ReoNa is the featured artist in the September 2026 issue of Megami Magazine for the interview series ‘Megami’s Voice,’ where she discusses her new single Amore. The title track serves as the opening theme for the TV anime Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai (abbreviated KimiShinu).
A Longtime Fan of the Original Manga
ReoNa said she had been reading the original manga for a long time. She also has a connection with original creator Aono Nachi-sensei through a past radio program; Aono has attended her concerts, and ReoNa feels a deep attachment to the work, making her happy to be entrusted with the opening. For the song, she focused on the feelings characters have for someone and on ‘love,’ spinning the music from there.
She described KimiShinu as a story about children who have lost family or something important and are gathered at a boarding school. She wanted to create music that stays close to characters trying to fill what is missing with something precious.
Singing Love With Tenderness and Passion
When asked what kind of song she wanted, ReoNa said the story does not call for expressing only joy, nor for being lost in sorrow. Amore praises love with tenderness while also carrying passion, and she found it difficult to express that temperature with a soft vocal tone. She also noted that her own intentions and the listener’s interpretation may differ, so she worked closely with Pan-san of LIVE LAB., who handled the lyrics, composition, and arrangement, while recording.
She explained that Amore does not sing that it would have been better never to meet if loss is inevitable. Instead, it expresses that even after loss, the time spent together can still give someone life. Characters in the work may touch a beloved person with a hand that could kill someone that same night. Because time spent with a precious person is irreplaceable, she was conscious of how despair and love are separated by a thin line.
ReoNa did not tie the song to one fixed character. While Shiina, Mimi, Ari, and Seiran are often highlighted, unnamed characters in the story may also have someone they want to see. She hoped the song could overlap with the feelings of nameless people as well as Shiina and Mimi. She added that she personally empathizes easily with Shiina, so Shiina’s perspective is likely present in the song.
Ballet, a White Cat, and the Music Video
The music video features a ballet dancer and a white cat, with a shoot that follows a story. ReoNa noted that ballet expresses emotion and narrative through the whole body without dialogue and is deeply passionate. She felt she was pulled along by the dancer’s skill and passion. Because the work is a fantasy world with magic, the video was able to create an isolated world. She is looking forward to how viewers will unravel its story.
There is a scene in the MV where she appears teary-eyed. ReoNa said she did not intend to cry. She has spent about half her life with a cat, and when she thought about how many more times she could return home and say ‘Tadaima’ to her cat, tears naturally came. The ending shows her attempting a ballet pose, and she wants to leave the meaning of that moment to viewers.
The Coupling Songs: ‘Yuyu no Uta,’ ‘Shintsuu,’ and ‘Sore wa Mahou deshita’
On Sore wa Mahou deshita, which appears on the period-limited anime edition, ReoNa said that while Amore sings about not forgetting the miracles that are ordinarily present, Sore wa Mahou deshita is a song about the moment of encountering such an ordinary miracle. It sings of how irreplaceable it is that ‘you’ exist and the world holds together, and of remaining as one until life ends. She wanted it in this single as a counterpart to Amore. The song was written by Hayashi Kei-san of LIVE LAB., who also wrote her debut single SWEET HURT. ReoNa sees it as a song at the end of the path they have walked together, following the title track of her second album, HUMAN. It carries feelings and a voice she can deliver now, and she is confident it was good to sing it at this time.
For Shintsuu, included on the first limited and regular editions, she said the song does not clarify where the pain lies. That allows it to stay close to any kind of pain and be heard when someone feels distressed. While Amore and Sore wa Mahou deshita sing of love and the miracle of meeting, Shintsuu is a song befitting her as a ‘despair-style anime song singer.’ It neither pushes the listener forward nor pulls them by the hand, but is simply there.
Yuyu no Uta, included on all three editions and already released digitally, is a song about ReoNa’s hometown. She said it honestly sings feelings for someone and things she could not say face to face, which she might have hidden in the past. It incorporates words and instruments from her hometown of Amami Oshima, including the Chijin, an Amami drum, and was created as a return to her roots. She hopes it can stay close to feelings of nostalgia, memories of a hometown that make one want to return even if it is gone, and thoughts about the path one has lived.
Tour Plans and a Message to Fans
Looking ahead, ReoNa will hold a concert tour starting in October, followed by her first arena two-day performance next year. She included ‘De:TOUR’ in the title because she wanted to express the ‘detour’ toward the all-standing livehouse tour, hall tour, and arena. Since livehouses and seated halls each offer different ways to enjoy a show, she hopes fans will participate in the way they most want to hear the music.
The information section lists an all-seating ‘ReoNa Concert Tour 2026 De:TOUR -Joumyaku-‘ beginning in October, and her first arena two-day shows in March 2027. Details on participation and tickets are available on the official website: https://www.reona-reona.com/.
In her final message, ReoNa said she accompanies Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai—a work with characters who each carry wounds and love—with a title song that carries the meaning of ‘love.’ As the story progresses, the lyrics should resonate differently. She hopes Amore can serve as one piece in unraveling KimiShinu. She asked fans to receive the song alongside the anime and to visit the live venues if they can.
Profile
ReoNa pre-debuted in April 2018 as the singing voice of Kanzaki Elza, the in-story song artist for Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online. She made her solo debut in August of the same year and has since performed many anime and game songs as a ‘despair-style anime song singer.’
Release Information
Amore is ReoNa’s new single title track and the opening theme for the TV anime Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai. The song delicately and beautifully brings out the work’s fleeting atmosphere. All three editions include Yuyu no Uta; the first limited edition and regular edition add Shintsuu; the period-limited anime edition adds Sore wa Mahou deshita.
On sale now
SACRA MUSIC
| Edition | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| First limited edition | 2640 yen |
| Regular edition | 1650 yen |
| Period-limited anime edition | 2200 yen |
(C) Aono Nachi / Ichijinsha / ‘KimiShinu’ Production Committee
Megami Magazine Editorial Department
