The new album by singer-actor Mitsuhiro Oikawa is entirely composed of rock numbers, a significant departure from the funky songs in his previous album.
"Beat & Roses," released by Victor Entertainment, presents powerful songs with a strong beat. Oikawa's reputation as an actor has been growing, and it seems that his musical activities have gained depth as well.
Nicknamed Mitchy among his fans, Oikawa revealed the secret of his highly expressive singing style: "I act songs rather than sing them, I play the lead character in the world described in the lyrics."
"I'm probably conscious of my age. I wanted to do aggressive stage performances with aggressive music," he said.
Oikawa turns 50 next year, and he wanted to create musical numbers that he can perform only now.
He said the genre for that was rock: "People shake their bodies to a beat. It's really primitive and joyful."
Oikawa rides the powerful music to become the lead characters in the worlds created by the lyrics.
In "Koi ni Utsutsu o Nukashitai" (I wanna be obsessed by love), the character in the lyrics is fascinated by women clad in exciting outfits in summer, and eventually wants to be a girl himself.
Oikawa got the idea for the song from the recent boom in idol performers. "There could be many boys who feel that way," he thought.
In all the songs, the lyrics are full of extreme expressions related to love and desire.
"The joy of music would be reduced if I stop pushing myself close to the edge. At least for me," Oikawa said. Each song is like an essay or short novel produced by him.
As an actor, he's received numerous offers to appear in dramas and movies. But however busy he is, Oikawa has released new albums almost every year and traveled around the nation in his concert tours.
He writes lyrics and composes melodies at home on days when he isn't filming.
"Bath time. When I soak in the bathtub, I get ideas for lyrics and melodies. I can make records if I have paper and pen, but they can't be used in a bathroom," Oikawa said. Then he asked this interviewer, "Do you know any items I could use in that situation?"
About keeping a balance between his musical activities and his acting, Oikawa said, "It's not difficult. A musician's job is asking themselves what they want to do. An actor asks how they should be. The switching in my mind has gotten simpler year by year."
Scheduling is an issue. "It's really good that I don't have any hobbies. If I had a hobby like fishing or golf, I'd want spare time for it," he said.
Also this year, Oikawa is appearing in concert all over the nation from spring to summer. He is known for frenzied stage performances where the audience feels like they're very close to him.
During concerts, Oikawa calls his female fans "baby." He said: "Simply put, it's love. We shouldn't be embarrassed about feelings and mental responses that are called love. Everybody dies someday, so we have to love each other."
There are lyrics that can only be voiced by Mitchy.
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