According to Global Voices Online for Friday March 7th, an American born and raised singer of enka, a form of traditional Japanese music (kind of like a ballad), is the talk of the Japanese blogosphere. His debut single, "Umiyuki" - Ocean Snow - ranked fourth on the Oricon Music charts, a new record for enka. Jerome White Jr., or Jero as he is now called, was born and raised in Pittsburgh where he devoloped a passion for enka from his Japanese grandmother. He moved to Japan after he graduated with a degree in informational sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, taught english, entered kareoke competitions, and was discovered and signed by a record label.
This blog also includes a youtube video of Jero's debut single enka. It looks a bit like rap mixed with traditional singing... Certainly, the blog post reflects both types of proximity. Regarding ties, Japan and the US have a good relationship politically and socially. Especially since the singer has Japanese relatives and is currently living in Japan, the article has a double tie.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment