When you think of anime music, you think of LiSA. The Japanese idol's name has been synonymous with anime's growth over the last decade, and her career has come full circle thanks to her work on The Irregular at Magic High School season 3's theme song.
LiSA's opening theme for Irregular's first season was one of her earliest solo singles. Ten years and almost countless theme songs later, LiSA has returned to the series with the third season's opening Shouted Serenade.
We were able to ask the Japanese star via email a few questions about her experience returning to the franchise, her favorite punk-rock artists right now, and her dream anime to work on next!
It’s been 10 years since The Irregular at Magic High School’s first season and Rising Hope, which was one of your early solo singles. What are your memories of that time for yourself as an artist and also as an anime fan?
The first season of The Irregular at Magic High School was the third anime project I had worked on, and at the time, was the first official theme song for an anime I wrote the lyrics for.
I still remember that I felt a lot of frustration when I created Rising Hope, as I felt a sense of inferiority and struggle with my older brother (Tatsuya).
How do you feel you have changed and developed as an artist over the last decade?
It has been 10 years of continuous growth and evolution, all while facing every problem and issue one by one. I really feel that change more when I sing my old songs.
Can you speak a bit about the creative process that went into creating Shouted Serenade for season 3? When did work on the song start for you, and was there a different kind of emotion or feeling you wanted to reach with this track compared to writing for the first season?
Yes, they are different.
In the first season, Rising Hope is a song wishing for a better future. Now, with the series in its third season and a bit more mature than it was back then, Shouted Serenade is a song that cries out like a declaration of sorts.
You’ve previously cited famous American punk artists such as Avril Lavigne as influences. Are there any new artists you’ve listened to recently, Japanese or international, that get you excited about the future of punk?
Machine Gun Kelly’s album Tickets to My Downfall alongside Travis Barker from Blink-182 was amazing to listen to.
I look forward to more and more Punk and Rock led by artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Pale Waves, RedHook, and Stand Atlantic at the forefront.
You’ve provided theme songs for some iconic anime throughout your career, but are there any other anime you wish you could perform on, either classic series or new and upcoming shows?
I really enjoy Japanese manga very much, and there are many works I would love to see made into animated films and series.
I like Spy x Family, which has already been adapted into an anime, but I would love to make a song for it someday in the future.
As we near the end, we just had to sneak in a random question: what's your favorite snack you can’t get enough of?
Skittles. I always buy a ton of Skittles when I go abroad because they are not sold very widely in Japan.
Finally, there will be a lot of fans watching The Irregular of Magic High School season 3 who grew up with your songs over the last decade and will get a wonderfully positive, nostalgic feeling from Shouted Serenade. Is there any message you would like to share with those longtime fans, in particular?
I hope this work reaches everyone who has grown up with me over the past 10 years, everyone who is experiencing The Irregular at Magic High School for the first time, and everyone who continues to take on challenges like them.
Please enjoy the song alongside the series.
Shouted Serenade, released by Milan Records, is available everywhere now.
What are your favorite LiSA songs? Let us know in the comments and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest anime news!