Ettone’s new song “STAY” was co-written after a production process that saw the track rewritten, inspired by the image of a life flashing before one’s eyes, with English lyrics at its core and Japanese lyrics used to complement them. Rol3ert and ALYSA, along with Ettone’s chiharu and pia, participated in the co-writing.
Ettone’s new song “STAY” is presented as a track with a different character from the group’s previous work, shaped by the contrast between its propulsive beat and Baroque music, as well as the distinctive pauses created by its English lyrics. The co-writing brought in US-born, Japan-raised singer-songwriter and producer Rol3ert, and the process developed to the point of rewriting the track after the phrase “走馬灯” became its starting point.
A conversation among Rol3ert, pia, chiharu and ALYSA reveals how Japanese and English were assigned different roles, leading to an arrangement that made the most of English-centered expression. Rol3ert used the high proportion of English to create the song’s sound, with Japanese lyrics serving to complement it.
The mixture of Japanese and English lyrics also influenced the adjustment of syllable counts and the division of lyrics across the melody, making it possible to design a melody that leaves room to breathe. English is easier to convey directly, while Japanese functions to preserve a sense of restraint and poetic expression.
The background to the co-writing includes ALYSA’s proposal to serve as facilitator and the process by which Rol3ert was brought on through Hiroomi Tosaka (登坂広臣). The piece concludes that the team’s collaboration as a whole gave rise to a new kind of “space.”