Soshina, who started his musical career as a Vocaloid producer in 2020, released "Aria of Seisai to Taigi" with a band in 2024, and began performing live, has now released his second album, "Naoto Sasaki." While it is based on the same straightforward punk rock as his previous work, the biggest change is that "my goal recently has been to make music that only I can do."
"The previous album was based on the idea that I wanted to use music to save those who couldn't be saved through comedy, so I wrote lyrics that empathized with them, asking questions like, 'I wonder if office workers have these kinds of hardships,' or 'I wonder if students have these unpleasant experiences.' This time, the album is filled with songs that I really wanted to make."
He says that this change was brought about by him starting to perform live shows in earnest.
"I'd always wanted to play rock music. So I performed live wearing a leather jacket, eye make-up and a pompadour, but I wondered if that was really what I wanted, going to play rock music. I wanted to play music that was more like me."
As you can see in the photo, this time the visual has also changed to include pajamas.
"I thought I'd stop trying to cover it up. The night before, I'd get out of the bath, change into my pajamas, and go on stage in those clothes. Dressed like this, with bedhead, and naked, with my guitar without its case, I'd get on the Shinkansen, wait in line for a taxi at Shin-Osaka Station, enter the venue, and leave in the same state. I tried it once, and it felt right."
He has a deep knowledge of classical music, can play the piano, and can write sheet music. However, what remains consistent in both Vocaloid and punk rock is that he wants to create music that makes listeners think, "I could do that too."
"This is mostly a matter of personal preference. I don't think there's anyone as bad at it in modern music (laughs). Layering complex sounds and singing in a beautiful voice is what's popular these days... but Hiroto Komoto and Marcy (Masatoshi Majima) are rock bands, just playing with their friends using three chords. I want to do that too, and that's at the core of it all."
However, Soshina's rough-hewn punk rock is clearly unorthodox in today's music scene.
"The record company told me at the beginning, 'We understand what you want to do, but it's a hellish path' (laughs). In an age where the music scene is driven by middle and high school girls on TikTok, you really stand out. If there's a dancer who can create a buzz, you'd have to bow down and pay them to come up with a choreography. And if it works out perfectly, you'll be able to appear on a music TV show.
But still... my first live performance was at Umeda Club Quattro in Osaka, where I played alongside Ano-chan's band, I's. Ano-chan saw me play and said, "I realized that music exists because there are things that can't be expressed in words." I was really impressed, and I thought, "Really? I want to do that!" I wanted to embody the idea that music exists for those feelings that can't be expressed through comedy, those feelings that don't have a name."
This is her second album, which she wrote, composed, and produced, and which bears her real name in the title. It contains 12 tracks, including the previously released "Confession." It was recorded with a three-person band consisting of Soshina on vocals and guitar, Hikari Fujimoto Kishinami on drums. From October 2nd to 29th, she will be performing at Zepp venues in five major cities across Japan: Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Sapporo, and Nagoya.
