I’ve been meaning to make this post for some time already, but I have never been able to finally voice myself properly without seeming as if I’m insulting some group or other out of bitterness, which I definitely am not. For example, I am myself an Ongaku! Project listener and used to be one of SHINY! Project’s biggest fans. For those who don’t know, I myself run one of the biggest Internet-based singing groups out there, Sekai no Melody (endearingly abbreviated “SnM” by the members; yes, we do often share inside jokes about the similarity to the common abbreviation “S&M”).
One of the things that makes SnM different from groups like O!P and SHINY is my belief and inherent policy that everyone should be given equal chance to participate. As such, I am not so much a fan of the audition process (PureAmbition is an exception since it was specifically made to perform at a higher level) and I am defintiely not much of a fan of being excessively critical of others’ skills. For example, one of our latest releases was ValeriA’s 8th, titled “Calypso” after the nymph who imprisoned Odysseus on an island for seven years. The songs on the mini-album focused on seduction, and one of the tracks was Amuro Namie’s HIDE & SEEK. It actually received quite a bit of critique from the general public (many being members of SnM itself, sadly) after it was released, and from the feel of the remarks I almost felt as if the others didn’t enjoy the track as much as I did. If possible, I request that you the reader give it a listen and then compare it to the original. In my opinion, I feel as if ValeriA’s rendition was just as good if not even better than Namie’s version, and thus I was slightly miffed that others didn’t seem to appreciate our work.
I went back and looked at most of the songs in our repertoire that I most admire, and I’ve found a constant trend in the songs that I like best - they feature large groups of singers! Perhaps that’s why I’ve always felt drawn to singing in a choir over singing solo, or playing in an orchestra over playing solo - I’ve just always appreciated the beauty of a union of voices (be they human or instrumental). For example, my favourite songs on the 2007 Xmas album contained 40+ singers each. Even though the singing isn’t the best, and the mixing is slightly messed up at particular times, I love the idea that through the Internet and through our love for music, we from all over the world have been able to come together and join our voices to sing the same song. I’m not sure most others are as emotionally attached to this idea of unity as I am; it doesn’t seem to be so, unfortunately.
Because of this, I always feel a bit squeamish when members suggest that we should split into subgroups, that we should focus on being more “professional” or “elite” sounding. The original intent was not to be famous for our amazing singing talent (although that would be wonderful if it happen), but for our principles of unity. That is, the idea that we will not allow our differing skill levels (nor the way our voices sound, nor where we come from, nor what language we speak) to inhibit the fact that we can still get along and sing together, united by a common interest. Perhaps I’m putting a little too much pathos into my analysis here, and I do admit that we still need to operate with efficiency and responsibility, but I just wanted to let out a peep of lament for the fading of my original intent. After all, it was that original intent that brought us together in the first place, and I don’t ever want to lose that to overambition and a “professional” front.