Akane Kumada is an up-and-coming voice actress and singer signed to anisong label Lantis. She won the Grand Prix at the Anisong Stars audition in 2017 and made her voice acting debut in 2018. She has voiced characters such as Ellen in "That Time
I Got Reincarnated as a Slime", Ichiko Oda from "Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga" and Izumi Shibusawa in "Rifle is Beautiful". In 2020, she began a music career with the single Sunny Sunny Girl.
This June, Kumada held her first live concert Sekai ga Haretara ("When
the World Clears Up") in the Science Hall of the Science Museum in Tokyo. Shortly after, JaME was able to ask the energetic young artist about her feelings during the show, her debut album, anime, and her goals for the future. What inspired you to pursue a music career? Did you always dream of being a singer, or was
it something you realized you were interested in later on?
Akane Kumada: When I was a first year in high school, I went to one of LiSA’s live concerts, and I cried, laughed, and felt so many wonderful emotions. At that time, I also wanted to become a singer to make people’s hearts warm
with my music. The day after the concert, I started looking for a voice training course. I also did lots of part-time jobs and went to lots of auditions!
There seems to be a lot of variety in the songs from your debut album Sekai ga Haretara. If you had to choose just one song to introduce yourself to any readers unfamiliar with your work, which one would you pick and why?
Akane Kumada: I would choose Kurage! It’s the first song that I wrote the lyrics for, and I tried to express myself as honestly as possible.
When I start something, I can feel that beginning sparkling brightly inside me, but I was worried that I might be losing that sparkling feeling as the years went by. However, when I listened carefully to my heart, I realized that the sparkle
had changed shape and become part of me as I took on responsibilities and challenges. Of course, there are still times when I feel lost. I wrote the lyrics with the hope that those who listen to Kurage would be able to find the things in life
that make their hearts race. Please give it a listen!
The title of the lead track from the album, Ii n da yo, means “It’s alright”, and the lyrics deal with some of the frustrations of adolescence like learning to accept peoples’ flaws. Is there something about yourself that you don’t particularly like but have learned to accept?
Akane Kumada: I think I tend to recklessly charge into things sometimes. Sometimes I get a little depressed thinking, “Ah! I did it again!” But recently, I’ve come to accept that this is my personality and tell myself “It’s alright". I’ve also
realized that my feelings and the things I encounter change depending on my perspective.
You have performed a number of anime themes, but do you watch anime yourself? If so, what are some of your favourite series?
Akane Kumada: I often watch anime. Recently, I like "Natsume’s Book of Friends". The little foxes are so cute... I love the way the characters’ feelings come across, the way the music makes you sad, and the heartwarming feeling that you get after
watching it!
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty for the live music scene in recent years, but you just held your first solo live this June. What was that experience like? Were there any challenges you faced preparing for this show or during the performance itself?
Akane Kumada: The day before the live concert, my dad made me my favorite hamburger steak, but it took me two hours to eat it because I was feeling so nervous! (laughs) But the moment I stepped onto the stage, I saw the kind faces of all my fans,
and a feeling of relief swept over me.
Some of them even prepared a bouquet of flowers for me as a surprise. I was so happy! The fans were a hundred times warmer than I had imagined. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. To all my fans: I love you!
Do you have any interest in performing overseas in the future? If so, assuming you could perform anywhere in the world (and it was safe to do so), where would you want to go?
Akane Kumada: I’d love to perform in France! I saw a TV drama set in France and got very interested in it, so I’m even studying a little French. I hope that I can speak a little bit of French to the audience when I perform in France someday!
What else can fans look forward to from Akane Kumada in 2022?
Akane Kumada: Thankfully, I’ve been given a place to perform, so I’m going to work even harder to meet lots of fans! I love to sing, so I hope that I can do another live concert at some point.
Please leave a message for our readers.
Akane Kumada: Thank you for reading this far! And thank you for discovering Akane Kumada! Please listen to my first album Sekai ga Haretara! I hope that you’ll find a song that you love!
JaME would like to thank Akane Kumada and qdopp, Inc. for making this interview possible.
Footage from an online mini-live Kumada held to celebrate the release of Sekai ga Haretara can be viewed below.
Links to download and stream the album on various online music platforms are available here.
