Hiya Martin, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks! I’ve got a nice dark roast in my hand and I’m ready to go.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
I can’t remember that far back. I got into music at 14 when I got my first guitar–a Yamaha from Costco, of all places–and I’ve been writing songs ever since. After high school, I started doing open mics around Tokyo and worked my way up to doing shows in bigger venues and being part of the local indie scene. Before all that, I guess my life was drawing and playing Street Fighter II a lot.
What’s the live music scene like in Tokyo right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Tokyo’s amazing for live music. It’s got quite an eclectic scene, and there’s something for everyone. Some of my favorite bands going strong at the moment are KOJI, he’s a grunge musician who’s just put out a great new track called “Siberia”; Nao Right Now, who’s a wizard on the talkbox and does funky pop tunes, kind of Daft Punk meets Jamiroquai; and DieByForty, a French-Japanese rock band who always put on a great show.
They’re not doing many live shows right now, but The Watanabes, a Tokyo-based duo from the UK, and Japan’s own Mana Hardcore are darlings in the local indie scene, and have fantastic music–worth checking out as well.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
I think it’s a natural progression in the digitalization of music and the industry. We live in a time when it’s easier than ever to be your own label, which comes with the added responsibility of having to be your own PR person as well, which means getting savvy about social media and the algorithm. As well as short-form content creation. Booking agents, licensors… everyone’s going to look at your social media following before anything else.
It’s a technical skill, and one that also requires a great amount of extroversion, which… if you fit the bill, great. But if you struggle with introversion on top of any mental health issues that social media aggravates, it’s quite harrowing. Especially if you’re a solo operation.
Personally, I’m very much the latter, and am trying to maintain just enough of a social media presence to get my music and my story out there, and hopefully reach a small but dedicated base of people who enjoy the songs. If I don’t have the mental health, I won’t have much else, at the end of the day.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I’m still very much a small fish in this vast ocean, and I’m okay with that, because I know who I am and I know what my music is about. I feel like I’m starting over again, to be honest, after taking a few years off in the aftermath of the pandemic and a few huge curve balls life has thrown my way. And re-learning everything from scratch can be a great thing, because you get to focus on where the industry is right now, rather than where it used to be, and learn some new skills along the way.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
I’ve been learning different production styles for different genres, whether or not they apply to my music. It’s great to have perspective for how different kinds of music are approached, and have some extra tools in the kit to pull out should you ever need it.
I’ve been very fascinated with Max Martin’s production in his work with Ace of Base, Robyn, and early Britney Spears. It’s fascinating to see how a metal musician would approach creating dance pop, and his layering techniques have inspired me to get a bit more playful with production.
What was your best experience on stage?
Any time I hear audible reactions–gasps, cheers, sobs–from the audience from something I’ve just performed, is always the best experience I have on stage. It’s a lovely reminder that the music is a dialogue–they’re expressing it with you.
One of my best experiences was this time I created a hybrid stage play / live music show. It was essentially some indie bands from Tokyo performing songs live that fit the narrative being told in scenes performed by actors from local theater groups. Having done theater, it was the best feeling to mix both of my worlds and have audiences from one medium experience the other.
What was your worst experience on stage?
Any opportunity to be on stage is a great one, regardless of what happens on it.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I did children’s theater professionally for about six years–singing, dancing, colorful costumes, puppets, and all. It was a fantastic gig, and it brought me all around Japan and South Korea.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
I’ve just released a new single, “Butterskies.” It’s a 1960s-inspired folk song that channels some of my folk heroes’ work from that time period–James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, specifically.
Lyrically, it deals with the acceptance and the act of letting go of a relationship that’s ended–but doing so with gratitude for what was, and hope for where you go from there. I grew up in Tokyo, it’s a big city where friends and loved ones are leaving all the time, and you get used to having to say goodbye and take little pieces from each relationship as you move forward.
I actually wrote “Butterskies” as part of a stage play I was in, about a 1960s folk musician who falls for the actress next door. I wrote this song for the character initially, but it ended up really being an expression of something I was going through at the time. The stage play didn’t happen, but this is a little piece I took from that experience, and I’m quite proud of it. It’s also very much a love letter to the folk artists that inspired me.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
One of the biggest things I’ve had to learn was to trust my own voice, even if that means breaking some songwriting or production rules here and there. Since I first started writing, I’ve studied the work of my favorite songwriters, and used them as the blueprint as I wrote my own songs.
I found that I’d often struggle with losing my voice because, compared to their work, my writing would feel too abstract, that maybe this metaphor doesn’t make sense, or that section is in 3/4 when the song is in 4/4, or that my writing veered more pop or rock when I’m supposed to be a folk musician. But I’ve had to make peace with the fact that my writing is a bit abstract as a consequence of my brain naturally processing thoughts that way. And that, being multicultural and growing up around many different genres and media, it’s natural I would write songs that didn’t stick to a particular genre, as there is one narrative thread that runs through them.
Would you change anything now that it’s finished?
I think “Butterskies” is exactly how it needs to be.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Just a reminder to hydrate–getting enough water is important.
FOLLOW HIM HERE // PRESAVE HERE
CHECK OUT RGM TV