Sphere released their 10th Anniversary Album on the 8th of May titled 10s.

After a year and a half to recharge themselves, Sphere returned in February with a concert at Maihama Amphitheatre titled LAWSON presents Sphere 10th Anniversary Live 2019 Ignition. With the title of Ignition, they start their engines going into their 10th year.

For this album, all 4 members contributed lyrics to the lead song titled Music Power→!!!! as well as working with JAM Project for a new song Hagane no Victress with JAM Project. There’s also songs focusing on each individual member with CITRUS*FLAG, My Sweet Words, SPOTLIGHT and Partage. Natalie also interviewed members of this group during in after a year and a half break, and asking the members of Sphere about their new songs and themselves going forward.

This is the second of five parts in an interview translated from Natalie.

It has to be the four of us

I can feel a strong will in Tomatsu’s lyrics at the second A melo.

Tomatsu: I really wanted to add the words “It has to be the four of us.” 10 years ago when it was announced Sphere would be formed. In an interview shortly after, I jokingly said that “if we’re a unit, it has to be the four of us.” (laughs)

That’s really cool.

Tomatsu: Ever since that day I was in change of thinking of lines for us, and it hasn’t changed 10 years later. I wanted to say that now, at this timing so I wrote it as is.

And the baton is once again back to Toyosaki.

Toyosaki: This part reminds me of the manga ONE PIECE. Like the straw hats, we’re always together on a boat chasing down One Piece but, we were scattered at a point of time. Therefore, when we grouped together again, we train ourselves and are more powered-up than before.

Kotobuki: Sphere is actually a Shonen Jump manga. (laughs)

Toyosaki: It’s very absurd to compare us to One Piece in the first place but, during our recharge period the 4 of us went our own ways, we put the time we’d normally use for Sphere for ourselves. It’s thanks to Sphere we got to reach certain heights but of course there are certain heights we cannot achieve in Sphere. Therefore the views we saw while we were recharging was all very interesting, and just hearing it sounds really fun. Ideally for us to continue as Sphere for a longer duration, we have to find different experiences for ourselves.

Kotobuki: After receiving Haru-chan and Aki-chan’s lyrics, I felt “meeting” was an ideal word. It also means having all of us back together again, the fans included. Also the word sphere itself has a meaning, using a ring as an image, ever since we formed as a unit we want to “increase the sphere of influence of Sphere.” With rino adding lyrics that says “the rising of the curtain” but actually read as story in the lyrics, we realised that sort of pattern coming out. So I felt that it’s

Toyosaki: rino-ism, right?


Kotobuki: Yes, we were influenced by rino-ism and use connected by the loop (ring) of smiles and meeting together.

Takagaki: When Mina-chan wrote “meeting”, I felt like one of the meaning was the live itself. During Sphere lives, I strongly feel it is where the fans and us make something together. We can feel their passion, and we have to respond to that, so it feels like us communicating and bettering each other. As if we’re playing catch-ball with energy amongst us.

Tomatsu: That’s how the live felt yeah?

Takagaki: Yes yes. Therefore, I feel like we should keep that image going forward, that’s why I wrote “with you, we can definitely resonate” as lyrics. At the same time it connects with Aki-chan’s first B melo that says “will it reach them.” And with our return, I respond with “we’ll definitely be fine”.

Caught up to the ideal Sphere image

Music Power→!!!!, to put it simply, will be a great song. For a vocal group it is a song with an amazingly high quality.

Everyone: Thank you!

Kotobuki: The arrangement in very gorgeous, and we even recorded live brass for this.

Toyosaki: Sphere’s first live rapper.

Takagaki: Also for the music rino makes, it feels as if you’re telling a story.

Kotobuki: Yes, the melody makes it feel so.

Toyosaki: Whenever rino makes music for Sphere, it’s like it belongs to someone with a lot of inner strength.

Takagaki: Like “Even if we’re not sharp, we’ll break through”.

Toyosaki: Or “Changing so that we won’t change”. All the until that rino has made until now for Sphere, to us, it feels like she has an ideal Sphere image. It makes us want to do better. This time however, since we made the lyrics together, we feel that we have gotten closer to this ideal image that rino has painted of Sphere.

Tomatsu: That’s right.

Takagaki: Reading the lyrics again, Sphere writes the lyrics like a relay race and in response, rino’s answer can be found in the chorus. For example, “it’s okay to be you.” Therefore you can read it in many ways, and I want to see how the fans would read the meaning behind this song, and I’m looking forward to it very much.

Source: Natalie