GLAY’s TERU on singing in his 50’s

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

GLAY’s lead vocalist TERU was interviewed by the publication ENCOUNT (interview by Fukushima Takeshi) on life in his 50s as the band released their 60th single “Only One, Only You” and in July, held their 1000th live performance and celebrating the 28th year since their debut. Here is an excerpt from that interview:

TERU was asked if he was originally a drummer, TERU said, “Yes, that’s right. Before I joined GLAY, I used to play drums in a copy band. TAKURO heard the rumors and invited me by saying ‘Let’s start a band together’. Unlike singing, it’s an instrument that makes you feel like you’re playing in a band. ‘I had a hard time finding the band’s vocalist’. TAKURO was looking very hard, but he couldn’t find one, so I played him a cassette tape that I sang at karaoke. Actually, my family was a karaoke family, so we often made an accompaniment and recorded the song using a double radio-cassette (laughs). When I listened to it, I was like, ‘That’s really good!’ Actually, when I tried singing through the mic, it didn’t feel very good at first. Also the vocalist is the face of the band, and I knew that the number of people in the audience would change depending on the vocalist, so I realized, ‘Vocals are really important’. I’ve been singing for a long time, but as a vocalist, I’ve come to realize that the ‘throat’ is absolutely important, and partly because of that trend, I’ve come to cherish my throat even now”.

TERU was asked by Fukushima that since he sings in a hight tone since debut, does he have to self-restrain himself. TERU said, “No, no, there are still a lot of great seniors. When I see Oda Kazumasa’s live performance, I think it’s amazing and I respect him. But after all, I’ve come to worry about various things. My condition is in good condition. In order to keep it that way, I’m trying to see how far I can go, and I’m trying to stop habits that I should stop doing, so it’s a very plain life (laughs). Before starting the tour, we had about 10 days of rehearsals, and from the first day, we sang for 4 days in a row with the same tension as the actual performance. In addition, I drink until morning the night before that and see if I can get my voice out. I’ve been trying not to drink for a week before, and so far I’ve been able to maintain my condition, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll start subtracting everything from two weeks before. It’s not limited to singing, it can be applied to anything. If you find one such successful experience, try it. Try something new and see if it suits you. It might be like seasoning food (laughs). I want to enjoy my 50s in that way. But it’s hard to stop drinking, isn’t it? (laughs)”.

With GLAY being an older band, and many rock bands with younger members, what is TERU’s thoughts in him and the band trying to remain relevant to audiences. TERU said, “Until now, somewhere in my heart, I tried not to lose to young people. But since I’m in my 50s, I’ve become able to express my emotions and sing, so I’d like to leave more songs like that in the future. ‘Only One, Only You’ also sang the world view of the lyrics drawn by TAKURO with such an expression. Until now, there was a part of me that wanted to be as good as younger people, but now that I’m in my 50s, I’ve become able to express my emotions and sing, so I want to leave more songs like that in the future”.

You can read more of the interview here.