NN Song of the Week: “Saturn and Unicorn” by Ayane Yamazaki
Japanese indie artist Ayane Yamazaki, voted the fourth best album by the Spanish alternative media, has entered a new phase with her single "Saturn and Unicorn," which has just been unveiled, and is our Song of the Week.
From 2022 to 2023, war raged, the Covid-19 entered its 8th wave, and a series of unprecedented events occurred in Japan, forcing people to change their minds. Against this backdrop, Ayane Yamazaki decided to write this song and express what she feels every day, not from somewhere else, but from her own city, to the young generation like herself around the world.
Ayane Yamazaki talks about how this song came to be on her radio program broadcast from a radio station in London, UK, as follows.
“Saturn is one of the most severe and stoic of all celestial bodies, and is the planet that is in charge of trials and complexes. There is a line in the lyrics that reads, "I never say I want to go somewhere that's not here." Until now, "somewhere else than here" has been a kind of escape, a fantasy to sustain oneself.
But then astrological Saturn entered my Aquarius, the world became a serious reality, many things came to light, and I realized that it was no time to say, "I want to go somewhere other than here."
With that, I found my own sense of balance that allows me to go back and forth between reality and fantasy, the power of life and enlightenment, and this song was born."
--Ayane Yamazaki
And this is what she has to say about the sound.
"Up until now, I've been playing mostly mid-tempo dreamy pop songs with a floating feel, but 'Saturn and Unicorn' retains that vibe, but is more danceable.
I feel a sense of accomplishment that we were able to take what we had accumulated up to that point in terms of sound, vocals, and lyrics, and refine them to the point where they shine.
I think listeners can see how the 'past' and 'future' have changed from this song."
-Ayane Yamazaki
This love song begins with the acceptance of sadness, loneliness, and frustration. The song, which sings that it is okay to be yourself just as you are, reflects the mood of the current era.
Listen to “Saturn and Unicorn” on: https://friendship.lnk.to/SaturnandUnicorn