Interview with Conton Candy

Your band was formed in high school in 2018. How has your dynamic as a group evolved since your beginnings?

Tsumugi: Honestly, not much has changed. But if I had to say one thing, I feel like we’ve naturally come to understand each other when it comes to what we want to do and the direction of Conton Candy.

Your song Fuzzy Navel became a huge success. How did it feel to experience this sudden popularity?

Tsumugi: At first, we felt like we were being left behind by the song, but now, through this track, we've gained so many valuable experiences, and we're truly grateful for that.

Your music is described as a mix of chaos and pop. How would you define your musical identity in three words?

Tsumugi: I think it comes down to three things: Conton Candy’s uniqueness, the strength of the melodies and the sound we create with just the three of us.

You released your first full album, melt pop, in 2024. What message did you want to convey with this album?

Tsumugi: I think Fuzzy Navel gave us a "pop" image, for better or worse. But rather than trying to erase or separate from that, we wanted to blend it into our own musicality. We released this song hoping that people would notice the core of Conton Candy, which is grounded in live house culture and staying true to our roots.


Do you have any musical influences or artists who particularly inspire you?

Tsumugi: I truly respect Takeshi Hosomi, who is active in ELLEGARDEN, MONOEYES and the HIATUS, as well as Kazunobu Mineta from GING NANG BOYZ.

Is there an artist or a band you dream of collaborating with?

Tsumugi: I’d love to share the stage with ELLEGARDEN and GING NANG BOYZ someday—when I feel like I can truly recognize and embrace Conton Candy as a band.

After your tour across nine cities in 2024, do you have any other live projects in the works?

Tsumugi: On Friday, April 4th, we’re holding our biggest one-man live show yet at Zepp Shinjuku! We have many more shows lined up after that, so be sure to check our social media and website—we’d love to see you there!

Where do you see Conton Candy in five years?

Tsumugi: We want to be a band that delivers a consistently great live performance no matter where we play. And in five years, we hope to keep growing together—not just with the audience we have now, but by bringing in even more people along the way.

How did you react when you learned that your song FUTSUU would be the ending theme for "SAKAMOTO DAYS?"

Tsumugi: We felt that we had written a really good song, and it made us so happy to finally be recognized for our musicality. We heard the news in the studio, and all of us celebrated together!

The title FUTSUU means "ordinary," but you mentioned that it conveys strong emotions. Could you tell us more about the message behind the song?

Tsumugi: The protagonist of "SAKAMOTO DAYS," Sakamoto, is someone who, from the outside, might not seem "ordinary," but that’s just his everyday life. When I realized that his "ordinary" is someone else’s special, it made me reflect on what "ordinary" really is. In a time when diversity is being emphasized, I think if we could see others’ "ordinary" as something special, we could create relationships full of love, much like Sakamoto’s family. That’s the feeling I wanted to convey through this song.


How did the creative process for FUTSUU go? Did you encounter any particular challenges?

Tsumugi: The general structure of the song was already set during the demo stage, but it ended up feeling pretty fast-paced overall. However, I received some advice suggesting that adding warmth to the intro could be a good idea. It was a bit of a challenge, but I experimented by incorporating an acoustic guitar and adjusting the drums to focus more on soft cymbal phrases, trying to bring in a more subtle, warmer feel.

Were you already familiar with the "SAKAMOTO DAYS" manga before this collaboration? Do you have a favorite scene or character from the series?

Tsumugi: I had never read it before, but I knew the title because it’s such a well-known work. When creating the song FUTSUU, I was really struck by the line from Sakamoto’s wife, Aoi: "I love our ordinary, but not-so-ordinary days spent together!" It really made an impact on me. Her words express such deep love for Sakamoto, and I really love that about it.

What was your approach to creating a song that fits the world of "SAKAMOTO DAYS?"

Tsumugi: I felt that it was a work with action, yet centered around the theme of family love. So, I aimed to create a song that, even just by listening to it, would convey that image—fast-paced, yet warm. I also think the inclusion of irregular time signatures helped express both the world of the work and our own sense of chaos in a great way.

After this collaboration with "SAKAMOTO DAYS," would you like to compose more music for anime?

Tsumugi: The experience of embodying others while shaping the world of a story was really refreshing. If given the opportunity, I’d love to take on more challenges to expand my creative range.

Do you have a message for your fans, especially those discovering you through "SAKAMOTO DAYS?"

Tsumugi: While reading this work, I couldn’t help but think that those who love it must be people full of love. It’s truly an honor to be able to share our music with such people. We’ll be waiting for you at our special yet ordinary place—our live house!

JaME would like to thank the members of Conton Candy and their team for this interview.

Conton Candy also recorded a short video message about FUTSUU, which can be viewed below.