[Honey’s Anime Interview] SennaRin - Multi-talented singer of "SAIHATE”, the ending theme song BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War

What inspired you to pursue a music career? Did you always dream of being a singer, or was it something you realized you were interested in later on?

I’ve always loved singing, and in my first year of high school, I started posting J-pop cover videos on YouTube out of curiosity about how many people my voice could reach. I had a complex about my low voice, but the warm comments I received from fans made me feel better about that, and knowing that there were people encouraging me made me want to continue singing. I wasn’t planning to pursue a music career, but when an opportunity arrived to make my debut with a song produced by Hiroyuki Sawano, I decided to give it a try. Incidentally, I had been listening to his music for a long time, so it felt like fate!

As an Illustrator, how do you describe your style? And what are your main sources of inspiration?

I don’t make any drafts; I simply draw without thinking. I draw inspiration from the music I’m given, giving shape to the images that I see in the melodies.

As a lyricist, are there certain themes or recurring elements that you want to put forth with your music?

When I’m writing lyrics, I think about my own world. That is, rather than trying to express the world at large, I try to express my own, far narrower world. On the other hand, I focus on using words with multiple interpretations and include a few phrases that make the listener think, “What does she mean by that?”

You are credited as the lyrics writer of the song “melt”. Can you tell us about your ideas, motivations and writing process for the lyrics of this song?

When I first listened to the music, I had the impression of a vague kindness. My image was similar to when you’re lying in bed at night thinking because you’re unable to fall asleep. It’s a fuzzy feeling like you’re floating in space, or at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by air and water. I tried to express that image through the lyrics.

I was also allowed to watch the tie-up movie Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These - Gekitotsu, and I felt the hero’s anguish and witnessed their fight. “Where there is light, there is shadow. The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.” I was thinking of that aspect of the situation when I was writing the lyrics.

Finally, with the help of Mr. Sawano and cAnON, I was able to get it more in line with the anime’s setting.

You have recently released your new single “SAIHATE” which is the ending theme song BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War. Can you tell us which elements of the anime series inspired you to create this song's lyrics?

When I wrote the lyrics, I imagined Ichigo, Zangetsu, and Ichigo’s inner hollow falling and grasping at each other in the spirit world. As I continued reading the story, the idea that your spirit world = your Zanpakuto and your own world became very important to me. So, while Ichigo, Zangetsu, and the inner hollow are of course important elements of the song, so are Yhwach and Zanpakutos. In fact, the anime’s ED video focuses on Zanpakutos, and I was very happy to see the link between my music and the world of Bleach!

I tried to incorporate my image of Bleach into the lyrics, that everything is connected in a circle, and that I found my ending at the farthest edge (the “saihate”). However, I don’t want to discuss my interpretation and set it in stone. I’d rather the listeners find different elements in the lyrics and interpret them as they wish. That is the correct answer for this song!

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

Going for walks! I sometimes walk in the park next to the station late at night and take the first train to a prefecture I’ve never been to before. I also like to watch movies. I sometimes watch four or five on my days off. I especially like movies about the end of the world.

Can you tell us what is in the works for the rest of 2022 and next year?

In 2023, I’d like to perform both in Japan and abroad. If you have the opportunity, please come see me!

I'll come see you and invite everyone I know!