--We're coming towards the end of 2005, how was the year for you?

I'm still on tour with Eikichi Yazawa so I haven't had time to look back yet. I encountered a bunch of new things this year. I feel like I've met new people and seen new places.

As a singer-songwriter I've been a bit of a big fish in a small pond--I'm happy with what I've been doing, but my world is really limited. This year I was able to encounter new things and realize how much more there is I can do. I'd like to take the following years to get myself out into the big ocean. I think it's something I should do.

--You've just released your sixth piano-and-vocal album, "Anthology VI." What caused you to first want to create a piano album of covers of your own songs?

It was playing my music live. Lately, I've been doing a lot of solo concerts. I wanted to go further, to everyday improve the way I expressed myself live.

But when I reflected on past albums, I realized that none of them featured that level of expression that I felt with my improved solo concerts. So, I thought, why don't I just make an album like that?

For example, suppose an audience member told me at a show, "I want an album where you played that song just like you did at tonight's show." Whether the album exists or not would determine my ability to express myself as an artist.

Since it was something I'd wanted to release, and something I'd been doing every day anyway, I decided to begin recording with only piano and vocals.

--The "Anthology" series focuses on self-covers. Did you have anything you wanted to accomplish when recording these albums?

There wasn't anything I was particularly trying to do regarding the "self-cover" aspect of the album. Even if I wanted to keep the songs the way they were when they came out, things change with the passage of time. The most important thing for me when re-recording these songs was to express how I am feeling now, in this moment. That's exactly how I feel when I'm on stage, and that is the sensation I always try to record.

So, I do everything without a click-track. I've had one ever since I debuted with "Uta wa Kokoro da," but I found that, while pursuing my creativity I got carried away with the completeness of my ensembles, and as a result, I ended up giving the "heart" (which should be in every song) the boot.

If I dropped the "heart" from the new album, all I'd be left with was ash. The "heart" is everything on this album.

--Do you feel as though you've progressed with each release in the "Anthology" series?

The way I do my takes. Like I said before, it's a matter of capturing the "heart" on the first take. The most important thing when recording is concentration--I wait till I'm focused and then tell the engineer to roll the tape. That's the only way to do it.

Whether I've captured that moment when I'm at the peak of my focus reflects on the record. As a result, I've evolved the way I think about where I record, when I record, how I want to spend my time, and what I physically and mentally need to record.

--Is there any criteria you have for selecting songs on your "Anthology" albums?

First I limit the album to a certain theme. Not just a theme that I want to do, but one that resonates in the hearts of everybody. It could be "memories" or "sentiments," "love" or "dreams," I might limit it to an era like "coming of age" or "the time I gave it my all"... maybe "the time I could have tried more" or "when I'm worried"... first I decide on a theme, then I select the songs.

--What does the "Anthology" series mean to you?

That's a tough question. If I were to just say the first thing that came to mind, "naked." With just the piano and the song... and furthermore recording all in one shot, I don't have room to tell lies. In both a good and bad sense, the recordings mirror the person I am when I make them. As a result, I think of each of these releases as my best work to date, and with every release I'm aware that I have to overcome the records I've achieved so far.

--Are there any older songs that have made you feel like you've progressed as an artist once you've covered them?

That's another difficult question. Every song has a unique meaning when I make it, and to a certain extent, I feel like that has to be there. But on the other hand, every song has a certain energy that I couldn't imagine trying to recreate, regardless of the arrangement. Changing the subject, my personal favorites among my covers include "Suiyobi no Hidamari," "Koibito no Joken," and "Corn Soup."

There's plenty of others, but those are the songs that the years of experience have improved the most. Also, I'm pleased to have finally recorded "Minamikaze wo Sagashite" and the other songs from my old band.

--What sort of album is "Anthology VI"?

I started with the theme of "winter," or more accurately, "Christmas." Then I moved to, for example, "a gift from god," and then at the heart of that idea is the word "love." So ultimately I tried to fill the album with love. Love means different things to different people, so I collected all of my songs about love and put them on the album.

--What theme did you use to select songs for this, your sixth work in the series?

I said pretty much everything above... (laughs)
If I just say "love," I guess that means many things. I focused on the warm love songs for this album. What I mean is, I was trying to convey "you're not alone." Even I feel lonely sometimes.

I wanted to tell people, "But you're not alone, you're absolutely not alone! There are people out there that understand you!" I have songs that say that straight out, and songs written from the point of view of someone who's struggling to find that out... but just knowing that there's someone out there who feels the same way as you can help you get through your troubles...there's a "love" to be found in those songs as well. I think of this album, itself, as a kind of "love."

--What do you think of when you hear the words "Anthology VI"?

Poetry, words. Also, the piano and vocals that help me express those thoughts... though, that can be said for all of the "Anthology" albums.

--What themes do you want to try out in your next entry in the "Anthology" series?

I think that the next "Anthology" release will probably be my last. The next theme I want to try is, "original intention," or "roots."

I'm not sure how to put it, but people have, like, this sense of "beginning" with whatever they do. There's always a reason for starting, whether it be out of chagrin, because of a promise to a friend, an oath to oneself, or, on the other hand, as a result of a break-up. I want to collect works in the theme of that sort of "beginning." Think of it like a push off to my next step as an artist, since this will be the last work in the series.

--Right now you're touring as a keyboardist for Eikichi Yazawa. What's the first thing you want to do once you get back from touring?

I want to sleep... deep sleep (laughs). And once I've deep slept, I want to work on myself--recklessly abandon myself to studying.. Piano, keyboards, English, physical education, in order to be the best person I can in the future, I want to do everything I want to cover in three years over the span of one. I'd like to start by investing myself in studying.

--You're scheduled for a February 22, 2006 birthday concert. What are your hopes for this event?

I want to have fun to my heart's content. And in order to do that, I need to think and practice a bunch.

--What do you want to do in 2006?

I want to make it an agreeable year for me. In the best of terms, I'd like to take everything and, bam, change the way I feel, way I am. 2006 will be the year I take that thought and run with it.

--Finally, give us a message for your fans.

Thank you for reading this interview to the end. I talked about the way I feel now, and the way I think about my "Anthology" albums. Regarding the new album, definitely give it a chance. I think that people who understand the album will, in turn, find that the album understands them back. I'd like to continue singing about the real feelings of people in 2006, whether those feelings are happy, sad, or regretful. And that's both in concert and on my albums.

I'd be happy just knowing that I was able to reach the people reading this interview with my words, melodies, and songs. Someday I'd like to meet you all. I'm not sure where, but maybe at a show!

Well then, until then!

Profile:

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Born February 22, 1968 in Tokyo, Japan, Shun Someya grew up receiving special education for talented piano students. At 17 he was shocked after hearing rock n' roll on the radio, and at that point awakened to his own power of song. While having his doubts about the classical music world, he enrolled in the piano department of Musashino University.

In 1990, Shun Someya was selected as the top musician from among 10 entrants to the school's graduation performance. After graduating, however, he moved farther away from the piano, eventually forming the rock band "Undercovers." At their break-up performance (after two years working as a band), Someya was spotted by a recording director, and decided to continue solo.

On April 10, 1993, Someya released his debut single "Gakeppuchi no Shonen" on Epic Sony Records (now Epic Records). He ultimately released five albums and eleven singles over the seven years he spent with Epic Sony. In 1999, Someya began performing solo with only piano accompaniment.

In 2000, Shun Someya transferred to an independent record label.

In 2001, Someya embarked on a campaign in addition and in contrast to his singer-songwriter career to express "atmospheres which can't be captured in words." Returning to classical music after having once abandoning it, he breathed new life into the classical world with a new piano instrumental album. With many pieces overflowing with imagery, his original classical compositions were praised as being in league with the classical standards.

He released his tenth full-length album "No Reason To Start" in 2005. Someya began the vocal and piano self-cover "Anthology" series the same year.

To date, Shun Someya has released eighteen albums, twelve singles, and two videos. He performs scores of concerts over a single year, and his performances have become crucial to understanding the power of Shun Someya. The highlight of his performance is witnessing him banging out passionate and meaningful rock music on the keyboard while simultaneously carrying the lyrical melody. Shun Someya is one of the few artists able to sincerely and reliably release works of love and bravery. We look forward to seeing what he creates in the future.

His next concert is set for February 22, 2006. February will also see the release of his next album, "Anthology VII."