"No Limit" TAKAHIRO Interview ――EXILE’s long-awaited new song “No Limit” will be released on September 25(*the day of the interview). First, I’d like to ask how would you describe the work this time? "This work is a collaboration song with Coca-Cola Zero. We are very happy to present this song together with Coca-Cola Zero. The tune is aggressive and upbeat and 80 percent of the refrain’s lyrics are in English, which have never been seen in EXILE’s previous works. I think this song will make you feel the style and the meaning contained in the song is also intense. You will see a new side of EXILE again." ――How about the production process? "At the beginning, the first part of the refrain was given to ATSUSHI and the second part to me…… It was decided like that originally. But when we sang in unison in the studio (=sing the same tone at the same time), we felt an exquisite powerful feeling. So we decided to sing the whole refrain in unison. The song was divided again, and the first part was mainly given to ATSUSHI and the second part mainly to me. These are technical details. When we sing in Japanese, there are some limitations anyway, but we feel free and the range becomes wider when we sing in English. In this sense, I fully showed the meaning of the word "brand-new" in this work." ――The literal translation of the title “No Limit” means that “there is no limit”, right? "Yes. The lyrics were written by ATSUSHI, but under the title of ‘No Limit’, it shows EXILE’s history from the past to the present, the road ahead we want to take and our prospects in the future." ――TAKAHIRO, what do you feel through the lyrics? "Though I can’t be called a great man, when think back to my previous life, I think I have had many experiences that are the same as the lyrics ‘If the limits are set by yourself, how many times have you broken through them successfully?’. Back then I felt ‘I am not able to do this.’, but there were many times when I thought back and asked myself ‘Why was I so confused by this back then?’. For example, now some people don’t have the courage to take the first step, and some are afraid when they meet challenges. And two years from now, they may think ‘Why was I so confused by this back then?’ People often say that ‘Doing something and regretting it is better than having regrets about not doing it’, and I think that is true. I think there is no limit to challenges and sometimes we set limits by ourselves. Indeed, challenge is not an easy thing. But I think if you are confused, first you should try your best to move forward, or try to give yourself a task and create a condition that you have to do it. And that’s very necessary for you to grow as a person. I think the lyrics written by ATSUSHI are applicable to all people living in this society. As for me, this song makes me realize again the importance of ‘keeping on challenging’." ――The opening and ending of the music video contain a message that “there exists a landscape that only the person who goes beyond the limit can see”. How do you understand this message, TAKAHIRO? "The message we want to convey here does not mean that only the person who accomplishes great achievements can see the most beautiful scenery. In the aspects of our daily lives such as sports, study and work, if you have ‘truly made every effort to work hard’, then you deserve to congratulate yourself. And through these efforts, you will also feel that you have made some personal growth. Then, even if the results did not appear as you expected, that experience will still remain as one of the treasures of your life. When thinking in this way, I think everyone can look at the scenery of their lives so far and feel that it looks brighter." ――I think this kind of experience is also closely related to self-confidence, isn’t it? "Yes, it is. The sense of achievement that you accept yourself will also make you grow as a person, and will broaden your horizons as well. What we call ‘going beyond the limit’ is to overcome oneself. We should experience the sense of achievement gained from the success that comes from overcoming a challeng, and turn this sense of achievement into our own self-confidence, which also increases the height of the hurdles that we face. Then, we have to overcome those hurdles too. Because I think it is a truly iterative process, we are bound to experience ‘going beyond the limit’ many times in our lifetime. Maybe once a month, or once a year. I think the scenery we see when we go beyond the limit refers to this feeling of raising the bar, and to the self-confidence we gain from that sense of achievement." ――If we think in this way, it is really a pity to give up. "If you give up, you are lost to yourself. Then you will look down on yourself. Everyone has got only one life, and it is limited. When looking back, one should have nothing to regret and pity, and be able to say ‘I am glad that I did that’. And the challenges will certainly not be in vain, so I think it is important to take on challenges bravely. They are not only challenges, but also the key to one’s growth. For example, when you are criticized by your parents or superiors, you may feel that they are ‘nagging’ you. But that is the proof that you are protecting yourself with the unnecessary defences. I think those criticisms are a kind of teaching, and they are the hints and opportunities that lead to personal growth." ――Thank you for your wonderful answers. TAKAHIRO, as a member of EXILE, as a solo singer, or as an individual, are there any challenges you want to take on in the future? "Of course there are. There’s no need to make a strict distinction between being a member of EXILE, a solo singer, or an individual…… I just want to make sure that as a solo singer, there is something that only I can do. To make such things clear, there will be a lot of challenges, and there will be times when I feel the limits. But, if I stick to it and make unremitting efforts, I will make accomplishments little by little. In this way, I will have my unique sense of existence in EXILE. I am not expecting too much but keeping the destination in mind and never giving up halfway on what I have achieved, or forgetting my determination at that time. I want to do everything perfectly. So, I hope that I can see the scenery that I want to see and repay friends that I want to repay." ――By September 22, TAKAHIRO, you have been a member of EXILE for 8 years (*up to the interview). Thinking back to the time when you joined EXILE, how would you describe yourself at that time? "Back then, I thought that things around me had reached their limits. But at that time, I knew nothing, I even didn’t know what the word limit meant. On the contrary, I think that situation was not so bad for me. Before I joined EXILE, I had been singing all the time. So at least I knew something about the music world, and perhaps I had set those limits in my heart. Maybe I had felt the pressure and lost to myself. It wasn`t because of ignorance. I acted recklessly because I knew nothing. I took on any challenge no matter what stood in my way. And then, when I became aware of that, I found that my limits had expanded without me noticing it. It was something like that. ‘To join EXILE’ was my dream. So I thought, ‘now that I have joined EXILE, I can do everything.’ ‘I will take on any challenge no matter what it is’. For example, I have never said ‘I can’t do it’ even when I was asked to do some extremely difficult work. I did what I had do, working away frantically, and in the process I went beyond my limits…… That’s how I think it was. But, I found it wrong to do things like that every year every time. The more I expand my limits, the clearer I see the things I want to redo. Sometimes I think that ‘why I didn’t do that last year’. I hope that in the future when I look back I will think ‘I have done a great job last year’. I want to take part in activities that can satisfy myself. So far, there hasn’t been one thing that makes me feel satisfied." Source: team-ldh.tumblr/post/62323405519/no-limit-takahiro-interview -Shupagirl Park-
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:35:05 +0000