hsjhoshi | Takaki Yuya – PARADE Tour Book (English Translation)

Even if you don’t explain the words, if you see the performance you should be able to understand it.

“PARADE” has many other meanings besides the so-called “march”. We wanted to challenge a variety of things with this album, so I wanted the title to be something that freely expands the image and we settled on “PARADE”. It is a rule in Hey! Say! JUMP to discuss anything and decide. So when we were picking the songs, all the members gathered and listened to each of the candidate songs one at a time and decided. The challenge of shooting two MVs, of songs that represent the worldview at this time, “Kemono to Bara” and “Parade ga Hajimaru”, was a new undertaking for JUMP. In “Kemono to Bara”, we wear flashy outfits and our hair and make-up is different to usual. And “Parade ga Hajimaru” was at a reserved amusement park at night, where the shooting took place in a dazzling atmosphere. Actually, it is the same place where Arioka-kun did a bungee jump on “Itadaki High Jump” the moment it became Reiwa (laughs). What’s more, Inoo-kun and I have been invited to the waterslide at that amusement park for our different projects. During the filming of the MV, I was talking to the members and said, “This amusement park really has fate, huh?”, but I thought it was a really big coincidence.

In this recording, I specifically asked the person who always sings *prototype songs of JUMP and they gave singing guidance. (T/N: There’s no real English translation for this word, I think it might be like a scratch vocal track that provides guidance for singers.) Rather than my voice coming out, I was taught how to express the worldview of the song through my singing voice. A few years ago I thought, “I want to sing better!”, that’s the way I started to do it. The staff would praise me and say, “Your habit is gone”, and when I went to karaoke with my friends, they would say, “You became really good!”. I’m genuinely happy that people around me can hear the change. I just don’t like what I say. The same is true for the goodness and growth relating to the group. Of course I respect all members and I think they’re all cool but what I’m saying is… (laughs). Even if you don’t explain the words, if you see the performance you should be able to understand it. On the other hand, I think we need to deliver a performance that can be conveyed.

The “PARADE” tour also wants to deliver the bewitching world created by the album. Yamada is the one who plays a central role in thinking about direction, but I like the lives that Yamada creates, like last years “SENSE or LOVE” tour. Personally, a cool feeling and a sexy concept has a better fit than a cute one. With the same idea, Yamada will consider the direction of how to bring out the members mature parts, so I think there is something that will fit for yourself. Above all, it’s simple and fun! So based on the direction that Yamada thinks, I’m looking forward to going on stage again!

Until the performance, all of JUMP plans to prepare for a live that can only be done in the Dome. But honestly, there is still a lot that we are unfamiliar with at the Dome. That’s why one of the goals of this tour is to become a group that can make use of the dome-scale venue.