AI Talks Collaborating With Zedd for ‘Dragonball DAIMA’ Ending Theme & Plans for 25th Anniversary

With the 25th anniversary of her debut rapidly approaching, AI has announced various tie-ins and collaborations starting in November 2024. Her latest song is “NAKAMA,” the ending theme to the latest anime series Dragonball DAIMA. AI has loved the Dragonball series since she was a young girl, and she talked with Billboard Japan about everything from her love for the series to her collaboration with EDM titan Zedd on the series’ ending theme and her other experiences working with overseas artists. She also revealed her plans for her 25th anniversary year and her somewhat surprising outlook on the future.

The Dragonball franchise includes comics, movies, TV series, and more. How did you first connect with it?

AI: I think my first exposure to Dragonball was with the comics, but what made the strongest impression on me was the TV series. I’m part of the generation that grew up with it. I watched it the whole time it was on TV. At one point I moved overseas, so I lost contact with it, but then they started making movies. It must have been like the number one or two thing I was into as a kid.

How did you feel when you found out you’d be working on “NAKAMA,” the ending theme of Dragonball DAIMA?

AI: At first, my team just said something like, “This is Dragonball DAIMA, a new series that will be coming out soon,” and they showed me a video. I saw it while on the road, and I was just saying “Wow” as I watched it. My manager then said, “You’ll be doing the ending song,” and the minute he said it, the tears started falling from my eyes (laughs). I’d loved Dragonball since I was a kid, and I was so happy, I was like “Whaaaa?” It’s not just me. I think everyone loves Dragonball. I’m not the type of person who talks a lot about what they like, but it seems the team knew (laughs).

So there’s a sharp contrast between you and Zedd, your collaborator on “NAKAMA.” He’s made his love for Dragonball very public, even posting pictures of himself in Dragonball cosplay on his social media.

AI: That’s right. I’m the kind who watches from a distance (laughs). It’s like I love it so much that it’s holy, so I don’t dare to touch it.

How did the actual process of making the music go?

AI: Right after it was decided that I’d be working on the ending theme, Zedd happened to come to Japan, so we met and we talked about what kind of song we should write. Then a while after he went back to the U.S., he sent a video of him playing solo piano. I was really impressed, thinking “this chord progression has a wonderful feel.” It wasn’t just a bright and cheery song, but had the feeling of an ending song.

What did you focus on when writing the lyrics?

AI: I love Dragonball as much as anyone, so when I wrote the lyrics I thought about the fans who had watched and loved Dragonball through the years.

Zedd pays a lot of attention to the details of songs—the tone, the nuances of the sound, and the like. Was it hard working together with him?

AI: No, not at all. On the contrary, he was quick to give his okay (laughs). On top of that, the song he wrote was really easy to put Japanese lyrics to. I actually found matching English lyrics to the song a lot harder.

This was your first time working with Zedd, but you’ve collaborated with a lot of overseas artists before, right? Which stand out the most in your memory?

AI: The first name that springs to mind is, of course, Chaka Khan. She’s very down to earth. Like, I offhandedly said something like “I’d love to get a Grammy someday,” and she said “That’s easy.” For Chaka, that’s what getting a Grammy must be like. She doesn’t brag or act arrogant. I think it’s just that for her, the message and the heartfelt feeling of the music is more important than any kind of award. I think that’s what moves her.

Is there a big difference between Chaka the singer and Chaka behind the scenes?

AI: No, not at all. She has the least gap between the two. She’s always like that, and she carries around this huge fan and is like “Heyyyy!”

But you have a similarly broad-minded personality. It seems like you two could really talk at the same level.

AI: That’s because she’s so accommodating. It’s because of the way she is, because she’s such as great person. I have so much respect for her that I get a bit nervous and I can’t really approach her. But she’s very outgoing and approaches me, so our conversations just keep rolling (laughs). I saw her at a Billboard Live show before we sang “One More Try” together. I was wearing these really long rings at the time, which covered my entire fingers. She saw them, and she lifted my hand up in the air and stared at them and said “Wowww!!” I thought that if she liked them so much, I wanted her to have them, so I gave them to her (laughs). At her show, when she came out on stage and started singing, I just started crying. It wasn’t even a sad song or anything. Her voice was just so powerful. When I was a little kid, my parents loved Chaka Khan, too, and my mom even went to her shows, so I had all these memories. I have a lot of interesting stories about Chaka.

Who else has made a big impression on you, besides Chaka?

AI: Boyz II Men, who I collaborated with on “Incomplete,” were amazing. Their voices were truly angelic. Watching their recording session taught me so much. The way they joined in chorus, the freedom with which they let their voices roam, and each of their voices, they were all wonderful. They had this strong sense of stability. They could go airy, or belt out really bold vocals, and deftly switch between them. I think I learned more from them than any other session. Trey Songz is also a genius. He was still young when I met him, but he was a great kid. When we recorded “Beautiful (Remix)” together, he was already well-known in the U.S. but relatively unknown in Japan. He can write music, he can sing, and he can even do sound engineering. He can do it all. I remember really feeling the love he had for R&B.

What about Snoop Dogg?

AI: On our “Let It Go” collaboration, Snoop and I recorded separately, but then it was decided that we’d film the video together, and I was like “Really?” So I went to LA and got ready and waited. I was wearing this tight, uncomfortable dress and these high heels, waiting for him. He didn’t come until like six hours later. That’s really true to form for Snoop, but I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, so I was there waiting to tell him off when he comes in and says “The song was great, but that’s not all, your voice is great, too.” With that, I was like “I love this guy” (laughs). He’s generous with praise. So my anger faded, and ultimately we had fun filming the music video together (laughs).

I would have thought the Jacksons would have made the biggest impression on you.

AI: That experience had me so nervous. For me, the Jacksons are the very pinnacle. They’re like Dragonball. They’re just beyond imagining. Like, these are not people I could ever actually meet.

In the MUSIC ON! TV “AI Miss MICHAEL JACKSON – The Miracle of the King of Pop” series, you went to the U.S. and filmed the Jacksons. It covered a really long span of time. I doubt there has ever been, or will ever be, another Japanese person who has gotten such an up close and personal look at the Jacksons.

AI: It was really long. Really long, and the schedule was really tight. I had to make sure not to be inadvertently rude to anyone, but there were also so many things I wanted to ask. There were a lot of people who shared really genuine stories and stories I’d never heard before. It was just one moving experience after the next.

That’s what led to your recording “Letter in the Sky” with them, right?

AI: I just wanted to run away. It was all too much for me. I felt like I was unfit to even deal with them. The show was about exploring the roots of the Jacksons after Michael Jackson’s death. I met his brothers during the filming of the show, and things just took off from there. They said “We’re going to be performing at a tribute event. Why not come sing with us?”

On your RESPECT ALL album, which came out last year, you sang Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” You also performed the song in the “Lasting Peace” project at the G7 Hiroshima Summit. I’m sure you’ve loved this song for years but what led you to want to sing it now?

AI: When the decision was made that I would be singing at the G7 Hiroshima Summit, I wanted to share a message with the world. I thought a message of peace would be good, so I wanted to sing with a chorus of children. I was going to sing “Aldebaran,” “Not So Different,” and then I wanted to sing a cover song, so I came up with a list of candidates. I didn’t want a song with a big, lofty message, like “Let’s change the world, let’s do this or that.” I wanted a song that was more about the ups and downs we have in our lives, a song that was like a dialogue. I felt that this song was the one that was closest to my own spirit. It didn’t sound like a lecture, but instead was the message that I wanted to share the most. I also thought that it’s a wonderful song that would contribute to peace. Then we started talking about recording it, and I decided to perform it to a simple piano accompaniment.

I see. You sang with a children’s choir on “Lean On Me,” but on your tour you also led a gospel chorus, and on your best hits album, Kansha!!!!! – Thank You for 20 Years New and Best, you included gospel versions of songs. Do you feel that when you go back to your roots, you go back to gospel?

AI: Yes. I love gospel. I love that assembly of voices. That power. Gospel isn’t just sung in a straightforward way, it uses all these different techniques, and hearing them just gets you so excited.

I get the impression that when you sing in English, there’s a bit more freedom and a bit more of a relaxed feeling. What do you think?

AI: When it comes to speaking, my Japanese is better, but when I’m singing, for some songs, English is easier to pronounce and it fits better with the music. But there are also songs which only work in Japanese, so it really comes down to the individual song.

It’s going to be your 25th anniversary soon. Do you have any plans?

AI: Yes, I’m going on tour and I’m going to put out an album.

One of the things I vividly remember from a previous time interview was that you said “I want to win a Grammy. I’m going to win one.” Do you still feel the same way?

AI: Yes, I want to get a Grammy. That desire hasn’t changed. But I think that when I said that, I wanted a Grammy as a demonstration of my ability. I picked it simply because it was the most famous award. I felt like I had to do a lot of different things while I was still young. Nowadays, I don’t feel that need to rush. But, of course, since I said I was going to go win a Grammy, I will. I want to take care of everything on my bucket list. But it doesn’t have to be right this moment. I’ve still got my health and energy, so I think I’ve got time (laughs).

What are your long-term goals?

AI: Right now I’m focusing on my children. It’s pretty hard work. It’s shaken up everything—what I write, what I say, what I do, my attitude, my rhythm. I don’t think there’s any experience like it. It’s like really hard but rewarding training. Like I’m a monk going through ascetic training (laughs). It’s like you break yourself completely down and then the question is how you’re going to rebuild yourself. To be honest, I really don’t think about the 25th anniversary of my debut. It’s just the people around me who are focused on it. So much so, actually, that when someone first mentioned it, I was like “Oh, really?” (laughs) For me, music is just something that I’ll probably keep on doing forever. I think that’s important. I just live each day, hoping that I’ll make it through with no problems.

—This interview by Hisashi Murakami first appeared on Billboard Japan

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