Japanese music in America

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An interview with Yumi Mizuta
The member of the Japanese band Sown

We are often amazed by how little Japanese music is heard outside Japan (some countries in Asia have recently acquired a taste for Japanese music, as evidenced by the popularity of such stars as Kyoko Fukada). On the other hand, Japan has been very receptive to non-Japanese music despite the fact the country has not done an admirable job of making other languages a part of everyday life in Japan. Almost all concerts by non-Japanese artists – whether it is Bon Jovi or Three Tenors, are sold out within hours in Japan.

There is one band in the United States that is doing a remarkable job of bringing Japanese music to the western world. While the group is just starting out, it is remarkable for its unique qualities – the group sings only in Japanese in a country where almost no one speaks the language and secondly, a majority of the members of the band are not Japanese.

MYNIPPON recently spoke to Yumi Mizuta, the only Japanese member of the group known as “Sown”.

MYNIPPON: Yumi, could you please describe how Sown started?

Yumi: I have always enjoyed singing and used to sing even as a child. When I got an opportunity to come to the US as an exchange student, I never expected that I would be able to pursue by hobby until I got a chance to join the High School Choir. Around this time I met Chris Thompson and Paul Starr and was introduced to “Sown”. (Related article: Yasumasa Mori - the Japanese version of Elvis Presley)

MYNIPPON: What are the challenges of singing in Japanese?

Yumi: Well, music transcends language. While other band members are trying to improve their Japanese, we have never faced any major problems. We try to write the lyrics together and our music has been influenced by J-POP as well as Rock.

Since I have known the members for about 5 years, I get on very well with them despite the fact that I am the only female and the only Japanese. Our biggest challenge is to bridge the cultural differences. (Related: iPod docking station)

MYNIPPON: What are your future plans?

Yumi: Well, we would like to be more widely known. Secondly, we would like to develop a fan base in Japan since Sown has a unique combination which Japanese fans would love. We are hoping that we would get a chance to play in Japan sometime soon though with exams and term papers we only have limited time to devote to the band. (Related: !Tude)

MYNIPPON: What kind of reaction do you from the audience?

Yumi: Of course the audience does not understand the lyrics and they often ask us the meaning of the words. Most people try to feel the music, the melody, and the words do not seem to matter at that point. Of course, we have had cases where some people just did not want to listen to what they did not understand. We have been playing mostly in New Mexico and so far the response has been tremendous.

What do you think?

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