Interview With SennaRin and Hiroyuki Sawano
Location: Anime NYC 2023
Interview Date: 11/18/2023
Anime Trending: This is your first performance in the United States. Can you share your thoughts and reactions?
SAWANO & SennaRin: For us to perform together overseas for the first time, we are very excited.
MyAnimeList: Over the course of your career, you’ve worked together with a wide range of musical artists. What do you enjoy about working with SennaRin, and what are some unique elements of her sound that set her apart from other artists you’ve worked with?
(Editor’s note: Their manager clarified SAWANO was working with SennaRin as her producer.)
SAWANO: I like her husky voice and how she approaches a range of sounds, as well as how she can perform live.
The Mary Sue: For Dignified, most of the music was written by Sawano-san, but most of the lyrics were written by SennaRin, yes? What has this collaboration been like, and what normally comes first, music, or lyrics?
SAWANO: For us, I write the music first, and then pass it along to SennaRin. She creates the lyrics afterward.
Nante Japan: Sawano-san, you have created a number of musical works acclaimed by international fans, both for anime, and for video games. How much information are you given in advance for each? What is the main difference in your approach for the different mediums?
SAWANO: For anime that have a manga, of course they’ll give it to me. I’ll look at how the world is, and then input my vision. I’ll start the process from there?
Nante Japan: Would it be fair to say you reinterpret the world-building in your own music?
SAWANO: Yes, that’s correct. But when I get an offer, there’s a certain sound that they’re looking for, and there’s a sound that I like, and I try to tackle it from there.
Anime Herald: SennaRin, you started releasing covers at a fairly young age. You said that you didn’t envision a musical career. Do you still remember how you felt when Mr. Sawano reached out to you?
SennaRin: When Sawano-san reached out to me, I had already been listening to his soundtracks. It was very exciting for me because I was already familiar with his works.
Anime Trending: You’ve worked together on projects for Legend of the Galactic Heroes [: Die Neue These]. Could you talk about your creative process for creating the tracks “Dust” and “Melt?”
SennaRin: We touched upon it earlier. SAWANO-san creates the music and passes it along to me. We’ll talk about the mood and the world, and then I’ll write the lyrics.
Anime Trending: Is there anything particular from the setting of Legend of the Galactic Heroes?
SAWANO: I wasn’t going deep into the storyline. I watched the promotional videos and battle scenes, and some clips. They asked me to make an epic ballad. That was my inspiration.
MyAnimeList: More often than not, the songs Sawano produces have lyrics written by Benjamin, mpi, or cAnON. However, SennaRin has participated in writing lyrics for every song so far, other than Dust. What was behind this decision?
SAWANO: When I was working with SennaRin, I saw she was very skilled in creating lyrics for the songs and the melodies. For the projects I work with her, I’d like to pass that on to her.
MyAnimeList: Will the new songs, like “S9aiR”, have lyrics written by SennaRin?
(Editor’s note: Apparently “S9aiR” is pronounced square.)
SennaRin: Yes. The first two songs “yet” and “Ray” are already out. For Mist, we fit it into a really fun song, so we’d like fans to look forward to that one.
The Mary Sue: For SennaRin, I’d love for you to talk a little bit about the cover videos that started your career. What inspired you to release them? Did you self-produce them?
SennaRin: I love to sing. I wanted to sing, and YouTube is a worldwide platform. I just wanted to see how far my voice would reach. That’s where it all began.
Nante Japan: What was your biggest inspiration for becoming a composer? What would you consider the most important aspect for creating worlds in the anime/game industries?
SAWANO: Tetsuya Komuro was one of the biggest influences on me. I wanted to be a singer-songwriter, but I didn’t have much singing talent. I transitioned, like Tetsuya Komoro, he did a lot of soundtracks. I listed to a lot of Joe Hisaishi’s music as well. He inspired me to become a composer. As for advice for people who want to become composers, you have to keep going even if people put you down and tell you your music isn’t good enough. Don’t quit. That’s the best advice I can give.
Anime Herald: Because it is the tenth anniversary, I have to ask, what was it like working on Kill la Kill?
SAWANO: As you know, in Kill la Kill, the girls are dressed rather eccentrically, a bit sexy. I was like “what’s going on?”
Before that gig, I had worked on Attack on Titan and Blue Exorcist. Building on that, I wanted to make something cool and very entertaining. That was how I approached it.
Anime Herald: Following up on that, thinking specifically of Ragyō’s theme, what is the origin of the Sawano drop?”
SAWANO: When I was working on that theme, I wanted to emphasize the melody. That’s why I created the break, and came back with it at a higher level. It kind of became my signature.
It’s interesting. When you give the music to the music director, they’ll cut the music at certain parts to fit the scene. Because of that process, the drop makes it easier for them to edit. That’s why I kept the drop.
Anime Trending: You’ll be working on the opening and the original soundtrack for Solo Leveling. Could you talk about your creative process for creating both tracks?
SAWANO: When I first got the offer to work on the soundtrack, and they told me about the opening, I wanted to emphasize Tomorrow X Together’s (TXT) sound and play to their strengths. For the soundtrack I wanted to make it more like Hollywood. Have a high entertainment value, with some intense songs mixed in with the orchestra.
MyAnimeList: Some of your previous covers have included RADWIMPS and Saucy Dog. Are these anisong artists a major source of inspiration for you? Are there any new artists you’d like to cover in the future?
SennaRin: When I released my first Anisong covers, I saw the reaction. That inspired me to think that this might be my strength.
In terms of particular artists who inspired me, I take inspiration from a lot of foreign artists. Too many to list.
The Mary Sue: What was the experience like writing “Tot Musica” for One Piece: Red?
SAWANO: I was specifically asked to do that piece. I was surprised to get the offer. As you know, that’s the music that brings the demon out. It was kind of similar to me to the music from Attack on Titan.
The Mary Sue: Is it true [One Piece creator Eiichiro] Oda-san was involved in the music making process?
SAWANO: Oda-sensei wasn’t telling me what kind of song I had to create. After I created the song, I sent it over to Oda-san. He said “Oh, that’s cool.” That was the interaction.
The Mary Sue: Was there a specific instrument you relied on to create that atmosphere?
SAWANO: In this case, I leaned on the drums and percussion for “Tot Musica.” It fits with the vocals for bringing the demon out.
Nante Japan: What is it like performing your music live?
SAWANO: In the studio, when you write a song, no one claps for you. When you perform live and the audience is clapping and cheering, it’s an incredible experience.
SennaRin: I debuted towards the end of 2022. There weren’t a lot of concerts. I was excited the first time I was able to perform live.
Anime Herald: Any fun stories from your trip to Brazil?
SennaRin: Normally on stage, with the earplugs and headphones I can’t really hear the crowd. In Brazil, they were so loud, they came through my earpiece. The stage was shaking.
Anime Trending: Any final comments for the fans at Anime NYC?
SAWANO: This is my first time at this event. I was able to see the show floor. It was very exciting. I’d love for the fans to be able to come and see our performance.
SennaRin: It’s my first time in New York. I’m very excited for the concert and to see the fans’ reactions. This is a rare appearance for Sawano-san, so I’m excited for that.
Special thanks to Crunchyroll and to SAWANO and SennaRin for making this interview possible.
