The Japanese singer-songwriter Higuchi Ai (ヒグチアイ) played three concerts in Germany in June 2024. We had the chance to meet her before the sold out solo piano concert at the Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne (The Japan Foundation) and interviewed her about her music, anime and being on tour in Europe. Ai Higuchi was this year's main act at Japan Tag (日本デ一) and played a free concert with her band in front of tens of thousands of people right before the big firework that concluded the annual day-long event.

Kevin: Hello Ai! Nice to meet you. Could you please quickly introduce yourself to our followers that haven’t heard your music yet?

Hi, I’m Ai Higuchi! I’m a singer-songwriter. I’m 34 years old, blood type O and my star sign is Sagittarius. My interests are watching soccer games, fishing, watching sumo wrestling and horseraces. I'm still looking for cuter hobbies.

Kevin: Attack on Titan has probably introduced your music to thousands of new fans, especially outside of Japan. Have you noticed a change in your fanbase and SNS followers after “Akuma no Ko” (悪魔の子) was released?

It gained significantly! I also started getting DMs in different languages from all over the world. They all put the word "from" in their messages so I know where they come from, which makes me want to go there to perform!

Kevin: I think a lot of fans in Europe/North America find out about new artists from Japan through anime. What do you think about this?

I think the type of animes that get popular in the West vs the animes that are popular in Japan are a bit different. I'd really like to know what genres and what kind of Japanese animes appeal to fans overseas. Regardless, it was the very first time I was writing a song where I knew that people from all over the world would eventually listen to it and that was a new and exciting experience.
 

Kevin: Is writing songs for an anime different than writing a song for your album?

Oh yes, it's very different!

When you're writing for a anime series, there is someone’s soul (like the original author's or a director's) that needs to have trust from deep within that the song is a good fit for the anime. In case of my original albums, I need to have trust in myself and my soul and the writing process in order to be able to write songs. So at times where I don’t trust myself, writing songs can become quiet difficult.

Kevin: What do you enjoy more? Playing solo on piano or playing with your band?

Playing in a band is more fun. But I enjoy playing solo a lot.

Kevin: How was your time in Germany (playing concerts in Frankfurt, Köln, Düsseldorf)? Was it different than performing in Japan?

The concerts felt really good! My songs are all in Japanese (except of some japanizised English words) and the audience probably didn’t understand most of the lyrics but they elegantly made me feel that we all enjoyed our shared air. I had a feeling that it was pretty similar to when I perform in Japan!

Kevin: Do you have plans to come back to Europe and North America to play more concerts?

When someone desires it, I will go any time!

Kevin: And last question: we are always looking for new music recommendations: what is your favourite band from Japan and what are you currently listening to?

I often listen to BIALYSTOCKS, ROTH BART BARON and Sōhei Oyamada.

 
Don't forget to follow Higuchi Ai on Spotify, Apple Music, Twitter and Instagram.

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