VOL.82 第 1 回 Yuri Nakamura／AZUKI 七

From music freak magazine Vol.82

GARNET CROW Begins a New Series!

word scope in M.F.M, Part 1

《call my name》 / GZCA-2005

Starting this month, the members of GARNET CROW will take turns writing essays. For the first installment, YURI NAKAMURA and AZUKI 七, the group’s two female members, have just returned from promotional activities in Tokyo! The members will appear in rotation from here on, so please look forward to it. We also welcome your comments and impressions!

YURI NAKAMURA

Yuri’s Big and Little Things: Celebrating Our First Tokyo Promotion

August 7, Tokyo, cloudy.

Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you. I’m GARNET CROW’s vocalist, YURI NAKAMURA.

By the way, have you listened to 《call my name》, released on August 8? To promote the song, AZUKI, who writes our lyrics and plays keyboard, and I went out on promotion for the first time.

When we arrived in Tokyo, I was really surprised. It was so cool! Compared with Osaka’s sweltering heat, the temperature here was wonderfully comfortable. How lucky, how lucky. (Victory pose.)

We went to record stores in Ikebukuro—is it called “Bukuro”?—as well as Shibuya and Shinjuku. We left some messages and autographs, so if you see them, please be sure to read them.

On the way, in Shibuya, I confidently decided, “Oh, so this is where they record 笑っていいとも！ (Waratte Iitomo!)” Then a staff member said, “Nope!” I got the answer wrong... Tokyo really is huge.

Oh, and that day we also appeared on a live radio broadcast for the first time! I was extremely, times ten, nervous, and I have no idea what I said... Still, the staff were kind wherever we went. It was moving to hear their thoughts directly, and I learned a lot. Thank you, everyone.

And so, our first day ended safely? ...!? Our hectic promotional trip is still continuing. If there is another installment, I might continue the story then...

AZUKI 七

Have you listened to 《call my name》, released on August 8, 2001? This time, we took part in promotional activities for the song for the first time!

Nakamura and I ran around unfamiliar places... So what about the two male members? You might imagine that they were enjoying summer to the fullest... But no. They seemed to be having even busier days, recording the next song.

If I wandered over casually, I would probably disturb them, so I went to find Yuri, who had just gone into the studio to record the next song, and asked her to keep me company!

Ah... what a wonderful voice... Wait! Is that... a Chinese pop song!? Nakamura! And now it’s a song from 千と千尋の神隠し (Spirited Away)... Ah, because she hasn’t sung in a while, she’s warming up? Then take a break for now!

As I wrote thank-you messages to the CD stores we visited last week... Ah, to all the CD stores, cable-radio stations, and radio stations who looked after us, thank you for warmly welcoming these two still-inexperienced people.

GARNET CROW, slowly signing posters at store counters, visiting places quietly without anyone recognizing us. GARNET CROW, unable even to introduce ourselves properly, repeating “Please take care of us” and “Please give it a listen” whenever we had a spare moment. GARNET CROW, who, as soon as we relaxed, would lower our heads and hide behind the business staff.

Even though we were such hopeless cases, by the final day our hearts were still filled with warm emotion. Please, whatever you do, don’t throw away our autographs, messages, or anything else.

If you listened to 《call my name》 or saw our messages in a store, please tell us what you thought. Until next time.

AZUKI 七 Photo Collection

PV.1: From the music video for 《call my name》. Anyone who can recognize where this is is impressive!

PV.2: From the music video for 《call my name》; it appears at the very beginning of the song.

PV.3: A photo taken while filming the music video for the previous song, 《Last love song》.

PV.4: From the music video for 《call my name》. I went out for a casual walk and saw this bicycle parked there.

PV.5: From the music video for 《call my name》. A heart.

This photo was also used in the CD booklet, so take a look at the CD you have nearby! What could it be?

Photography: AZUKI 七.

Photo caption: A discussion before recording a cable-radio program.

This photo was also used in magazine advertisements and flyers promoting 《call my name》. Have you seen it anywhere? This is the original photo.

GARNET CROW Profile

Formed in 1999 by vocalist and composer YURI NAKAMURA, keyboardist and lyricist AZUKI 七, keyboardist and arranger Hiroto Furui, and guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto. Each member has professional experience as a lyricist, arranger, or studio musician, and the group is based in Osaka. Their music is characterized by nostalgic, wistful melodies and sounds, along with distinctive vocals that linger in the mind. To date, they have released one mini-album on an independent label, as well as one major-label album and eight singles. Their eighth single, 《call my name》, was released on the 8th of last month.