kenken-
I began writing this song by ‘creating a lyrical concept’, which was something I had never done before.
In the past, my style of composing was to put the atmosphere associated with the images I had in my mind into the sound and tracks, and then Tak would put the lyrics on top of that. However, with "The Lily", I wanted to convey my feelings not only through sound but also through words. This song contains my sentiment that “Hope and despair, justice and evil, and love and hatred. Everything is precious because it is all back-to-back, transient, and ever-changing. Only by overcoming the conflicts of the mind that waver in the midst of these struggles, can one be true to one's convictions and wish for the happiness of the people one loves. “You can only have a strong heart when you recognize your own weakness." I do not believe that these words alone can capture the essence of human nature, but I believe that the hesitation and conflict that lies between the two is what makes us beautiful and what makes us grow. I incorporated the concept of unfulfilled love with the thought of “No matter how much I’d love you; my feelings will never reach you, but I will still do what is right and wish you happiness." and put them onto song and music.
While the expression draws from personal experiences, the concept of the song was inspired by the feelings of Riddhe Marcenas who is one of the characters in Mobile Suit Gundam UC [Unicorn]. Both Tak and I have been fans of the Gundam series for a long time, and UC is one of our favorites that we have watched over and over again. In the narrative, Riddhe Marcenas finds himself on a path divergent from the one with the girl he loves, and despite being momentarily swayed by dark emotions, he is exposed to the strong convictions of the story's protagonist, Banagher Links. Through the battles, Riddhe regains his own sense of justice and chooses to fight for the world his beloved desires. While hope can easily turn into despair, justice into evil, and love into hatred, I believe the reverse is equally true. Overcoming conflicts to forge strong convictions, even if the feelings may not be reciprocated, evolves into a profound affection that becomes a source of sustenance. I was deeply moved by the portrayal of such emotions, and it became the driving force behind creating the song.
“The Lily” of course, refers to the lily flower, which has many meanings in the language of flowers. Both the white lily with a meaning of “dignity and self-respect" and the black lily's meaning of “love and hatred” fit perfectly with the above-mentioned concept of the song. And by coincident, the similar sound of the inspirational words "Lidy" and "Lily" was one of the reasons for the title. We created not only the lyrics and music, but also the artwork of the single as well. The ambiguity and duality of the lily flowers changing from black to white or white to black are overlaid on the concept of the music. Along with the music, I hope you can feel the world of this song through the art cover as well.
Tak -
This song is inspired by the character Riddhe Marcenas from 'Mobile Suit Gundam UC; a series that we, ARKTA, deeply love. While incorporating our own emotions, we expressed the feelings, frustrations, and conflicts that Riddhe carried within. Everyone has aspects they don't want to show to others. How do we confront and navigate those human elements and emotions, struggling yet continuing to move forward? Not focusing on what is right or wrong, we turned Riddhe into an individual human through ARKTA's interpretation in the song. Please feel the 'duality'.