Tani Yuuki: “I Want to Write Songs that Bring Positive Tears”

My life has been a series of setbacks. But each time, music saved me. I want to be the one to save them next time.

Singer-songwriter Tani Yuuki (23) made his debut in May 2020, and a year later he was selected as one of the five artists to sing the theme song for the September drama “Night Doctor” (Fuji Television).

“W/X/Y,” released last May, was a TikTо and is gaining popularity among young people in particular. When asked about his reaction, he revealed his thoughts with a smile.

I was genuinely happy that so many people listened to it. I felt like my baseless confidence was affirmed, and I can now meet my family and relatives with pride (laughs).

However, I still have a lot of frustrations. I am often compared to Yuuri-kun (28, singer-songwriter), whom I admire, and to “Noda” of “RADWIMPS. I’m not even close to Yuri (28, singer-songwriter), whom I often compare myself to, or Yojiro Noda of “Radwimps” (37), whom I admire. The future is still full of surprises.

Tani’s songs are tear-jerkers among the Generation Z. When he writes lyrics, there is one thing he keeps in mind: “There is a memory I still can’t forget.”

I have a memory that I still can’t forget. When I was in high school, I had a chance to sing in front of my classmates, and one of them suddenly started to cry. When I asked her why, she said, ‘There were parts that overlapped with my life, and the lyrics verbalized feelings that I didn’t understand at the time, and they just fell into my heart. It was a positive tear.”

When I was not getting along with my parents, I used to listen to Yuzu and Doricum, and the lyrics spoke for me and we were able to reconcile. So when I write lyrics, I try to choose words that will help the listener feel the same way.

Tani, who graduated from a technical college at the age of 20 in 2019 and jumped into the world of music in earnest, describes his path as a series of setbacks. He first came into contact with a musical instrument when he was in junior high school in a hospital bed.

In the second year of junior high school, I got sick and couldn’t go to school, and there was a time when I was blocked off from my family. At that time, my grandfather gave me an acoustic guitar to relieve stress. I didn’t even know how to play the guitar, but I started my musical life by playing around with the instrument.

It was this rebellious spirit toward an unexpected person that led him to pursue his music career in earnest.

When I was in high school, I had a girlfriend whom I really liked, and her parents were making a living from music. I had an opportunity to sing in front of her, and I sang Miyuki Nakajima’s “Ito” with great nervousness. He told me that I had a good voice for someone who sang other people’s songs. I felt like I was being told in a roundabout way that I needed to have an original song, so I said, “I’ll do it! That was the first time I created a song (laughs). I broke up with her, but it was a big event in my life, and I have fond memories of it.

Tani, who has overcome illness, heartbreak, and many other experiences, says that music has saved him each time, and now it is his turn to return the favor.

I want to continue to write songs that bring positive tears to people’s eyes. In addition, I would like to try my hand at anime songs. When I was little, I couldn’t leave the house, and I used to watch “Doraemon”, so I’ve always longed to sing the theme song for an anime. Even now, as an adult, that hasn’t changed.

With a new goal in mind, the challenge continues.

From the September 30 and October 7, 2022 issues of FRIDAY