The curtain opened on the year 2000 with such phrases from you as 'We'll burst
open', and 'we'll explode!' What's your current situation, as you move towards that
goal?
MINA: We're moving forward steadily (laugh) one step at a time. We're really excited
about it all.
About what?
NANA: We're making preparations to give off spectacular fireworks. (laugh) Last year,
we absorbed a lot of different things, and there were things that gave us encouraged and
stimulated us, so we're putting those all together, and one by one making them happen.
It's a lot of fun.
REINA: Right now we're focusing on our first single for the year. While we're doing it
freely, we're also in the middle of research, feeling 'More, more'...
In more sense than one, do you have a consciousness of wanting to change things
yourselves?
NANA: We do. But some of the things we want to do haven't changed from the
beginning. So we also want to reassure ourselves of those things again, and to do them as
well, without getting sidetracked by people around us.
LINA: I guess we're feeling that we with all of what we want to do, whether it's
something new or something that hasn't changed, we want to break out of the framework
and proceed ahead. And since had things we wanted to do last year, but weren't able to,
we definitely want to do those things as well.
It's because you have a strong will and confidence to do things that MAX has been
able to make a situation where you can, don't you think?
LINA: Well, we've really had our own way. (laugh) (laugh) I think we've been able to
triumph because we all feel 'This year, [we'll do these things] no matter what...'
You say 'triumph'. Does that mean you've had to fight? (laugh)
MAX: Yes, we have! (laugh)
What did you have to fight?
MINA: Well, I guess the part about our energy concerning this new single.
LINA: What it is, is simply that we want to do what we like.
NANA: We're waiting for the confirmation that we can do those things we want to. So,
we'd say '[We want to be] this way!', and the people around us would say '[You're] not
that way!'. So in that exchange, we have to really be forceful, 'This way!' (laugh)
LINA: We wanted to smash everyone thought of as 'MAX-ness' and ' MAX-like'. But
for us, this single is 'MAX-like'.
REINA: We chose the songs ourselves this time too. While listening to many possible
songs, we came across this one. So rather than being given something, we ourselves
found a song that we really wanted to do.
LINA: We wrote the lyrics ourselves too.
I think that the lyrics really speak about your true wills.
MINA: Yes, that's exactly right. We just wrote about our current energy and
feelings.
Please tell me what each of you wanted most to communicate in these lyrics.
LINA: Whenever you do something new, you're really excited, but there are some scary
parts too. But the courage to move ahead is so important. That's what I wanted to say. At
the same time, I think I'm convincing myself of that as well.
REINA: Don't get smaller, do things on a bigger scale. Also, the joy of meeting
people...our fans, and our staff. I also really wanted to say how much I treasure that.
MINA: I wanted to put into words what I thought about what I've felt so far as MAX, and
what we want to do in the future. And when you move forward, you run into walls, but I
want to break them down! I put that passionately into words. (laugh)
NANA: I want to have higher expectations of myself. I want to fly. It may look like I
can't to people around me, but I have confidence that I can do something. I guess I
wanted to put in that confidence, and my expectations for myself.
Well, MAX is already walking, soon you'll fly.
MAX: Ahahaha! We'll fly!!
This really is a song that puts together all your beliefs. By the way, how are you going
to present it?
NANA: We don't want a dance where we can't convey our message. So we want to
make it so that we all move to the groove in our own way, and focus on really hitting you
with the lyrics.
REINA: Simply, but free.
LINA: Rather than dancing a dance, we're all paying attention to the groove in it.
MINA: We want to give this song everything we've got.
What about the coupling songs?
REINA: Both of those are really wonderful songs.
MINA: They're really good. We chose those songs as well, and the lyricist wrote the
lyrics so that they communicate our own feelings.
Hey, listening to you, I was thinking...This song is self-produced, right?
MAX: Right! That's right! Even the jacket says 'Produced by MAX'!!
Wow...so you became your own producer, without including the producer system
you've had until now.
LINA: Yay! It's so exciting!
MINA: Uh huh! We've got our heads high! 'So, what do you think of this!?'