MusicDrop: Mako Sameshima's "When I Let Go" And The Message of Finding Optimism

Our next MusicDrop entry before March ends is with Mako Sameshima following the release of her second original track titled "when i let go". This follows over two years since she released her debut track titled "Guide You Home".

The new track, while having its melody moving towards a very bittersweet and sombre tone, still has its lyrics evoke a message of hope and optimism for life ahead.

For this track, we spoke alongside Mako Sameshima to discuss the change in her genre of choice for this new song, as well as discussing important messaging attributes of "when i let go".

Creative Process for "when i let go"

This is now your second original song following "Guide You Home". Could you tell us more on the initial conceptualization process for "when i let go"?

Mako Sameshima: 'when i let go' was definitely a huge turn from 'Guide You Home'! I have grown a lot since 2021, not just as a musician, but as a person too. I knew that my personal growth needed to be a big part of my new music.

As I've grown more comfortable with myself, I've also grown more comfortable exploring my feelings through music. I began to delve into the world of lyric-writing, and it helped me parse through emotions that I probably would have otherwise left buried deep.

It is worth noting that "when i let go" is such a departure from "Guide You Home" in terms of the melody and lyrics. Was there a reason that you decided to go for this route?

Mako Sameshima: I hadn't really realized this, but it is very true! 'Guide You Home' is such an uplifting and optimistic song. I think on surface level, 'when i let go' seems a little less optimistic. However, I don't think this is entirely true! 'when i let go' is just much more real and close to my heart as far as emotions go.

Not everything is sun and rainbows, even for virtual personalities like VTubers. I wanted to go a more emotional and raw route because I wanted people to know what I really feel.

Transparency has always been key to my content creation. More importantly, however, I think I wanted to make myself more comfortable with my own feelings.

Production Work and Inspiration

This new track was produced and mixed by Sleeping Forest, who interestingly primarily focused on straightforward EDM tracks. How did the two of you decide to go for a more subtle and melodic electronic type of music?

Mako Sameshima: Sleeping Forest is wonderful. He has this sort of powerful songwriting style that emphasizes cool effects, and I definitely wanted to highlight some of those effects in my song.

'when i let go' is different from a lot of his stuff, but I think it gave us both a really fun challenge. I knew that the song would end up being great, but in all honesty, it even exceeded my expectations!

Who would you say are your main musical inspirations for this track and why?

Mako Sameshima: My musical inspirations are Ethel Cain, Lana Del Rey, AURORA, Grimes, Crystal Castles, and Billy Joel!

The Message of "when i let go"

If there is one word that best describes 'when i let go', what would it be and why?

Mako Sameshima: Nostalgic. There's something about the intro that reminds me of late autumn, when the leaves begin to fall. It sort of pulls at my heart a bit.

Maybe it's because I started getting the first bits and pieces of instrumentals around then. I'm not sure. I just know that this song reminds me of warmth, change, and childlike innocence.

Is there any message you'd like to say to your fans regarding this original song?

Mako Sameshima: To my fans, thank you so much for supporting the song. At this moment, I feel invincible. I feel so, so loved. I am over the moon that my song has been so well received! And to those of you who may relate to the lyrics, please know this- I see and understand exactly what you're going through. You are not alone.

We thank the team at PRISM Project for allowing us to have this interview opportunity before their talent's transition into indie VTubing. You can follow Mako Sameshima on her official YouTube and X (Twitter) pages.