[Honey’s Anime Interview] halca - singer of Romantic Manifest insert song in the movie Kaguya-sama: Love is War - The First Kiss That Never Ends

This is the first time I meet with you. Can you tell me about the name halca? What does it mean, and how did you come up with it?

Hi, nice to meet you. This is halca. Thank you for having me today. “Haruka” is a very popular gender-neutral name here in Japan, so I wanted to make it more unique by changing the spelling. I like how it looks written like that.

What inspired you to pursue a music career? How did you realize you could sing and that you wanted to be a singer?

I’ve loved singing from a very young age. I used to roll the windows of the car down to sing or pretend the shower head was my microphone. When I was in elementary school, we had a singing exam and I was thrilled to have our music teacher compliment me on my singing. I had many interests but I was usually complimented on my singing, which made me want to become a singer.

Who are your favorite artists nowadays? Can you share with us some songs from your playlist?

I like the number 7 because I was born on July 7. So, I chose 7 songs!

1. Panic! At The Disco - Victorious
2. Machine Gun Kelly - my ex's best friend
3. Machine Gun Kelly - emo girl (feat. WILLOW)
4. Waterparks - Numb
5. Waterparks - Watch What Happens Next
6. blackbear - gfy
7. Måneskin - FEEL

You have worked on many anime songs. Most recently you released "Romantic Manifest" which is an insert song in the movie Kaguya-sama: Love is War - The First Kiss That Never Ends. This song has a very sweet and delicate melody, but also very powerful vocals. Was this song difficult to record? Can you share with us your routine of practicing singing and maintaining your voice healthy?

Thank you!!! I'm very happy!

This time, I sang the A, B, and D melodies in a mumbled way, and the chorus in a powerful way. Usually, I sing the B melody with a bit of excitement to create a gradation toward the chorus, but this time I left the excitement to the background music, so I sang in a low voice to keep the balance.

I wanted to bring some oomph to the chorus, but it was hard to do that without sounding like an entirely different person! I tried to express in my singing voice, in line with the music and the lyrics, how I went from being confused about my first love to changing that feeling to love and growing as a human being!

I didn't try to practice singing too much! But I think I paid more attention to details than others. To memorize a song, I repeat it first, and most of the time that's all I need to do to learn it quickly, but for melodies that are varied or have unexpected movements, I use my iPad to mark the lyrics with lines or marks so I can be aware of them!

Once I think I have memorized the melody of the guide perfectly, I don't listen to it anymore. Because if I'm too conscious of trying to match the correct pitch, I end up sounding like a robot!

After I have learned the melody, I sing it like karaoke while listening to the orchestra without the synth melody, or hum the melody while doing other things, and just let myself get used to it. After singing a lot, I get into the habit of singing, so when I'm comfortable with the song, I re-read the lyrics. Then I pay attention to the meaning and make sure to sing it in a way that balances the feelings of the song.

Then, on the day of recording, the director and writers give me advice on how to bring the image they have in their mind and in everyone else's mind closer together!

As for keeping my voice healthy, I don't usually do anything special! About 2.3 days before a recording session or a live concert, I put on a moisturizing mask before going to bed! (In Japan, there is a "Nodo Nuru Nuru Nuru Mask," but are there any convenient products like this overseas as well?)

I also take a product called Throat Coat. I started drinking it because I heard that it is good for the throat. I recommend it because it is slightly sweet and smells good!

When I feel my voice is not in good shape or I am worried about it, I lick NIN JIOM throat lozenges or syrups! I found out about all of these after I started working here, as they were recommended to me by my seniors and staff!

I also try not to play games! lol. I get so excited when I play games that I end up screaming, and I love it, but I try to do it in moderation! (laughs)

You just released your second album titled “nolca solca” on January 25, 2023. Congratulations! Can you tell us about the ideas behind the title of the album? And how was the creative and recording process of it?

Thank you!

There is a Japanese phrase, "Noruka Soruka". It means "to leave success or failure to the heavens, and to do things with all one's heart. It is mainly used when you are going to take a gamble."

For three years before we made our second album, every time we made a single, we would say to ourselves, "This is the one to beat, so let's go for it!" and we encouraged each other while working hard on sound source production and live performances. This is of course the case with this album as well, so I thought this was the perfect phrase.

And this sounds and looks like a pun!(laughs).

As I mentioned earlier about my artist name, when naming a song, album title, or anything else, I always try to keep in mind the letters and the sound of the name.

halca nolca solca, I thought it was cute and stylish when I put them all together, and I really like it!

We started discussing the new songs for this album at the beginning of November, and we had to master and complete the album by mid-November, so we were on a very tight and hard schedule! But we made sure to meet and discuss each and every song in person, remotely, or via email!

This was not only in the production of the songs, but also in the shooting of the jackets and music videos!

The album is a collection of fun songs, cool songs, sad songs, cute songs, and various other songs, and we wanted to express the jumble of various things in a pop and cute way. I told the art director, "I want to express the messiness of all these things in a cute, pop-like way!" The result is an impressive jacket with various accessories attached and a skirt that spreads wide!

The designer came up with several ideas for the title logo, and they were all so stylish and cute that I had a hard time deciding which one to use! If you look closely, you can see "halca nolca solca" written along my body.

In the music video for "Romantic Manifesto," I played the role of "halca" in a scenario where I have a lover and "halca" in another scenario where I have a crush on someone. Because I wore the same costumes and were in the same situations, it was difficult to express their feelings of excitement and depression with their facial expressions and the way they walked only!

Before the shooting, I was most afraid of the scene where we were wearing short sleeves and eating ice cream at the beach in the middle of winter, but the weather was fine, so I was surprisingly fine.

...but there were other challenges.

The lyrics of the song were "You and me, white breath, romantic when we overlap", so I told the director that I wanted to include a scene of her cold white breath in the music video, and it was chosen!

It was quite difficult to capture the white breath on camera, and I had to make it come out more clearly and in larger quantities than it was visible to the eye, so I put boiling water in my mouth before shooting the scene. It was quite an ordeal for me because I hate to put hot stuff in my mouth as it burns my tongue! I was happy to see my white breath in the finished music video!

You wrote the lyrics for the 3rd song of your album titled “weather through”. Can you tell us about your writing process? What are the themes and emotions you wanted to express in this song?

In my case, the melody comes first, and then I write the lyrics to go with it.

Since this album was an important milestone for me, I wanted to write songs that would resonate with others. I started writing this song because I wanted to encourage people around me and myself by saying, "I'm sure it's just the weather," and lighten their hearts when things go wrong.

I do this job because I love to sing, but there are days when I just don't feel like it. There are days when I have to laugh even if I am not happy, and other days when I want to be passionate but have to stay cool.

I think this feeling can be applied not only to me, but to anyone who works hard at something, such as baking sweets, drawing, sports, and many other things.

Even if there are days when you don't feel good, it is not a lie that you are doing your best and that you love it. It's not your fault or anyone else's fault, so let's just blame it on the weather.

To sum it up simply, "Take it easy♪"!

What are your favorite things to do when you are not working?

I look forward to wearing my favorite perfume and going shopping for clothes and makeup♪

I have a smell fetish, so I love any fragrance! I used to buy mostly fruity scents, but recently I've started liking herbal scents as well, which has broadened my range. I would love to make my own perfume someday!

Wearing my favorite clothes makes me feel excited and confident in both my private and professional life, so I try to collect my favorite things☆.

I enjoy looking at cosmetics, trying on different things and finding what suits me best! I'm finally getting better at it, so I'd like to continue my exploring makeup and try new looks that will make me look like a different person!

My future goal is to be able to do haircuts and hair arrangements! I'm clumsy, so I'll work on it little by little! (laughs)

Can you tell us more about your plans for the year 2023?

I'm going on tour for the first time!

This will be my first time performing with a full band!

All of the songs I've released so far have a low, raspy sound, and I think I have a rough singing style, so a live band sound will be perfect!

The shows are still some time ahead, 4/29 in Osaka, 4/30 in Aichi, and 5/6 in Tokyo, but I'm looking forward to them!

I hope you all come to our shows if any of you reading this are planning to come to Japan! Doing a world tour is one of my dreams so I hope to see you when that comes true!

I’m counting on your continuing support.

Thank you very much٩٩_(*>▽<*)۶

WOW!! those are very exciting news!

Thank you for talking with me and giving me all these insights about your music, and your life. Hopefully we'll have you here again in the future.