Masato Nakamura (DREAMS COME TRUE) "Dreams are still in the making. Chasing that miraculous moment."

My role is to provide information to the music gods and maintain the infrastructure.

DREAMS COME TRUE debuted in 1989, but around 2000, they increasingly began creating songs commissioned by companies or through tie-ups with TV programs. Originally, DREAMS COME TRUE was born as a system to introduce the world to Yoshida Miwa, a singer, lyricist, and composer of rare talent. We gratefully accept that the increase in tie-up songs is a result of our accumulated career being recognized. This makes us feel strongly that we've been given the chance to create new songs.

Of course, we also deeply value our production and activity style that prioritizes creative drive as artists, creating original works and inspiring many people. But regardless of the form, I believe the goal is the same: to output DREAMS COME TRUE's music. Regarding Yoshida and my roles, first, the music gods descend upon Yoshida. Considering her talent, I think that description fits perfectly. Yoshida communicates directly with the music gods, but my major job is to feed them sufficient information before she completes a piece with them. Additionally, I handle the "infrastructure work" to boost the motivation of Yoshida Miwa the person – providing artistic insights like "this person said this" or "that part of that work is like this."

Pouring out unconditional love, sustained by unconditional love

Truly remarkable talent requires a collective—or rather, a magnificent vessel—to bring that talent to the surface. For a quarter-century, I've essentially made my living crafting such vessels. What's essential to making a vessel truly worthy of its purpose is, ultimately, "unconditional love." I'll admit, I sometimes hold hands with the God of Music under the desk (laughs), so I'm not just spouting platitudes. But that's where it all comes down to. It's not just us artists; corporate professionals are the same. Those involved in creation, before worrying about specs or whatever, must love what they create above all else, pouring out that very selfless love. My approach to the "product" that is Yoshida Miwa is the same. Of course, I believe DREAMS COME TRUE exists today because it has been supported by the selfless love of our staff and everyone involved.

Then there's the question of how to convey this blossoming talent to our fans. This year marks the return of "DREAMS COME TRUE WONDERLAND," our "Ultimate Mobile Amusement Park," held once every four years. This marks the seventh time since its start in 1991, but "live" performances remain our origin. The concept of the "Ultimate Mobile Amusement Park" comes from the traveling carnivals I saw while working in London. On weekends, small, manually-operated Ferris wheels and such would suddenly appear on empty lots. Families and couples would gather there, having the time of their lives, and by Monday, the carnival would vanish without a trace. Wonderland began with the desire to create live shows that felt like such a dream. Live shows are a dream world where miracles happen every second. The true essence of live shows cannot be experienced through CDs or music streaming. That's why so many fans come every time, and why we keep learning.

For the 1995 Wonderland, we asked Kenny Ortega, who also directed Michael Jackson's films, to handle the direction. We learned that creating genuine entertainment requires patience. From a producer's perspective, cost-effectiveness is a concern, but ultimately, we want to see the fans' happy faces. For a major event held only once every four years, meticulous preparation is essential. The best performances can only be built upon the best training. When you accumulate that kind of effort, the gods of music descend and perform miracles. For fans, a live show is a dream world where miracles happen every second. That's how I see it. People gather in large numbers, expecting those "miracles every second." That's precisely why we want to cherish our live performances.

However, I believe the realization of our dreams as artists is still ahead of us. Today, selling 100,000 CDs is said to be equivalent to selling 1 million in the past, but my dream is to achieve a 5 million-selling hit. I also genuinely want to aim for a Grammy Award. Since there are people who won Grammys in their 90s, I can still keep pushing myself. I think Yoshida will still be twirling and twirling even at 300 or 400 years old. Her goal is to still be wearing a miniskirt, singing and dancing even as a frail old lady. We want to keep working towards that.