Saishokukenbi

It's been fifty years since " Dōzo Kono Mama " became a hit in 1976.
From the 20th century into the 21st- through the eras of Shōwa, Heisei, and Reiwa - this song has continued to be sung, and even now, somewhere in the world at this very moment, someone is singing it.

From vinyl records to CDs and now digital streaming, the ways we enjoy music have changed.
Yet, there are things that remain unchanged.

I began singing with the simple wish to write songs that could touch people's hearts.
Because I loved books, I wanted to write songs that felt like a well-loved book - the kind you keep on your shelf and return to again and again.
I made that dream come true when I was just twenty years old.

Since then, I've continued to sing for half a century.
Songs have the power to take us back instantly to the time when we first heard them,
or to carry us away into a world filled with romance, far from the everyday.
The world of music is a free one -
where hearts, young and old, can sprout wings and travel anywhere.

In this album, standing now at a turning point in my life,
I wrote each song with the preciousness of love at its foundation.
As the end of life gradually begins to come into view,
I found myself singing, with complete honesty, about what truly matters most.

As we grow older, the tension in our shoulders eases,
and we begin to see ourselves as we really are.
Even the simplest words can then resonate deeply in someone's heart.

I believe this album will be one that continues to gently push me forward for years to come.
And I hope it will touch the heartstrings of everyone who listens -
a collection of songs that reflect my thoughts and feelings in their truest form.
- *Singer-Songwriter Keiko Maruyama*

Would you like me to make a **more poetic version** (sounding like liner notes for an English-language release), or keep this **faithful literary tone** for the CD booklet?