Nerissa Ravencroft walks through how Blue World was made, from Shoji Meguro's demo to its deeply personal lyrics.
Hand a trusted composer creative freedomShe gave Shoji Meguro only a vague outline and asked him to write whatever he felt most passionate about for her voice.
The sad ending was a deliberate choiceShe kept the minor resolve so the music stays sad and only the lyrics carry hope, because the song is about working towards getting better.
Redo the take when the song mattersUnhappy with her voice on the day Meguro directed her, she booked a second studio session and re-recorded the entire song.
Executive SummaryAI
Nerissa Ravencroft explains that Blue World began around mid last year, when she asked Persona composer Shoji Meguro for a song in the vein of her favourite Persona track, Beneath the Mask, gave him only a vague outline and let him write freely.
When Meguro sent two endings, a major positive one and a minor one, she chose the sad minor resolve so the music stays heavy to the end and only the lyrics carry hope, because the song is about working towards getting better rather than instantly getting better.
She wrote the lyrics herself in about one to two days and reads them line by line, explaining burnout as a candle melting down, the grey protagonist in a blue world, the loneliness of no love and no notice on the phone, and the creator's feeling that a work is forgotten once the content cycle moves on.
The music video was made by Yuna and Miyu, who drew on Perfect Blue, Paprika, Persona 3, Black Swan and fan reactions, changed the ending at least five times, and finally left it ambiguous whether the protagonist is saved so that each viewer can decide.
Although Shoji Meguro directed her in person and told her the one-take demo vocals were already perfect, she was unhappy with her voice that day, asked her manager for a second studio session and re-recorded the whole song before Miori Celesta tuned it and Bianco mixed it.
Key Quote
“The song isn't about instantly getting better.”
— Nerissa Ravencroft
Key Quote
“You know, am I going to get a song written by legendary composer Shoji Meguro?”