Interview for “Cocotame” | Nami to take a break from musicals and will focus on music

NAMI TAMAKI | Interview for “Cocotame” (Sony Music Group)

Nami to take a break from musicals and will focus on music

Summary

The time when she was a member of Sony Music from 2003 to 2008 was a very impressionable time for Nami Tamaki, who was in the midst of her teenage years.

“‘Reborn’ has the meaning of “reunion”, and for me, the most important “Reborn” of all is that all the staff members who knew me as a 14-year-old at the time of my debut have gathered together and are allowing me to make music together again. I’m very happy to have been given the opportunity to work with them again. Everyone is really nice. There are so many wonderful people here. I can feel a tremendous amount of love for both the music and the artists.

When I was in my rebellious years, if I had a clash with my office manager, I would come to Sony Music and cry and the staff would listen to me (laughs). That’s how warm Sony Music is to me, like a family, like a home. I’m so grateful that we are able to work together again after all this time”.

Returning to Sony Music for the first time in 16 years was like returning to her parents’ home for Nami Tamaki.

“I remember how warm the place was back then. I’m surrounded by people who make me feel safe, so I’m getting a lot of pampering now (laughs). I’m now working in a very good environment. I’m so happy that I could create “Reborn” with the staff at the office, who is so kind to me, and with the Sony Music staff, who are like older brothers to me. It’s a special album for me, like one that I made with the people who raised me”.

In recent years, Nami has focused mainly on stage performances. However, on the occasion of her 20th anniversary last year, she has been shifting her focus to music.

“Actually, last year’s concert (“Nami Tamaki 20th Anniversary LIVE -Ultimate- /-Almanac-” on April 23, 2023) was my first one-man live performance in about 10 years. I was performing at events, but I was doing three musicals a year, so I wasn’t able to do one-man shows. Last year was the 20th anniversary, I’m taking a break from the stage and want to focus on music.

Since I started performing live again last year, I would like to improve my performance even more. Even in dance rehearsals, I want to be in tune with the dancers down to the smallest detail, so I dance a lot without breaks. There are times when I dance alone in the corner of the studio, and in that sense, I feel like I’m going back to my roots.

As for my singing, I’m now changing my vocal technique from the very beginning through voice training. Since “THE FIRST TAKE” I have been fundamentally changing the way I use my body since the vocal cords are also muscles. I’m being taught how to use my muscles in a way that allows me to dance and sing at the same time, so it will take some time to get used to it, but once I master it perfectly, I will have nothing to fear (laughs).

I enjoy learning in this way. It is fun to learn many things that I cannot do, to expand my possibilities, and to discover things like: My body can make this kind of sound”.

After advancing in her career, Nami has been refining her own base weapons of singing and dancing. There was also a sense of confronting one’s current body.

“I think there will probably be more to come, since my body is my instrument. In the last 20 years, I had a period of time when my ears got worse. I had hearing loss, I had Eustachian tube opacification… Eustachian tube opacification is a condition where you can’t hear outside sounds and your voice comes back to your ears, and I still have a little bit of that. I first got it in my mid-twenties and it was quite stressful at first, but now I’m getting better at dealing with such illnesses.

I’m sure there will be many things in the future as well, but I hope I can talk to my body each time and grow as an artist.

What I want to do at that time and curiosity has always been there.

I’m grateful that I can still do anything I want to do, and I want to keep working hard. Among my fans, there are those who have been supporting me since my debut, and I honestly think it’s great that my guess has been the same for 20 years (laughs). Recently, many of my fans have come back to me after being away for a bit. I feel like I’m a port (laughs). They said to me “Welcome back”.

There are people who say, “I fell in love with you through ‘THE FIRST TAKE,'” and I’m grateful for the existence of all kinds of fans. That is why I always want to be at my best”.

What motivates her to continue her activities? What dreams and goals does she have ahead?

“I have always been curious about what I want to do at any given time. So I hope I can challenge new things without fear. And I hope to be that kind of person who can give a little push to not only myself but also to others who want to do something but can’t take the first step”.

On March 17, Nami Tamaki will hold her solo live “Nami Tamaki 20th Anniversary LIVE -Focus-” to close out her 20th anniversary year. It is sure to be a hot live performance by Nami Tamaki, who never stops evolving.

“For this concert, I asked people on X (formerly Twitter) what songs they would like to hear other than the singles. Some of the songs were chosen from among them, and as the culmination of the 20th anniversary year. So, it will be a pretty hard concert, but I think you will be able to see Nami Tamaki dancing and stirring up the crowd from start to finish (laughs)”.