INTERVIEW: Demon Slayer’s Aimer Lights Up the Entertainment District Arc With Jazz

 

Since her debut in 2011, vocal artist Aimer’s music videos and concerts have taken the world by storm: With her punk-flavored pop/rock compositions and string-based power ballads, Aimer’s astounding vocal range and powerhouse tracks have led to her singles appearing as opening and ending themes for such anime as Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, NieR: Automata Ver1.1a and Vinland Saga.  Her six albums have all made Oricon Albums’ Top 20 list, and her hit “Zankyosanka”—featured as the opening theme for Demon Slayer: Kimestu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc—reached #1 on both Billboard Japan’s HOT 100 as well as DAM’s top-requested karaoke songs.  

 

Yet beneath powerhouse vocals lies a surprising solemnity: Aimer spent the first five years of her career hiding her face from fans. The artist speaks with a quiet intensity, a soft-spoken alto that nevertheless imparts the passion she has for her music, fans and the artists that came before who continue to inspire her art. 

 

In a greenroom backstage beneath LA’s Orpheum Theatre, Crunchyroll had the opportunity to sit down with Aimer before she took the stage for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- world tour to talk about her music, inspirations…and exactly which Avril Lavigne song’s at the top of her playlist.

 

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Crunchyroll: Thanks for speaking with us! Can you introduce yourself to Crunchyroll’s readers?

 

Aimer: My name is Aimer. I debuted in 2011, and two years ago, I celebrated my 10th anniversary of my debut. And I've been very lucky to have performed many songs for anime and anime films.

 

Aimer performing at the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- premiere in Los Angeles' Orpheum Theatre. Image courtesy of Aniplex of America.

 

You famously revealed your face to your fans in 2016,  but your music videos still often hide your appearance—"Zankyosanka’s" music video only shows you in dark profile, for example, and many don’t show you at all. Has your reasoning behind when you do and don’t appear in your videos changed since 2016? 

 

Aimer: The reason I revealed my face in 2016 is that, until my third album, I was creating music that belonged to the world of night: the dark. Then I released my third album DAWN. It was a challenge for myself to express music where the light shines: the world of daylight, something different from the music of Aimer thus far. 

 

That was 5 years after my debut. I also started collaborating with other artists. All of that led me to the decision to reveal my face. I wanted to break my image.

 

The reason I don't show my face in most of my music videos  is because I want my voice to create the world in the mind of the listeners, and I feel that seeing my face attached to my music could be a distraction. So I appear in my music videos, but choose not to show my face too often.

 

From “Zankyosanka” and “Asa ga kuru” in Demon Slayer to “Deep down” in Chainsaw Man, your music videos often portray people who have lost loved ones and are struggling to find them again. How do loss and memory resonate with you in your art?

 

Aimer: My debut song, "Rokutouseino Yoru," was about something that's been lost, something you can never get back, and I've always been drawn to that theme. I started creating music because I want my music to be there for people living with pain, who have a crack in their hearts. So when I make music, I try to keep that in mind.
 

 

Your songs that have appeared in anime openings/endings are often a mix of string-based power ballads layered into punk-flavored pop and rock. Do you feel shows like Demon Slayer or Nier: Automata Ver1.1a lend themselves to specific musical styles or instruments? 

 

Aimer: When I create a song for an anime series, I always try to think about what makes that series unique, and how I can replace and express that uniqueness musically. For example with Demon Slayer, I created a song for the Entertainment District arc. And in it, you see many fireworks in a very Japanese atmosphere. So trying to come up with a way to express that in music, I incorporated brass instruments that I never used before. 

 

For NieR: Automata Ver1.1a, the world created in that game has a sacred, subliminal feel to it. But at the same time, I wanted the song to have a good momentum as an opening song as well. That's why I used both strings and a guitar to achieve it. So I try to choose the instruments that fit each series I work with.

 

Was it challenging using new instruments? 

 

I never used brass in my music before that, and I never used scat in a song intro before, so it was challenging to do that!
 

 

At the beginning of your career, your album Your Favorite Things featured covers of Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston. What artists are impacting your compositions today? 

 

Aimer: There are many, but I'm a fan of old time jazz, so names like Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald come to mind. I love listening to old songs on vinyl,  so I love listening to their vocal styles. At the same time, when Billie Eilish came to Japan, I went to her concert, and I try to stay up to date on pop music as well. Bruno Mars, too!

 

You held your 10th anniversary concert (congratulations!). How have your live performances evolved over the years? What elements of your live performances are special to you? 

 

Aimer: Like I mentioned before, right after my debut, I would intentionally darken the venue so that people couldn't see my face in the live performances. So my performance style in the beginning was that I’d sit on a chair and sing. Singing on two feet was something extraordinary for me, and I couldn't even dream of walking around and interacting with the audience while I sang! 

 

But over the last 10 years, I've seen my fans' reactions to my music in real time during the live performances, and I started to feel that I wanted to enjoy the time with my fans. So now, I can sing and dance with the audience…it comes naturally to me now!

 

Your Twitter announcement stated you would keep singing for as long as possible. What new areas of your music are you hoping to explore? 

 

Aimer: I know that I wouldn't do rap. (laugh) But I'd say that all the anime titles I got to work with really helped me expand my music, and I'm sure the series I will encounter from now on will continue to do so. Looking back, in my debut album, my music heavily relied on piano, and I rarely used guitar. But around the time when I made the choice to reveal my face, I started to use different instruments as well. I think that the works I create songs for will lead me to where I need to go.

 

I'm a fan of Bjork, so I would love to try my hand at something unique like her music. I've done some mixture rock now, but I'd love to do more.

 

So a dark distortion, with a jazz influence? 

 

Aimer: That sounds nice. In terms of chord progression, "Zankyosanka" had rather jazzy chords in it. It would be nice to incorporate the music genres I love into my songs.
 

 

Alright, rapid-fire questions! First: If you could be any Demon Slayer character, who would it be? 

 

Aimer: Who would I want to be? Oh, I don't know...but I'm scared to fight, so I'll be Zenitsu!

 

What would your demon power be? 

 

Aimer: Attacking the enemy with the power of my song.

 

Avril Lavigne inspired you to pick up guitar in middle school, and you sang background vocals for ONE OK ROCK’s “Listen” featuring Avril Lavigne. What’s your favorite Avril song?

 

Aimer: There is a song called "Anything but Ordinary." I like that song!

 

What’s at the top of your playlist right now?

 

Aimer: All my choices are kind of old-timey... Do you know John Coltrane? His wife is Alice Coltrane, and she is at the top of my list. She sang spiritual jazz.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us! Anything you’d like to say to our readers? 

 

Aimer: I'd love to perform not just in Japan, but all over the world. So if you are interested, I will come to see you, so please come see me!

 

 

David-Christopher Galhea is the Director of Editorial at Crunchyroll. He enjoys tea and quietly reading in the shadow realm. Twitter: @dch_galhea

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