Selected to sing the theme song of “Gundam Seed” in her 3rd year of junior high school. 20 years after her shocking debut… Where is Nami Tamaki now?
Singer Nami Tamaki (35) ran through the 20th anniversary year of her debut in 2023. At the same time, “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED”, which can be said to be Nami’s starting point, also celebrates its 20th anniversary, and her latest work for “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM”, is scheduled to be released on January 24. Nami serves as the official supporter song with his latest song “Reborn,” and we asked her about her thoughts on “Gundam SEED” and its progress to date.
(Interview and text by Akihiro Nakamura)
The announcement of the latest “Gundam SEED” work on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the long-awaited sequel has thrilled not only the fans but also Nami. This time, she took on the major role of “official supporter song” for the film.
“I had to write a song that would make people want to go to the theater when they saw it, so I felt a sense of responsibility and tension. I believe that the degree to which people want to go see the movie will depend on how well it links to the previous “SEED” and “DESTINY” movies. That is why I went into the production with the hope of delivering a Gundam SEED song sung by Nami Tamaki”.
In recent years, there have been an increasing number of songs with a different tune, but this time, she asserts that it is “Nami Tamaki’s real road. I really feel like I’m going back to those days. It’s new, but I’ve heard it before”, she says confidently, adding that the song has a nostalgic feel.
Nami made her impressive debut as a singer in April 2003 with “Believe”, the opening song for “Gundam Seed”. She performed powerful dance moves to the catchy song, but what is surprising is that she was only 14 years old at the time, a junior high school student.
Her debut was triggered by a large-scale audition; she was one of the 10 finalists narrowed down to 10 groups, but was not chosen as one of the five that passed the audition, leaving her in tears. However, the group’s manager at the time of her debut, who had come to see the audition, said he wanted to work with her, and that was her chance to make a debut.
“I was really lucky”, she said. “I was able to debut before the successful applicants. The year before my debut, I was invited to Tokyo on Christmas Day, and the staff told me, ‘The theme song for Gundam Seed has been decided’. I was in the second year of junior high school at the time, and my parents were not there with me, but I immediately said, ‘Okay!’. When I went home, I told my parents, ‘Sorry, I already told them I was going to Tokyo’, and they were very angry, but they sent me off with a ‘Don’t come back halfway!’”
“Three months later, on March 28, I moved to Tokyo by myself to live by myself. Now that I think about it, Wakayama and Tokyo are far apart, and I was 14 years old and living alone. My parents must have been thrilled to see me make my debut (laughs). I am grateful to my parents for giving me the support I needed.
Through my experience on stage, I realized what I wanted to be the main axis of my career”
“Believe” was a big hit despite being her debut song. After that, she had a string of hit songs. Although her career as a singer seemed to be smooth sailing, she looks back on her career with a smile, saying,”I keep hitting walls”.
“Life is like that (laughs). In my 20 years of singing, I do get depressed, but I have learned to switch quickly, and with a lot of effort. I think I have come to be able to stand on stage not with confidence, but with conviction”.
“There were so many things that happened. I met some people I didn’t like (laughs). But more than that, I have met the best people, and I think I have been able to get through it because of everyone on the team who supports me to the best of their ability. I am blessed with good relationships with people, and that is something I am proud of as Nami Tamaki; in 20 years, there have been very few times when nothing has happened to me”.
Since around 2007, her main focus has been on musicals. She had consciously changed the weight of her activities by transferring to an office with a large number of stage actors.
She said, “my original dream was to become an entertainer, the kind who dances in theme park parades. Musicals have all the elements of singing, dancing, and acting, and I thought, ‘This is great entertainment! I fell in love with it. To study acting, I performed in many productions. I learned how to sing, how to vocalize, and how to deliver a song as a line, which I was able to apply to “Nami Tamaki” the singer”.
“But there were also things that I realized after doing it. Of course, I still love acting and musicals, but if you ask me what I want to do as my main axis, I want to be the “artist Nami Tamaki,” at the core.
In recent years, the release of new songs has become more noticeable. I am very happy to be able to sing many anime theme songs and deliver new songs as a singer”, said Nami.
Having experienced both sweet and sour times, Nami has arrived at her current position in a world that she could not have imagined 20 years ago when she was a junior high school student.
“I never thought I could go on for 20 years, and I’m very grateful to everyone who has supported me for so long. But even after 20 years, there are still a lot of things I have to do and a lot of things I still have to work on, so I want to continue to be a ‘sporty’ person without limitations”.
The work that gave birth to Nami Tamaki, the work that has been by her side throughout her life, and the work that makes her continue to shine. For Nami, “Gundam Seed” is an inseparable “ally”. With the feelings she had at the time of her debut in mind, she is now “going back to her roots” once again.
Nami Tamaki made her debut as a singer with the single “Believe” from Sony Music in 2003. She won the “New Artist of the Year” award at the 18th Japan Gold Disc Awards. In January 2024, she released “Reborn,” an official supporter song for “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM” and will hold a one-man live concert on March 17 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut.
Source | ENCOUNT
Translation | Nami Tamaki International