Countless young people dream of making their debut as singers, practicing day and night. However, few people believe in their own talent and success, and steadily turn each encounter into the next step. This may be the reason why Nao Yoshioka has become a world-renowned artist in just a few years. When she first debuted, she admitted, "I could only think of myself as inferior to others." But once she made the decision to break away from that, her path began to open up. This fall, ahead of her tour in support of her second album, "Rising," she said, "I have a strange feeling that for the past three years, I've been walking a path that was planned for me." What has brought her to such a transformation in just a few years? We interviewed her to find out what she sees ahead on the path she is walking. (This may be a bit sudden, but today I'd like to delve into what lies at the core of Nao's being.) What does singing mean to you, Nao?

Singing means everything to me. Singing is both a joy and a pain in my life, as it brings me trouble when I'm faced with music. But when I'm faced with music, I sometimes encounter miraculous moments. And at those moments, I feel like, "What a wonderful world I live in," or "This world is so beautiful." It's like I'm grateful for the world I live in, or like I'm returning to my true self. I'm sure everyone who truly loves music has that feeling. It's a truly refreshing moment, just like when you eat a delicious meal and think, "I'm glad to be alive." I feel like I live my life pursuing moments like that, so I think that might be the answer to the question, "Why do I sing?"

--Have you had that feeling since you were a child, Nao?

When I was little, I didn't think about anything; I just loved music. I grew up in an artistic family: my father was an interior coordinator, my mother a dress designer, and both my older sisters were artists. My mother, in particular, had a strong sense of value in art and always taught me from a young age how wonderful it was, so I think that had a big influence on me.

Growing up in such a family, I vaguely thought I'd become a manga artist or character designer until I was in high school. However, when I joined the light music club and started singing in front of people, I had a moment where I thought, "Ah, this is what I'm meant to do." I was hit by a lightning-like joy that I couldn't get from drawing, and I thought, "I was born to play music."

--After that, you started on your path to music. What are some of the "miraculous moments" you've encountered along the way?

Whether I'm on stage or at a live concert as an audience member, the sense of unity throughout the venue is something special. But I believe that miraculous moments exist not only in extraordinary times, but also in everyday life. For example, when I'm singing someone else's song, I write out the lyrics and listen to the music while tracing the words. I find myself wondering what the composer was thinking when they wrote those words, and I'm always moved to tears. When I think, "This person must have had this kind of background, and they must have put their feelings into these words," I can see the scene from that time, and I feel as if I'm connected to the composer's heart, transcending time and place. Moments like that are also miraculous.

Even when I sing cover songs, it feels unnatural if the world of the song doesn't overlap with my own outlook on life and the message I want to convey. That's why I always carefully study the lyrics and practice, admiring the unique worldview of each song.

--You're such a dedicated student.

If I don't do that, my words and thoughts won't come together. I'm the type of person whose conversation tends to jump around even when I'm just talking normally (laughs). So when I made an album, I started by writing out the entire concept of the album in a notebook, filling it up with about 20 pages, and showing it to my producer. If he said, "It's not good enough yet," I'd rewrite it again. I went back and forth like this many times.

By writing down what I'm thinking and what I want to convey in this way, I sometimes analyze myself and think, "Why am I struggling right now?" Sometimes the struggles of "I'm frustrated because I can't do it" or "What can I do to improve?" can themselves give birth to new music.

Continued on 2/2.