INMUSIC Interview

SAWA did a fairly in depth video with music site INMUSIC. She talks about the new album, her songwriting process, and briefly mentions wanting to produce/arrange music for idols in the future, as she did recently with Sasaki Nozomi. Read here.

Soprano Rain is Out in Japan!

It's also now on iTunes Japan with an alternate cover and a partial tracklist. Good day Sunshine and Mysterious Zone were excluded, which were previously released on iTunes as digital singles.

Also on her blog, SAWA said she was filming a PV for the title track?

Recochoku Early Release

Soprano Rain has been released early today on keitai site Recochoku. You can hear very brief previews of all tracks by clicking the headphones button. All the tracks sound upbeat and very much in the same vein as Good day Sunshine with the exception of the title track which uses a lot of brass sounds.

TOWER + HMV Bonus Stickers

Source

ソプラノレイン Album Cover

(Updated with a larger version. Upon closer inspection... the rain is made up of mirrorballs?!)

Updated Tracklist

According to Bellwood Records, the track-list is now as follows:

1．Good day Sunshine
2．Mysterious Zone
3．Try Again!
4．ハッピーバースデイ
5．NoLimit
6．ソプラノレイン
7．心の瞳

Soprano Rain was bumped down to track 6, and the previously untitled track is now NoLimit. That is all!

Artists Behind Soprano Rain

Minna no Uta credits illustrator/painter/writer Emi Mariduki as an artist working with SAWA for her Soprano Rain short. She actually has written a small book with the same name. You can read it  here .

Emi Mariduki's work is beaaaautiful. Mainly using watercolor, she creates vividly colorful and surreal universes in her paintings.

 

As well as Emi Mariduki, animator Oomomo Yousuke is behind this project. Check out a lovely example of Oomomo's work below.



Also a little more info... Good day Sunshine as well as tracks 4, 5 and 6 are self-produced. On the title track, SAWA actually worked with a producer I'm not familiar with named Toshihiko Nishibe. It seems he's done work with a few anime soundtracks. Mysterious Zone was created with Jazzin' Park (who remixed Stars and produced I'm a President.) The Kyu Sakamoto cover I'm not sure on yet, but I believe it's acapella?

NEW SAWA MINI-ALBUM: SOPRANO RAIN

New SAWA mini-album out December 19th titled ソプラノレイン (Soprano Rain)!

1．ソプラノレイン (Soprano Rain)
2．Mysterious Zone
3. Good day Sunshine　
4. Try Again!
5. ハッピーバースデイ (Happy Birthday)
6．タイトル未定 (Yet To Be Titlted)
7．心の瞳 (Originally by Kyu Sakamoto)

The title song is the track being used for Minna no Uta.

The last track (which is a cover) and Happy Birthday she's performed live and of course, Mysterious Zone and Good day Sunshine were released as digital singles.

This mini-album is being released on indie label Bellwood Records. Whether she's still with Sony or not, I'm not sure.