Kaori Maeda's 1st LIVE "Are You Ready?

On April 27, voice actress/artist Kaori Maeda held her solo live "Kaori Maeda Kaori 1st LIVE 2025 'Are You Ready? She performed all of her songs that she has released so far, as well as cover songs that she is deeply attached to, giving the fans who gathered at the venue a sense that she is poised to make further progress as an artist.

First, the band members appeared on stage as "Awakening Overture" was played. The audience clapped and the sense of unity in the venue grew. Then Maeda appeared on stage, stood in the center of the stage, and started the live performance with the lead song from their debut EP, "Hikari no Coin ga Mashikata Kata. She sang the first chorus with a smile on her face and said, "Hey everyone! Thank you for coming today! I'm going to give it my all! and showed their enthusiasm. In the latter half of the chorus, they showed their enthusiasm for their 1st live and artist activities by holding out their hands and making them into fists.
Maeda, who had gained momentum at the beginning of the live performance, started the following song "Stranger" with a smile and stirring up the audience. While bouncing around during the interlude to get the audience to call out and get excited, Maeda focused on singing the D-melody and other parts where she wanted to deliver her feelings more clearly, capturing the audience's hearts. The performance of "Positive Girl" continued to draw the audience in with its bright and cheerful steps. In the middle part of the song, they communicated with the audience with finger hearts and other funsas, and as if to show their own excitement, they included arm swinging and forward kicks in the big chorus.

After singing three songs, she looked happy and joyful during her first MC of the day, and said, "I'm here to deliver a stage of thanks to everyone who has always supported me! I'm going to enjoy myself to the fullest, so please enjoy yourself to the fullest as well! I'm going to enjoy myself as much as I can, so please enjoy yourselves as much as you can!" He then started a block where the audience could enjoy his stylish expression.

At the end of the first melody, the dancers changed from dressy costumes to stylish ones that matched the image of the song. The dancers changed from their dressy costumes to stylish ones that matched the image of the song at the end of the first-A melody. In the chorus of the song, they shot the hearts of the audience with finger guns in time with the phrase "Bang! The song "My "I"" followed with an introductory dance performance that was both strong and stylish at the same time. The rap in the middle part of the song was very clear and filled with the feelings that only live singing can bring. The dancers left the stage to the middle ballad "When the Last Fireworks Go Up. The mood changed drastically as the dancers left the stage for the middle ballad "When the Last Fireworks Rise," which was sung carefully, one phrase at a time, with emotion. The song's story was depicted with the "night sky" created by the audience's penlights, while expressing the song's loveliness and sadness in her voice and facial expressions.

In the aftermath of the event, the MC talked about his recent activities. She mentioned that she has recently had more opportunities to try her hand at writing lyrics as an artist, and she talked about her first lyricist, Dai Tabe's "Ai ga Tomanai! The concept of the song and behind-the-scenes stories of its production were discussed, and Maeda asked, "Can't I give something back to everyone? She also said that she sang the song with the intention of sending a fan letter to everyone, and then the two sang "Ai ga Tomanai! In the beginning of the song, Tabe sang alongside Maeda, who encouraged the audience to join in the singing, and from the second chorus, Maeda sang with a smile and full of "Thank you" feelings. The sense of unity in the venue was further heightened by the swinging of arms during the second chorus, and the song ended with the two facing each other and smiling at each other in the latter part of the song, closing the surprise collaboration.

Tabe then exited the stage and announced that the next song would be a cover. The song that made me feel the joy of singing when I was still in the trial-and-error stage of singing character songs was "Lapis Lazuli" by Aoi Eir. From the beginning of the song, she sang with a different type of strength from what she had shown in her previous songs. Even in the high notes of the chorus, her voice had a sense of power that the audience wanted in this song. As she said just before, she sang the song to the end with full of respect to the original song.

At this point, Maeda temporarily stepped down from the stage. After a session with the band, Maeda reappeared with a costume change and seamlessly launched into "Showtime Never Ends. The song showed Maeda's strong performance on stage, and after the first chorus, the audience was even more excited and the live was led by her. The audience was still excited and the live was led by the singer, who said, "Showtime is not over yet! The song was performed with a sharp look in their eyes.

After singing, Maeda looked back on such a power-packed stage performance and said frankly, "Oh no, that was fun! Maeda put on a headset and announced that the next song would be "Kyunapi". She gave a lecture on the "Kyunapi dance" at the end of the chorus. Maeda was dancing with the dancers and the fans from the beginning of "Kyunapi", and she was also talking with the dancers. The song is pop and has a "playful" and interesting way of attracting the audience. In addition, before the big chorus, the dancers delivered cute lines that captured the audience's hearts.
The song "Yume Girl" was performed with a dance performance using headsets, and the cute dance performance got the fans even more involved in the excitement of the number. After the second chorus, two more "cheerleaders" appeared on stage and followed the model of the "cheerleaders" by dancing like the cheerleaders on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of ...... and even the staff members of the event. Finally, the entire venue joined in the dance, and when the sense of unity reached its peak, they took handheld microphones and began to perform the next song, "Yababa! The audience was at its peak of unification. The audience's voltage rose even higher toward the climax of the song, as the audience again united in arm-waving during the chorus, and during the second chorus, the audience looked at the band members and enjoyed exchanging glances with them. Maeda himself enjoyed the stage to the fullest, and through that he entertained everyone," as he said in his MC at the beginning of the song.

Maeda closed the show after having enjoyed the performance to the fullest, and was happy to hear the audience's enthusiasm. But the time for fun was short-lived. She announced that the next song would be the last number, and introduced it as "a song that gives us strength during times of change, such as encounters and partings," and then she went on to sing "Hanakari Haru Kaoru" (Flower Scent, Spring Blossom). Maeda began singing under the pink lights. Her voice gradually became more powerful as she sang, looking straight ahead, while the pink "hanafuki" (flower snowflakes) in the audience seats swayed in time with her arms. Maeda's voice was a call to action from the audience, and at the same time, it may have been her own determination to move forward.

Applause filled the venue for a while, and then a call for an encore, "Kaorin! which brought Maeda back on stage to start the encore with "Common Sense Outrageous Human. The audience enjoyed the performance with a "playful" spirit as the choreographer performed the song with a pleasant feeling and swayed their bodies to the keyboard solo after the second chorus. In the big chorus, they left the phrase "No problem" to the audience twice, leading the fans to a greater sense of unity.

And here Maeda begins to talk about her thoughts on the next song, for which she spun the lyrics herself. She spoke of the clumsiness she felt and memories of her childhood when her desire to talk to others was spinning out of control-"I always felt like I was starting late," she said, and continued, "I thought, 'I'm no good unless I do three times as much as others. I thought, 'If I don't do three times as much as other people, I'm no good. She then continued, "I wanted to be something other than myself when I was making up the roles. I've put my longing into my expressions and songs," she continued, "and I'm getting more and more collaborators and friends, and everyone is supporting me, and all I can think is, 'I'm really glad I worked so hard. Thank you for everything," he said, and then asked the audience to join him in singing the last part of the song. She then asked the audience to sing the last part of the song, "Progress," which was filled with such feelings.
Perhaps it is because this is a song in which the "present" me sings the lyrics to the conflicts I had in the past and sublimates them in the form of music. Maeda choked up again in the first chorus. Even so, Maeda's efforts to sing "my own words" was heartbreaking, and the audience warmly applauded her as she bowed her head twice at the end of the chorus. However, from the middle part of the song, Maeda put more energy into her singing, and sang the last part "Sha La La La--" to a huge chorus, and the audience truly felt united by singing along with her voice. The song was "completed" on that day.

After singing, Maeda thanked the audience again amidst endless applause, and as if to return the favor, she had some exciting news to share! First of all, this performance will be broadcast exclusively on CS Telecho Channel 1. We hope you will enjoy this live performance in depth, including a behind-the-scenes making-of featurette.
One more thing: Maeda's "Look here! The announcement was made with Maeda's voice at ......, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY to You" began to play, and a cake appeared on stage. Maeda, who had celebrated her birthday two days prior to the show, was given a birthday surprise. I heard that it was different from what I had heard! Maeda was surprised, but when she blew out the candles, she was all smiles.
After such a surprise, the announcement announced an additional performance of "Are You Ready? In addition to the Tokyo show, a "triumphant return" show will be held at Zepp Fukuoka in Fukuoka! Please come and witness Maeda's big day and further growth.
And in the happy atmosphere, "We're still going strong, aren't we? and turned on the audience once again, the last number "Dream's Top Star! started. From the intro of the song, the audience started to call out, "Sing it! the audience started to shout "Sing! Maeda continued to communicate with the fans until the end of the performance, and at the end, the audience jumped up and down in unison. Maeda's 1st LIVE, filled with fun and various feelings, came to an end.

What Maeda showed us at this 1st LIVE through all of her songs was the culmination of her career to date. At the same time, she showed great potential as a voice actor artist. Kaori Maeda, who was able to show such a wide range of songs in such a diverse and captivating manner in her first one-man show, is surely going to make even greater strides in the future. She will continue to lead her fans and show her various faces as she runs headlong toward becoming a "Top Star.
(Writer: Kenji Sunaga)
(Photographer: Koji Chikazawa)