Enka singer Mochizuki Ruka held a solo concert at the Beacon Plaza Philharmonia Hall in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture on the 13th, where she announced to her fans that she will be releasing her fifth new single, “Oborozuki,” on June 12th, and gave her first performance of the single in front of a packed audience of about 1,000 people.
At the concert, she passionately sang songs such as “Omokage Mirenbashi,” which won her the New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards, and “Hienka,” a collaboration with a Vocaloid producer. She sang her debut song “Shitsuren Boujou” softly while playing the piano, which she has been learning since she was three years old, and the audience erupted in applause. When singing “Oborozuki,” she said, “This song is a bit more than my real self. I’ll do my best to catch up with this song as soon as possible.” She introduced the new song, which she was singing for the first time in a concert, with a nervous look on her face, and sang it while pondering the meaning of every word of the lyrics.
The fifth single, “Oborozuki,” to be released on June 12, was composed by Ryuzo Kimura, the eldest son of enka singer Ichiro Toba, who also works as a singer-songwriter. The song expresses the sadness and fleeting feelings of a woman trying to let go of her unrequited love. The lyrics are notable for using words related to kimono, such as “layered clothing,” “sleeves,” and “thread.”
[Comment from Ruka Mochizuki]
This time, Kimura-san, who is the same age as me, was in charge of composing the song, so I had a meeting with him before he composed it and told him what kind of song I wanted him to write. I wanted a melody that didn’t fit into the framework of enka, and I wanted a unique chord progression with key changes. When I heard the finished song, I remember being impressed: “Wow! It has all of my requests and yet it’s a masterpiece!”
I asked the lyricist, Asa-sensei, to write lyrics that were appropriate for me now that I’m 27 years old, and that had a mature feel to them.
When I saw the completed lyrics, I had the impression that I was trying too hard, but it gave me the fighting spirit to sing these lyrics to perfection.
Today was my first time singing in front of my fans, but I would give myself a score of about 60. I would like to get to 100 by the time the song is released.
New single: Released Wednesday, June 12, 2024
“Oborozuki”
Lyrics: Koyomi Asa Music: Ryuzo Kimura Arrangement: Atsushi Toyama
COCA-18210 ¥1,500 (tax included)
Streaming and downloading available on all streaming sites
【recorded music】
01. Hazy Moon 02. The Day I Met You 03. Hana Chirusato
★Ruka Mochizuki Nippon Columbia special site
https://columbia.jp/mochizukiluca/