Zy 42: Kra

Kra will release their new single on October 8th. Amaoto wa Chopin no shirabe was a sad pop tune, which was a big hit originally sung by Asami Kobayashi, a charismatic model in the 80s. (The original song, I Like Chopin, which was sung by Gazebo, was also a big hit in Europe and Asia.) Many readers, including the members of Kra, probably did not even know of its existence until now. We asked Kra why they sang it, as well as how the band has been on the whole.


This time you finished your scheduled October release very early. (smile) And you also did a cover of Amaoto wa Chopin no shirabe. Why did you choose to do this song? I actually heard a rumor that your boss suddenly suggested it one day.

Keiyu: Yes. We didn't know about the song until then. (smile)

Yasuno: None of us knew the song. One day we were asked, "You guys know this song, right?" And we all answered, "Um...no..."

Keiyu: I thought that if we listened to the song we would recognize it, even if we did not know the title, but that didn't happen. (smile)

It was so popular. (smile) While listening to it for the first time, what were your impressions?

Keiyu: The first time, I thought that it wasn't very good (laugh), but as I listened to it over and over again, it started to grow on me.

Your arrangement is close to that of the original song.

Keiyu: Our boss didn't tell us to do it in any particular way, but said that by using our current style and by keeping the original nuance we would be able to do it. These days cover songs often destroy the arrangement of the song. We did not do that. We did not want to do that.

What was your first impression, Yuura?

Yuura: It did not really leave an impression on me at first. (laugh) The song did not really get me going, but as I listened to it several times, it got better. Listening to it a second time, it really got better. There was kind of a trance feeling to it. You know, my father was a fan of Asami Kobayashi, who sang this song. (laugh)

It's his generation. (laugh)

Yuura: When I told my father that we would cover one of her songs, he said, "Is it I Like Chopin?" I didn't know the title, but I heard from him that that was the original song's title.

Yes. Originally, Gazebo sang that song.

Yuura: Then I heard from my mother that my father was a fan. I don't think he ever thought that his own son would cover this song.

That makes a good story! How about you, Maiccho?

Mai: I thought that it was a depressing song. (smile) So I just thought that I had to make the most out of the song when I played the guitar. It was not really a song where the guitar stands out and I had never played a song like that so, in a way, it was good. And, you know, my parents didn't know the song either.


For the rest of the interview, please refer to Zy 42.
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