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J-pop singer-songwriters Miliyah Kato and Leo Ieiri sat down with Billboard Japan for its Women in Music interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry. The WIM initiative in Japan launched in 2022 to honor artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work. The first 30 conversations in this series were published in Japan last year as a “Billboard Japan Presents” collection by writer Rio Hirai, who moderates this conversation between the two popular artists.

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Ieiri and Kato are both set to perform at Billboard Japan’s Women In Music Vol. 2 concert on Feb. 8, along with the Tokyo Philharmonic Billboard Classics Orchestra led by Yukari Saito as conductor. While the styles of the two singers vary greatly, they share a common ground in the way they both delve deeply into their inner selves to sublimate what’s there into their music. In this conversation, Ieiri and Kato got to know each other better ahead of their upcoming WIM concert as they opened up about their mindsets on songwriting and their respective careers.

Tell us how you felt when you were asked to perform at Billboard Japan’s Women in Music Vol. 2 concert, and what you have in store for the show.

Miliyah Kato: The purpose of this concert, women’s empowerment, is something I’ve always valued like a mission throughout my career. I was happy to be tapped to do it and could immediately imagine the way I’d feel when I stood on that stage. It’ll be my first time performing with an orchestra at Tokyo Dome City Hall, and performing with Ms. Ieiri is also special, so I think we’ll be able to add further breadth to our show.

Leo Ieiri: This is actually our first time meeting each other, but when I heard that my collaborator would be Miliyah san, I was surprised and so happy at the same time. I went to an all-girls school and all of my classmates at the time loved your songs. I never thought I’d have an opportunity to work with you and am so honored.

Miliyah: I guess you’re a bit younger than me? I recognized you as an artist with a fresh, wonderful voice, and I think we share something in common in that we both create songs by digging into our personal sides. I feel close to people who can share their dark sides like that.

Leo: Thank you so much. After all, it’s pretty much a given that the experience of falling in love or having feelings for someone could end up hurting you, right? When my soul was still childish, I couldn’t stand that hurt and songs would be born from there. As I’ve gotten older and gone through more experiences, I’ve come to understand that loving someone includes that hurt. I want to convey such changes in a woman’s mindset and growth through my songs.

I listened to your song “Aitai” in my school days, and when I listen to it again as an adult, it sounds so fresh and I can tell that it describes a different state of mind compared to the lyrics you write now. A female artist who has built her own history like that is so great.

Miliyah: Thank you. I made my debut in my teens and spent my 20s and 30s as a singer, and feel that my songs reflect the way I live my life and how I spend my days. I don’t think I’m great just because I’ve been doing this for a long time, but I’ve been able to do this for so long because of the people who listen to my music, and that’s something to be very thankful for. So I want to show my gratitude by creating places where people can have fun, like concerts.

Ms. Kato, you mentioned that the empowerment of women has been like a mission in your career. Have you always felt this way?

Miliyah: I became a singer by singing about things that were bothering me. My third single, “Dear Lonely Girl,” came out when I was 16. I was in high school at the time, and I hated grownups. [Laughs] I hated being judged so much, but I didn’t understand myself, either, and felt kind of lonely. When I sang about how I felt with bleached blonde hair, it turned out a lot of girls around me could relate. It felt like people noticed my existence, and I realized, “This is what I should sing about,” and felt it was my mission to encourage women through my songs. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

Leo: That’s so cool. I’ve never really been too aware of empowering women before. I’ve always thought that there’s an infinite number of identities other than female and male, and that there’s no gender difference in how a person feels. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I became aware of my female identity in a new way. I think it was during what they call the “quarter-life crisis,” when I was trying to figure out how I should live from then on. More of my friends were getting married or having kids, so the awareness came naturally. But I think the melodies that come from such shifting emotions and casual daily life resonate with people the most, so I want to keep singing songs like that.

Miliyah: Now that I’m in my 30s, I think my way of thinking has changed so much that it’s hard to believe. Women in particular go through ups and downs because of the changes in their hormones or life stages. But if you stop and look back on your life, I’m sure you’ll see you did your best during each decade. I faced myself seriously from moment to moment and the results are evident in my music.

Leo: That’s so true. I’m 29 now, and I’ve been looking really forward to hitting my thirties, and hearing you say that just now makes me feel more strongly about it. I’ve included parts of myself that are embarrassing and weak in my songwriting, and as I grow older, I sometimes look back on the things I made in the past and wonder why I was thinking that way at the time. But they prove I’ve been opening the door to my heart and making music seriously. I sometimes sing songs written by other people, which is also really fun, but I’m set on continuing to write my own lyrics as well.

We women accumulate personas, don’t we? To marry or not, to have kids or not… there are so many paths and so many roles that we’re forced to take on. How we maintain our identity in the midst of all that is important. Looking at your Instagram, I’m struck by how energetic you are. You work out stoically, yet you also enjoy shaved ice and whatnot as a treat for yourself. It helps me see that people who keep moving ahead have two sides, taking time to be strict and easy with themselves as needed.

Miliyah: Oh wow, you’ve checked out my account? [Laughs] Yes, I think being up for a challenge in life is definitely more interesting. There are people who want to pursue beauty, and there are people who want to live a simple life without luxuries, and it doesn’t matter what you take on as a challenge.

I say I want to empower people, but that desire might make me unwittingly use strong words and that could make the recipient think they need to achieve something big. But that’s not what I really want to get across. I think living is also about how much you end up liking yourself over the course of your life. We all have our own hang-ups and it’s impossible to force yourself to keep working hard all the time. But everyone is equally capable of taking on a challenge. If you keep challenging yourself, no matter how small, I think you’ll come to like yourself even more than you do now.

Like you said, women experience changes in their environment and their sensibilities depending on the stages in their lives. Is there anything you both value in order to continue your singing career for a long time and in a healthy way?

Miliyah: Well, I think what I value is the sense of trying to be strong, even if I can’t always be strong. As a solo artist, I’m the only one who bears the brunt, but behind the scenes I’m being supported by my staff and fans. So in order to be the kind of person that everyone wants to follow, I want to stay strong, cheerful, and energetic. I can stay strong even when things make me nervous because I never forget that.

Leo: I think all human beings are actually weak. Men and women are equal in mind, but their bodies are inevitably built differently. So the inclinations stemming from those differences led to women being forced in the home, into weaker positions at certain points in history. When you find yourself in such positions, it’s up to you to choose whether you live your life feeling sorry for yourself, or thrive because you don’t want people to feel sorry for you. I think Ms. Kato is a really strong person who believed in herself and walked with a sense of mission no matter what position she found herself in.

There was a time when I thought I wasn’t cut out for a career in music and wanted to quit. At that time, I helped out at a nursery school, partly because I like picture books. But when I spent some time in another field, I was able to look at my own situation objectively. I realized I liked to sing after all and returned. I don’t know if I’m suited for it or not, but I couldn’t pretend that I don’t love it.

Hearing that you felt conflicted like that even though you’re so successful comes as a surprise. What advice would you both give yourself when you were just getting started in your career? In particular, Ms. Kato, you debuted when you were just 16. What did worry about back then?

Miliyah: In the first year of my career, I was like 100 times bolder than I am now. [Laughs]  Lacking experience and ability, I was bold out of ignorance. But if I could speak to myself from back then, I’d probably say, “You don’t have to worry so much.” Unlike today, social media wasn’t as widespread, and maybe things were easier in that sense, but even while being bold, there was a part of me that worried about people’s reactions and thought maybe I’d get in trouble. So I’d tell younger me to just go all out.

Leo: Well, I was desperate to find a way to protect my worldview. I was even afraid of things that people said to me out of kindness, because I felt like they were dismissing who I was. Now I truly want people to tell me what they think because I know that stimulation from the outside is what expands my own world.

But because of that time I spent protecting myself like that, I enjoy meeting people later on in life. You don’t have to try to be so mature, and if you’re afraid, it’s OK to protect yourself. I’d like to say to myself at that time, “If something bad happens to you, try to understand what it is you don’t like about it and let your feelings out.”

—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan

Atarayo, a three-member band that calls itself “a band raised on sadness,” released their new song “I am…” on Jan. 8. It’s been consistently praised for its lyrics, which are delicate depictions of people’s emotions, and its sound, which help highlight the lyrics to even fuller effect. “I am…,” their first release of 2024, was written as the opening theme song for season two of the TV anime The Dangers in My Heart. It’s written from the perspective of the show’s protagonist, reflecting his inner feelings. Billboard Japan spoke with Atarayo about their past and future growth, including their first-ever overseas performance, playing in Taiwan in 2023, about their latest song, and about their plans for future overseas shows.

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In 2023, you played at the ISLAND’s LA RUE Music & Arts Festival in Taiwan. What was it like playing a show outside Japan for the first time?

Hitomi (vocals and guitar): At first, I was really nervous, but the audience was really engaged, and everyone sang along in Japanese. That blew me away. Japanese audiences almost never sing along with us, they listen intently. The Taiwanese audience was different. There was a real sense of oneness with the crowd. It was really fun.

Takeo (bass): At first, I was pretty nervous, too, but then when we actually started playing, the audience’s vibe was great.

Marcy (guitar): Yeah, everyone was filming with their phones, but they were really into the show. There was a real sense of freedom. It felt very different from Japan, and it was a ton of fun. The stage was huge, too. When we were checking out the venue the day before, I idly wondered what the place would look like totally packed, but the on the day of the show the audience was really big.

Did experiencing your first show outside of Japan give you a stronger desire to play overseas more?

Hitomi: Yeah, it was a great experience seeing how warmly we were welcomed. After playing the festival in Taiwan, we got offers from other countries in Asia, saying “Come play here, too.” If there’s that much of an audience who wants to see us, I’d love to actively perform more overseas.

You recently released “I am…,” your first release of 2024. It’s the opening theme for the second season of the anime The Dangers in My Heart. What kind of concept did you have going into the writing process?

Hitomi: First off, since it’s the opening theme song, we wanted it to have a lot of energy. As for the lyrics, the anime’s producers asked that we write the song from the perspective of the show’s protagonist, Kyotaro Ichikawa, so we always kept that in mind as we worked on the song. I’d read the comic the show is based on, so when writing the lyrics, I imagined what kind of poem Ichikawa would write if he were to write a poem. There’s actually a scene in the show where he writes a poem, and my own personal impression is that people who write poems have something buried deep inside. Ichikawa must have a lot inside that he thinks but doesn’t say out loud, so I thought about how he’d express that if he put it to music. Ichikawa’s feelings are especially reflected in the first verse.

What kind of character do you see Ichikawa as?

Hitomi: Hmm…kind of difficult and stubborn (laughs). He has these ideals and things he wants to do, but he just can’t fully accept himself and his ideas for what they are. However, in season two, he gradually comes to accept himself more.

What are your feelings on The Dangers in My Heart itself?

Hitomi: It’s not just a simple, straightforward romance anime. There are a lot of lines that really get you, emotionally, in its depictions of how Ichikawa grows as a person. When I read it, I had a lot of insights myself.

Marcy: When I read it, I just thought, “Man, I’m jealous. I wish a beautiful girl like that was in love with me when I was that age” (laughs).

Hitomi: You’re too honest (laughs).

Marcy: But, seriously, in the song, there are two guitar solos, which represent the relationship between Ichikawa and his love interest. We wrote the song so that its whole sound — both its highs and its lows — depict Ichikawa’s own feelings.

Takeo, what do you think about The Dangers in My Heart?

Takeo: I sympathize with Ichikawa.

Hitomi: Ichikawa’s a lot like Takeo (laughs). Sometimes, looking at Ichikawa, I’m like “Is this Takeo?”

Takeo: Both Hitomi and Marcy were telling me that, so I read the comic, and there were all these times where I found myself thinking, “I get it, Ichikawa. I know exactly how you feel” (laughs).

I feel like the lyrics to “I am…” depict a real sense of change, as epitomized by the line “It’s like I’m no longer me.” In your activities as Atarayo, have there been any changes of your own that have surpassed your own expectations?

Hitomi: Ichikawa’s own changes are changes for the better. Through his interactions with Anna Yamada he discovers parts of himself that he wasn’t previously aware of. I’ve felt the same about myself. I was really shy and withdrawn when I was little. Now, I’m standing on stage, singing in front of people. That’s because these two people changed me. I’m still scared to get up on stage sometimes, but I think if we keep on as a band, I’ll grow even more bold, and one day the me that’s up there on stage will be one that I didn’t even realize was in me. That’ll probably change our live performances and how we express ourselves, too.

Marcy: During our shows, I used to really look in from the outside, taking a kind of aloof stance, but lately I’ve really been getting absorbed in the shows, and sometimes I find myself sobbing despite myself. I think I get more into the songs now and I’ve become able to play my guitar in a way that better conveys the emotions of the songs to people. Another change is that I couldn’t afford to buy draft beer in the past, but now I can drink it every day (laughs).

(Laughs) Marcy and Takeo, have you seen any changes in Hitomi?

Takeo: Um… Not really (laughs).

Marcy: She’s been the same since we were in school (laughs).

Hitomi: No, I’ve changed! (Laughs) For example, my voice doesn’t tremble during shows anymore. I feel like before I wasn’t able to focus on how to express myself, or on my performance, I was just trying to make it through the show.

Marcy: Yeah, when it comes to music, you’ve changed. Listening back to old demos, your voice was really, how should I say it…green? Very youthful. Now your voice has gotten a lot bolder. Also, the amount of feeling you put in to the lyrics and singing is totally different from our first live shows. It’s not just Hitomi, either. Our legs used to always be trembling when we performed, so that’s been a big change. But our day-to-day lives haven’t really changed, right?  At least, when we go to a bar, nothing’s changed (laughs).

Hitomi: As long as I’m growing musically, that’s enough (laughs).

—This interview by Fumiaki Amano first appeared on Billboard Japan