For
five years, Yoko Ishida has been considered the voice of para para
music. Her succession of Para Para Max albums, featuring anime theme
music rearranged in the para para style, opened the ears of many
American fans to the rhythmic dance form. Now, Ishida is going to take
her talents to the harder-driving Eurobeat style in her Hyper Yoko Mix
album, also based on anime theme songs. "Hyper Yoko Mix is a CD of my
songs, and it tries to concentrate on the vocal," Ishida said through
an interpreter at an Anime Expo interview session. That's a a change
from Ishida's previous projects such as her work on the Small Snow
Fairy Sugar theme, where "...when singing the song I focus more on the
melody than the lyrics." Ishida's American album debut featured that
Snow Fair Sugar theme, the Sweets album released in 2003. At Anime Expo
in 2004, "I was able to sing some of the songs at my concert and see
the people buy the CD - it was very touching to be able to see that."
Ishida's
Anime Expo concert helped her again experience the thrill of
performing. "When I'm at a concert in front of a large number of
people, I feel they're giving me the energy from their excitement and I
try to return their excitement," she said. "I feel there's a synergetic
effect...when there's only one or two people in the audience." She got
her break when she entered an anime singing contest where the prize was
the chance to sing a theme song. "I did watch anime sometimes on TV. I
only watched it as any other person would, but I loved singing." She
won that contest, and went on to sing a Sailor Moon theme and star in
the Para Para Max albums. To Ishida, anime theme songs aren't
promotional music disconnected from the story. "I try to find out as
much as I can about the show. If the anime is based on a manga, I try
to get copies of the comic. When it's an original story, I try to find
what the story is all about."
For
five years, Yoko Ishida has been considered the voice of para para
music. Her succession of Para Para Max albums, featuring anime theme
music rearranged in the para para style, opened the ears of many
American fans to the rhythmic dance form. Now, Ishida is going to take
her talents to the harder-driving Eurobeat style in her Hyper Yoko Mix
album, also based on anime theme songs. "Hyper Yoko Mix is a CD of my
songs, and it tries to concentrate on the vocal," Ishida said through
an interpreter at an Anime Expo interview session. That's a a change
from Ishida's previous projects such as her work on the Small Snow
Fairy Sugar theme, where "...when singing the song I focus more on the
melody than the lyrics." Ishida's American album debut featured that
Snow Fair Sugar theme, the Sweets album released in 2003. At Anime Expo
in 2004, "I was able to sing some of the songs at my concert and see
the people buy the CD - it was very touching to be able to see that."
Ishida's
Anime Expo concert helped her again experience the thrill of
performing. "When I'm at a concert in front of a large number of
people, I feel they're giving me the energy from their excitement and I
try to return their excitement," she said. "I feel there's a synergetic
effect...when there's only one or two people in the audience." She got
her break when she entered an anime singing contest where the prize was
the chance to sing a theme song. "I did watch anime sometimes on TV. I
only watched it as any other person would, but I loved singing." She
won that contest, and went on to sing a Sailor Moon theme and star in
the Para Para Max albums. To Ishida, anime theme songs aren't
promotional music disconnected from the story. "I try to find out as
much as I can about the show. If the anime is based on a manga, I try
to get copies of the comic. When it's an original story, I try to find
what the story is all about."
