his 16th year since his debut this year, held a social gathering to celebrate the release of his 20th single, “Shizuku” (lyrics by Goro Matsui, composition and arrangement by Masahiro Tsuta) and “Ano Sora wo Aogi Mite” (lyrics by Goro Matsui, composition by Takeshi Kosai, arrangement by Masahiro Tsuta) (double A-side) on April 17th at Pasela Resorts Ginza in Ginza, Tokyo on the 15th.
Since 1999, she has studied under composer Toru Funamura, and made her debut on April 1, 2009 with “Ryuhyo no Eki” from Nippon Columbia. Including this latest work, she has released 20 singles and three special singles. In 2018, she celebrated her 10th anniversary and held concerts at 15 locations nationwide. Last year, her 15th anniversary, she held a concert in her hometown of Abashiri, Hokkaido on April 1, her debut day, and all of them were successful.
On this day, a social gathering was held to express gratitude and appreciation to the media and dealers who had helped them over the past 15 years.
They performed a total of five songs, including their debut song “Ryuhyo no Eki,” their second single “Yobito Eki,” a cover song by Sugimoto Masato’s “Amagarebeni,” and “Ano Sora wo Aomi Mite” and “Shizuku,” both title tracks from their latest single.
Regarding this new song, Hashiru said, “‘Shizuku’ is a song about a single drop of water gathering together, becoming a babbling brook, then a river, and eventually becoming a great river. This song is about wanting life to be just like that song. Composer Tsuta Masakane has provided me with many songs up until now, but I feel like he has created a new way of expressing it, an opening that I’ve never heard before. The opening is soft, and the balance between my natural voice and the amount of breath I put into it creates a song that feels like nothing I’ve heard before. The chorus ends with the lyrics, ‘Become a great river,’ which expresses the magnitude of pushing forward towards it. The other song, ‘Look Up at That Sky,’ is a song with an image like a school song, and it’s like an anthem about the various obstacles that exist, and the desire to overcome them and push forward.”
As she looks ahead to her 16th year, she said, “15 years have gone by in a flash, but during that time there have been many unexpected and happy events, and countless encounters. Of all the difficulties, the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 has been the hardest. It was difficult to deliver my songs to everyone while being careful about droplet infection, but we were able to distribute my songs using a new item, streaming. 16 years is still a long way from now, and Momoko Kikuchi has been performing for 40 years (laughs), and there are many people who have come before me…As long as my voice can hold up, I would like to continue working hard so that many people will listen to my songs and sing them. I’m now in my 50s, so I would like to be able to deliver my favorite songs to everyone while taking care of my health. I hope that many people will listen to the new song I was given this time, make it a hit, and do my best to aim for the New Year’s Eve Red and White Song Battle and the Record Awards at the end of the year.”
◆ Sun News / April 15, 2024
