Japanese artist LANA was the youngest invited guest at the recent Apple product launch event. We spoke with her in Cupertino just before she returned to Japan to find out how the new iPhone 16 will affect her creative activities.
PROFILE
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he began his career as an artist in 2020 when he released a song on SoundCloud. His one-of-a-kind husky voice and life-sized lyrics have made him popular among his generation, and he often generates buzz on social networking sites. Since then, he has been energetically active, participating in the large-scale HIPHOP festival "POP YOURS," and has attracted attention as one of the most energetic artists of the moment. Most recently, he was selected for "Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 2024," a popular project of "Forbes" magazine, and was featured on the cover of the magazine.
Instagram:@3pylanabby
I never considered any other option but Apple.
First of all, please tell us how LANA and "Apple" met.
I got my first iPhone when I was in the first year of junior high school. Since then, my smartphone has always been "Apple," so I feel like it is a natural part of my life.
So you are a genuine Apple kid. You are wearing a Macintosh logo T today.
I just bought this at the souvenir section of the Apple Park Visitor Center! This is a commemorative design for Apple's 40th anniversary, and it seems to be a reprint of the old logo. On the back of the neck, there is a symbol of the Macintosh at that time when it was started up. It's cute (laughs).
Oh, really (laughs). So, what "Apple" products are you currently using?
iPhone, Apple Watch, iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad......? Apple" is all around us. We are not particularly conscious of it, but it seems to come naturally to us. For our generation, "Apple" is so familiar to us that we have never considered other options.
LANA, you are also working with "Apple" now, aren't you?
I have had my song "BASH BASH" used in the "Apple" commercial "Mac for Students" and the image of me and LEX (LANA's brother) used as the thumbnail for the J-hip-hop category on Apple Music. Thank you very much for all your help.
And this time, you participated in Apple's new product launch event.
When we were approached, we said, "What? What does that mean? I was just so surprised (laughs). I took a commemorative photo at the Rainbow Arch in Apple Park!
How was the new product launch event you attended?
It was just amazing. The size of the event and the people who gathered at ...... were nothing short of amazing. I had a stimulating time communicating with the guests invited from different countries and exchanging social networking sites.
Some of them had an order of magnitude more followers than others, but they were all so kind and rough with me. Everyone here is equal, and I was happy that they spoke from the same perspective. Oh yes, one famous photographer even asked me to shoot the jacket for his next album (laughs). There were many wonderful encounters.
Among the distinguished guests, LANA was also invited as a representative of Japan. I also heard that you were the youngest among the participants. Do you have any thoughts or points to keep in mind?
First of all, I am happy that I am now in such a world line (laughs). I would like to continue to promote the excellence of the new "Apple" products announced this time, and I would also like to use InLai (Instagram live-streaming) and other media to convey the convenience and usability of the products to students and people who need to study.
iPhone is a necessity for artists, and I would like to shoot music videos with the iPhone 16!
Did you find any features of the new "Apple" products announced this time that you could apply to your own creative activities?
The first thing that caught my attention was the new "multi-track recording" feature added to the iPhone 16 Pro's voice memo. It seems to be useful for songwriting, as it allows you to record additional sounds on top of the recorded voice. For artists like us, being able to record a rap over a recorded track is a very useful feature.
With this feature, even if I am alone and on the move, I can record a good flow or melody on top of a track on the spur of the moment, wherever I am, whenever I think of it. I have often used voice memos in the past, but this would allow me to record all at once without having to prepare anything else, so I would be able to create songs more comfortably. I would like to use it right away.
iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone has a sturdy, lightweight body made of grade 5 titanium and the largest display of all previous iPhones, and is equipped with Apple Intelligence, a proprietary AI developed by Apple, which is expected to support all aspects of writing and image creation in the future. The new camera control from the iPhone 16 is also expected to be a key feature of this new model. In addition, a new camera control has been added to the iPhone 16, making the photography function much more powerful. Available in four colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium. 159,800 yen and up.
It would certainly be a revolutionary feature for artists. That said, I have an image that many artists are using the memo function lyrically.
That's right. Whenever I suddenly have a good punch line, I immediately take out my iPhone and jot it down in a memo. I jot it down as soon as it occurs to me, no matter what time of day it is, even when I am talking with others.
Plus, it's nice to be able to keep writing notes without limit. I think all artists use this memo function. When recording, I often record while looking at the notes on my iPhone.
The iPhone 16 is also compatible with Apple's proprietary AI "Apple Intelligence," which includes a writing tool that can proofread and summarize sentences. For example, if you scribble down a spur-of-the-moment lyric in a memo and find a mistake in kanji characters or a typo, the function will proofread and correct it.
That's great! Such support is useful and appreciated.
Are there any other items of interest?
I would love to shoot music videos with the iPhone 16. The camera controls seem to be useful for shooting videos since you can control various things with a single button, and most importantly, the quality of the image has been improved to make it even more beautiful. I also take a lot of photos for Instagram and other social media, so I think the new iPhone camera will come in handy because I don't have to be a pro to take professional looking shots.
iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus
Like the Pro, it features "Apple Intelligence" and camera controls. The major difference is that the two camera positions are now aligned vertically. This allows for spatial recording, which enables users to take 3D-like three-dimensional photos and videos. An action button has also been added. The main camera is 48 MP, with a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and is available in five colors: black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine. 124,800 yen and up.
How was it to actually run the iPhone 16 camera controls?
The camera starts up as soon as you press the camera control, so you don't miss the "I want to take a picture now" moment.
I was also interested in Visual Intelligence, which will be introduced with the iPhone 16. For example, isn't it amazing that when you take a picture of a restaurant, information and data about the restaurant instantly appear?
Visual Intelligence will be released in late 2024. It's exciting, isn't it?
Apple" never fails to impress me. It's not a new feature, but I was surprised to learn earlier that you can remotely control the iPhone camera with the Apple Watch. The more I learn about "Apple" products, the more interesting they are, such as the ability to capture a lyric written in a notebook with the camera and read it as text. The more I learn about Apple products, the more interesting they are.
Taking the camera control and Apple Intelligence as examples that LANA focused on this time, the new products seem to have increased mobility in general. For example, the second or two it takes to start up a camera is sometimes very important. For creative people, I think the idea of the moment is especially important, so I felt that the new products are more reassuring.
That's for sure. Apple has gone from being a part of my life to now being an important part of my work.
I am deeply moved when I think back to when I was in the first grade of junior high school and I got my first iPhone. Let's close with a few words.
It was my first time in Cupertino and visiting Apple Park, and that alone was an amazing experience, but I met so many new people here. I feel like I have gone beyond the world I had seen up to now. It was a great experience and a very intense time.
And I wanted to learn more about "Apple" and how to use it. I wanted to DIG more "Apple"!
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