Kawano was in Hong Kong for her first overseas performance at the city's recent Ani-con and talked with Otaku Zone about music - and, naturally, everything Otaku.
Kawano beat 10,189 other contestants to win Animax's fourth Japan Ani-son Grand Prix in 2010. She made her major label debut on Aniplex, with her first single Morning Arch, the opening theme song to the anime, A-Channel. The song was produced by Satoru Kousaki, whose credits include the songs to anime such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, and Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens.
In February she released her second single Takaramono (Treasure), which was the ending theme to Natsume Yujincho Shi.
Kawano said when she knew she would be singing the theme song for A-Channel she started to read the manga. Even before she became an Ani-son singer, she was a fan of Natsume Yujincho and really liked the other theme songs. "For my future projects I'd like to continue to sing songs related to anime; they're very powerful and have special meaning."
The second part of our interview will be in next week's Otaku Zone. Don't miss it!