An incredibly powerful single has reached us from MAX, who are now smack in the
middle of their Arena Tour. I asked them about their country-wide tour, which declared
by them ‘Definately fun' and their fufilling new Maxi [single], which was influenced the
four member’s wills, and seems like MAX took the charm and energy of their live stage,
where they give off the most MAX-like sparks and packaged it.
If I calculate the time, it seems as though you would have been working on this
single during your tour rehersal, but...
REINA: That’s true. So it’s very fresh. (laugh) For this single as well, we along with the
staff, did everything from choosign the songs on.
MINA: This was our second time choosing the songs. We listened to around 50 songs,
and this is one chosen from them.
50 songs...you could even make an album with that many...what a number...
REINA: Isn’t it though? (laugh) So, first, everyone had check lists, and we put a check or
a star on the ones we thought were good. And then we’d say ‘This song has 7 checks, so
let’s listen to it again' ect. It took a while, but...
Wasn’t it hard to chose? I’m sure you had a huge variation of songs...
LINA: Ohh...there a lot of great songs....but we were all choosing with the thought of
‘How would this be if the 4 of us did it?' in our minds, so....
REINA: Right, right. There were a lot of songs that were really good, but not MAX. We
decided to dismiss any songs where anyone felt ‘It’s a little wrong...'But it got really
confusing in the middle. (laugh) After all, if you listen to 50 songs, you sort of end up
like ‘Whaaaa....?! (she cracks up)
So what was the deciding factor in the end?
NANA: We were in the middle of tour rehearsal, so we were all in concert mode. So we
all chose thinking about our concert.
MINA: We wanted to release something with a lot of energy, and after all, it is our single
we’re releasing in the middle of our tour. Also, we we’re always really hyper when we do
concerts, so we wanted to be able to give out that power on TV as well. So finally we
decided, ‘Alright! It’s ‘MAGIC'!
When I listened to it for the first time, I really could imagine MAX at your concerts.
NANA: That makes us really happy. That’s always one of our questions when we release
a single. So this time we decided we wanted it to have a feeling like one of our concerts,
to go to the different TV programs like we do our tour, with a nervousness like it was a
one hit fight.
LINA: So we added in our male dancers as well. Something that had the feeling of showy
brilliance and intensity of the moments when we’re on stage during a concert...because
this song it’s self has intensity, but....we want to make something really close to our
concerts.
The lyrics were written by a lyricist this time, but it seems like MAX’s opinions and
feelings are really reflected in it....
REINA: Us members thought of the theme together, and then they wrote it to
communicate that theme. And, there were many versions of the lyrics. Rather than just
asking one person, we asked many different people to write them, and then chose the
ones we liked best.
And you chose something sort of like an extension of your last single ‘Never Gonna
Stop it' It made me think ‘Their personality as MAX is really coming out here.'
MINA: (laugh) Maybe so. The four of us really do have a strong feeling of ‘Let’s go more
and more forward! Higher and higher!'
NANA: We all love cool things, but somehow we all came to want to release something
with a lot of energy. So even though there were many versions of the lyrics, all of which
were good, but in the end we chose these kind of lyrics.
And the coupling songs are...
MAX: Great!! (laugh)
NANA: ‘UNFORGETTABLE'is sung from a man’s point of view, and especially in the
chorus, has a very refreshing feeling. And, the other song, ‘whispers' is...
LINA: A cool song with an R&B flavor. It’s my personal favorite. (laugh) When the four
of us do this today, you’ll be able to see an adult MAX....ah, it just sends chills up me.
(she cracks up)
MINA: I think it’s easy to tell that MAX loves this song. (laugh)
And, when this issue comes out, you’ll be beginning your arena tour...
NANA: We want to show the best of our currents selves, who’ve grown day by day.
LINA: It will be a tour of (our Best of album) MAXIMUM COLLECTION. So each song
has a weight and it’s a concert with a great feeling of speed, I guess.
MINA: Like a typhoon. (laugh) There are also a lot of things we’re trying for the first
time, so it’ll be a lot of fun. And the passage through the stage to the audiance was made
strongly for us, it’s not just something to use for one song or so. So we’re going to go to
every corner of the stage!
LINA: Yeah. With the flow of the concert and the composition, we’ve made something
so that you won’t feel the largeness of the arena, and our feelings will be transmitted to
each and every member of the audiance.
REINA: I think that this concert especially is one that even people other than MAX fans
will enjoy. No, if they come to it, they’ll definately become fans. (laugh) I’m sure of it.
Hahahaha.....