Writing Four Original Songs?!

If you told me a year ago that I’d have four original songs fully written, recorded, produced, and even complete with album covers, I don’t think I would’ve believed you. But here we are.

This project started, as a lot of my projects seem to, from small ideas that slowly spiraled into something much bigger than I originally planned. I’ve always written lyrics here and there, usually whenever something sits with me for a while — on late-night walks, long car rides, or just those random moments where a single phrase comes into my head and refuses to leave. But this time, I decided I didn’t want them to just sit in my notes app forever.

So I wrote the lyrics. And then I thought — why not actually make these into real songs?

The Process

Since I don’t play instruments or produce music myself, I had to get creative. I started by writing full lyrics for each song, and then received some help from Suno AI to generate initial melodies that I could work with. I spent a considerable amount of time refining the melodies, ensuring they conveyed the emotion I wanted each song to evoke.

Then came the part where things really started feeling real: I worked with professional producers on Fiverr who helped me create full instrumentals for each track. They were all so kind and talented, especially with the Japanese songs, where some of the producers, being native speakers, helped me smooth out the lyrics to make them sound more natural. After multiple weeks of sending files back and forth, we established a nice rhythm, and honestly, I grew quite close to some of them through the process.

Once the instrumentals were finished, I recorded my vocals, sent everything back, and they mixed and mastered the final tracks. And because I can never resist going one step further, I also designed album covers for each song. Suddenly, I had four fully produced songs — all starting from just a few lines in my head.

My vocal teacher was kind of in shock when I showed her everything. She kept saying, “You made all this yourself?!” and even mentioned that maybe I should look into publishing them on streaming platforms someday (!!).

The Songs

知らない心 (The Heart You Don't Know)

This song actually came from a dream I had — one of those Shinkai Makoto-esque stories that somehow live halfway between sad and beautiful. It’s about a girl who secretly loves her friend, but chooses not to confess because she treasures the friendship too much. She carries her feelings quietly, simply happy to be with him, even if he never knows how she feels. I wanted to capture that bittersweet warmth of a one-sided love that asks for nothing in return.

Lyrics to 知らない心 (click on the down arrow on the left to see the lyrics!)

어느날 내게 처음 말했어

ある日私に初めて言った

「너와 있는 시간 싫지 않아」

「君といる時間、嫌いじゃないよ」

세상한테 마음을 숨긴 너에겐 

世界から心を隠したあなたは

꽤나 큰 대답이란거 알아

かなり大きな答えをくれたって知ってる

너에 대해 조금씩 조금씩 알아가는 시간마저 

君を少しずつ少しずつ分かって行く時間さえ

빛바랜 지도를 들고 새로운 바다를 항해하는

色あせた地図を持って新しい海を航海

그런 느낌이 들었어

するような感かんじがした

너도 그랬을까, 모르겠네

あなたもそうだったのか、分からないな

너와 모험을 가고 싶었어

あなたと冒険に出たかったの

학교 밖의 너의 모습은 어떨까

学校外のあなたの様子はどうだろうか

궁금해졌어

気になった

그게 내 마음의 시작이었나봐

それが私の心の始まりだったみたい

하지만 우리를 이을 실은 없는걸 알아

でも、私たちをつなぐ糸はないことを知ってるよ

그래서 난 지금 말하며 다짐해:

だから私は今言って誓う

네가 알지 못하는 이 마음

あなたの知らないこの心

그대로 가지고 갈께

そのまま持って行くよ

그래도 슬프지 않아, 신기하지?

それでも悲しくない、不思議でしょ？

잠깐의 손길, 마주치는 눈빛

ちょっとの手、出会う目

그게 더 소중해

それがもっと大切だよ

널 부르는 이름이 뭐가 중요하겠어

君を呼ぶ名前が何が重要なの？

그냥 나와 같이 웃자

ただ私と一緒に笑おう

그리고 카페에도 가는거야

そしてカフェにも行くの

물론 너는 나와 가주며 말하겠지

勿論あなたはこう言うだろう

「달달한건 별로 좋아하지 않아」

「甘いものはあまり好きじゃない」

(웃으며 말하듯) 그것마저 귀여워

(웃으며 말하듯) それさえも可愛い

나른한 오후, 함께 수박도 먹고

気だるい午後一緒にスイカも食べて

자전거 타고 동네를 탐험하고

自転車で町を探検して

기차에 올라 종착역까지 가볼까?

電車に乗って終着駅まで行ってみようか？

그렇게 너와 더 많은 추억을 쌓고 싶어

そうやってあなたともっと思い出を作りたい

나중에 우리 둘 중 한명이

後で二人のうち一人が

사라지는 때가 오더라도

消える時が来ても

다락방의 편지 상자를 열어보듯

屋根裏の手紙箱を開けるように

나를 기억했으면 좋겠어

私を覚えてほしい

그래, 아무렴 어때

そう、どうでもいい

너와 함께 할 수 있는 시간,

あなたと一緒に過ごす時間

그게 가장 좋으니까

それが一番いいから

네가 좋아도, 너는 알지 못하는 내 마음이야

君が好きだけどあなたは知らない私の心だよ

우리의 운명은 별에 쓰여 있지 않아

私たちの運命は星に書いてない

그래서 난 지금 말하며 다짐해:

だから私は今言って誓う

네가 알지 못하는 이 마음

あなたの知らないこの心

혼자서 가지고 갈게

一人で持って行くよ

그래도 슬프지 않아, 신기하지?

それでも悲しくない、不思議でしょ？

잠깐의 손길, 마주치는 눈빛

ちょっとの手、出会う目

그게 더 소중해

それがもっと大切だよ

널 부르는 이름이 뭐가 중요하겠어

君を呼ぶ名前が何が重要なの？

잠이 오지 않는 밤에 

眠れない夜に

이런저런 생각하며 조용히 웃는 이유도

あれこれ考えて静かに笑うことも

매일 「라인」을 체크하는 것도

毎日「ライン」をチェックするのも

다 너 때문이지만

全部あなたのせいだけど

절대 모르게 할거야, 내 마음

絶対分からないようにするよ, 私の心

스치는 너의 손길,

すれ違う あなたの手

잠결에 무심코 잡은 손

寝耳に思わず握った手

아무 의미 없는걸로 생각할게

何の意味もないと思う

그냥 우리만의 놀이

ただ私たちの遊び

둘이 함께하는 시간이 좋아서

二人で一緒に過ごす時間が好きで

더 이상은 바라지 않아

これ以上は望まないよ

네가 좋아도, 넌 알지 못하는, 내 마음이야

君が好きだけどあなたは知らない私の心だよ

---

Sunsets with You

This one came from a phrase I thought of years ago: “I want all my sunsets to be with you.” It felt like a softer way of saying "I love you," and I always knew I wanted to turn it into a song someday. It’s about steady, enduring love — the kind that stays even when life gets hard. Out of all four songs, this one probably feels the most like a love letter.

Lyrics to Sunsets with You (click on the down arrow on the left to see the lyrics!)

You stepped into my life

Pretty early on

I was out looking for love

You were looking for someone

That night on the grassy beach

Changed my life entirely 

Maybe you knew then

My heart leaned toward you

From one adventure 

To the next

You were there with me

Ready to make me smile

Now I’m standing 

Here in your embrace

You drown my worries with love

There’s no where else I’d rather be

And I know, oh I know

That we’ll never let this go

There’s no need to be scared

When it’s the two of us

No matter life’s sorrows

You’ll have me by your side

And from now on, 

All my sunsets are with you

Sometimes my thoughts 

Get the best of me 

They whisper what I have

Will disappear

But every time

you tell me what’s true

This love we have

Is stronger than anything 

When you hold my hand

My life re-aligns

Into something better

And more beautiful

You know me so well

And I understand your mind

This is what true love feels like 

A fairy tale design

And I know, oh I know

That we’ll never let this go

There’s no need to be scared

When it’s the two of us

No matter life’s sorrows

You’ll have me by your side

And from now on, 

All my sunsets are with you

You say you’re not perfect

Well that makes two of us.

but we make it work,

we always do

Our worlds combine

There’s no better feeling

Complementary, 

like lock and key

Now it’s you and me

Oh, and I know, and I know, and I know

That we’ll never let this go

There’s no need to be scared

When it’s the two of us

No matter life’s sorrows

You’ll have me by your side

And from now on, 

All my sunsets are with you

Even through the darkest days

My sunsets are with you

---

겨울의 위로 (Winter's Colsolation)

While I was on a car ride, this line popped into my head: “창을 초록색으로 칠해보기도 했지만 서리 맺힌 창가는 꽃을 피우지 않았어” (I tried painting the window green, but the frosted window couldn’t bloom any flowers.) I wrote the rest of the song around that image. It’s about healing after loss — learning how to sit with sadness without forcing yourself to “move on” too quickly. Sometimes you just need winter to sit with you for a while.

Lyrics to 겨울의 위로 (click on the down arrow on the left to see the lyrics!)

네가 없는 겨울은 

생각해보지 못했어

그저 시간이 우리를

갈라 놓은거라고 해줘

뒤를 보고 걸으면

시간이 되돌아 갈까

눈꽃보다 너와 함께 보았던 

벗꽃이 나는 아직 좋은데

창을 초록색으로 

칠해보기도 했지만

서리 맺힌 창가는 

꽃을 피우지 않았어

창틀이 망가진 이 집은

더이상 따뜻해지지 않아

눈물에 젖은 나무들은

더이상 불이 붙지 않아

봄이란 계절이 있었던걸까

이젠 기억조차 나지 않아

한순간 찾아온 이 겨울은

여기에 계속 머물러 있어

새하얀 풍경이

너를 잃었을 때 새하얬던

내 머리 같아서

커튼을 칠 수 밖에 없었어

하지만, 차가워서 좋다

따뜻했다면 네 생각이 

더 나서 힘들었겠지?

겨울에게 위로를 받아

널 안던 그때와는 

너무 다른 느낌에

무슨 표정을 지어야 할지

모르겠지만

지금은 밤이 기니

계속 웃고 있지 않을게

어둠 속에서 자유를

고요 속에서 나아갈 힘을 되찾아

눈이 조용히 덮어주는 건

우리의 추억만이 아닐지도

땅이 얼어붙을 때 즈음

내 마음도 마침내 단단해졌을거야

이겨내는게 아닌

그저 흘러가길

붙잡는게 아닌

그저 잊혀지길

눈꽃을 더 사랑하도록

지금부터 노력해볼게

다음 겨울에는

혼자서도 꽃 피울 수 있게

이겨내는게 아닌

그저 흘러가길

붙잡는게 아닌

그저 잊혀지길

눈꽃을 더 사랑하도록

지금부터 노력해볼게

다음 겨울에는

혼자서도 꽃 피울 수 있게

---

折り紙 (Origami)

This one is also about one-sided love, but a bit more complicated. It tells the story of a girl who kept folding paper cranes for someone she liked — someone who wasn’t very gentle with her heart. Over time, she realizes that the relationship wasn’t healthy and learns to let go. It’s about growing stronger, forgiving herself, and choosing to move forward toward real love. I wanted the imagery of origami and glass bottles to carry that delicate but determined feeling.

Lyrics to 折り紙 (click on the down arrow on the left to see the lyrics!)

君を知ったのが

幸運だろうか

寂しかった私の世界を

君が明らかにしてくれた

そうやって一歩、一歩

君に近づいたが

ある瞬間から

君が見つからなかった

約束した時間だけど

ひろばは空いてて

君のロッカーに貼ったノート

その場で夏を過ごした

それでも

君に届くために

私は心をこめて

折り紙をした

ガラス瓶が少しずつ

私の鶴で満たされてる間

夏の終わりには

君が立ってると信じたよ

でも結局は

運動場の砂の上に

力なく割れてしまったガラス瓶

私の心臓だね

一、二

君が彫刻した心

私がまたくっつけて

美しい折り鶴を折るよ

素敵で大きな

私の折り鶴に乗って

遠くに飛んで行く

愛のあるところへ

はじめては涙が出た

何か間違ったのかな

君に私は

どんな人だったの

そんな時ふと心が

小さくささやいて

「受ける気のない子に

真心を渡すなって」

また進むことができる

君を忘れたまま

ちょっと寝て起きた

夢だったと思うよ

何度かの夏が過ぎて

再び訪れた運動場

誓ったよ、感じが

あの時の子供じゃない

後悔とか、そういう感情

全くないわけではない

でもその日、君を

放してくれてよかったね

割れたガラス瓶と

破れた心は

新しい星を作る

過程だった

一、二

君が彫刻した心

私がまたくっつけて

美しい折り鶴を折るよ

素敵で大きな

私の折り鶴に乗って

遠くに飛んで行く

愛のあるところへ

Looking Back

The whole process of creating these songs taught me a lot — not just about songwriting or production, but about how far a small idea can go if you let it grow. I didn’t set out thinking I’d end up with full songs, but once I started, I kept following the process one step at a time.

And now I have four songs that exist in the world — with my voice, my words, and my heart in them.