On October 25th, singer-songwriter May J. dropped her eighth album Futuristic, marking her first album release in three years. Thank You Disney, a 16-track album of Disney classics covered by avex artists including May J., was released on the same day.
In an interview with JaME, May J. talks about Futuristic and her involvement in the cover album.
You celebrated your 10th anniversary last year. What are your thoughts and feelings about this milestone in your career?
May J.: I'm thankful for all my fans who have supported me throughout these years. 10 years have passed by very fast and I feel like it's still only a beginning. I can't wait to do more exciting things for the next 10 years!
You recently released your eighth album, which is titled Futuristic. What is the theme or message you wish to express with this album?
May J.: I think it's important to always imagine what kind of future you want, and I believe whatever you imagine can become a reality. I wanted to share my kind of "Futuristic" mind with my fans.
You went to Los Angeles to record the new songs on Futuristic. What are some of the highlights of your overseas recording experience?
May J.: The highlight would definitely be the recording sessions with amazing musicians such as Alex Al, Shaun Martin and Chris Coleman. It was like a dream come true to work with them!
You wrote all the songs recorded in Los Angeles. Which song did you have the most fun writing? What was the inspiration behind this song?
May J.: My music teacher from my American high school in Japan passed away on the day I wrote My Star~Message~. I first heard the news, and then came up with these beautiful melodies, so I decided to dedicate this song to my teacher.
Which song from Futuristic did you find most challenging to work on? What was challenging about it?
May J.: I wanted to try to sing using a whistle voice, so I arranged that into a song called Smile At Me. I couldn't really hit the highest note while rehearsing in Japan, but I actually nailed it very easily when I went to LA. That proves the LA recording really encouraged me to break my boundaries and aim for a higher level.
You covered If Only from "Descendants" for the recently released Disney classics cover album Thank You Disney. Can you tell us about your experience recording this cover?
May J.: I loved the film, and If Only was actually my favorite song, so I was very excited to record it. It's like a mixture of R&B and country, and that was something I've never experienced before so I definitely learnt a lot from this recording.
How was working with executive producer Kenny Ortega for the Thank You Disney album like?
May J.: I had a chance to meet him while he was promoting this album in Japan. He listened to my version of If Only, and told me that he loved it! He is an amazingly successful person, but still very humble. It was such an honor to work with him.
What's next for May J.?
May J.: I'm writing more songs, so hopefully I can record them overseas again! I'm also interested in singing in different languages. I've tried Chinese and Italian so far!
Which countries would you like to perform in if there’s an opportunity to do a world tour?
May J.: I would go anywhere, to be honest! But It would be great if I could perform in countries where I have my roots, such as Iran, Russia, Turkey, Spain and England.
Lastly, please leave a message for JaME readers.
May J.: Thank you so much for reading this article! I hope you have a chance to listen to my music, and I'm looking forward to seeing my fans all over the world at live shows in the future!
JaME would like to thank May J. and avex entertainment Inc. for this interview opportunity.
