Big in Japan: The Foreign Music Scene
by spinshell.m4v version
Story by Karryn Cartelle
With Japan being the second largest market for music in the world, talented foreign bands like Monkey Majik and singers like Kat McDowell are grabbing a slice of the action. But how difficult is it to make your way in Japan’s music industry and what is going to set you apart from the rest?
Multi-cultural singer KAT sings in her music video “Rock’n roll boys club”. Courtesy of Binyl Records.
First off you need the right connections. If you’re a singer you might want to check out Dagmusic.
Interview with Dagmusic General Manager Chizu Iwaki
“(Dagmusic is) an agent for foreign singers, musicians, artists, composers, narrators, voice characters, etc, based in Tokyo. We provide singing, narration, etc., with music to Japanese clients. (The jobs) can be commercials, game software, or educational programs.”*
A recent Canon Camera commercial is one example of the type of work Dagmusic creates. They were responsible for the background music.
On jobs like this, as with all their jobs, Chizu believes professionalism, flexibility, and personality will get you ahead. With jobs through agencies like Dagmusic artists must remember the idea has already been created and a singer has to fit to the role the client wants—not the other way around.
If you want to keep your own creativity you may choose to go it alone. Superfunktion, a rising funk band who sings in English, has worked hard to get where they are. They first started by placing an ad for band members in Metropolis magazine. Once the group was formed they began by playing covers and performing in pubs before moving on to live houses and eventually creating their own original funk music.
Singer Todd Shymko of Superfunktion. Courtesy of Superfunktion.
Interview with Superfunktion members Todd Shymko and Marcel Albert
“We started playing open mic nights. You get our band to come and you get on stage. You get to know the club owners from doing open mic nights and you ask if there’s an opening, and if you can come play.”*
Kate Sikora, an American singer-songwriter, believes bands here are helpful towards each other and will invite fellow musicians to play with them at shows. She also thinks open mic nights are great for networking, breaking into the music scene, and if the bar owner likes your music you may get booked for your own night.
American singer Kate Sikora performs at Shibuya’s Pink Cow.
Singer Emi Evans from Freescape has been with her band for six years. From her experience she has found that lyrics that incorporate both English and Japanese are the most popular. With a combination of the two, Japanese people can understand and relate to the Japanese lyrics while also being intrigued by the English scattered throughout the song.
Freescape members Emi Evans and Hiroyuki Muneta perform at SuperDeluxe.
Regardless of language if you have a unique sound and want to sing originals, perhaps one way of getting started is to balance side jobs like singing corporate jingles with performing at local venues.
Interview with Superfunktion
“A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. We’re just really lucky. You just kind of make friends. You ask if you can open for your friend’s band. Networking.”*
If you are a singer-songwriter here, make sure to check out our Open Mic Night YSK article for recommendations for great venues the host the liveliest of open mic nights here.
* Quotes have been slightly altered for print. For the accurate quotations, please refer to the video.
All Rights Reserved, Spinshell Inc.
Spinshell Reports are three minute episodes of useful information about visiting and living in Japan.
Related articles:
- Hold the Dashi! Going Veggie in Japan
- Open Mic Nights
- Tokyo Design Scene
- Live Music Venues
- Tokyo Club Scene: Large Venues
Tags: Dagmusic, Emi Evans, foreign musician, Freescape, japan, Kat McDowell, Kate Sikora, music, Superfunktion, Tokyo
January 17th, 2009 at 06:28
hey what’s up? i wanna be big in lapan. i just love the way reggae has brought us together and i would love to share my reggae with all of japan. you can listen to some of my music at http://www.reverbnation.com/muzicsouljah. if you like it please fill out the mailing list and become a fan. spread the word around about muzic souljah and i will see you all when i come to japan. blessed love!
November 24th, 2009 at 14:47
I brought music to the health industry ( therapy with percusions ) and now I want to bring therapy to the music industry. I am now a solist and fuse percussions ( ethnic ) together with the western drums, total of nine and i play three at a time, together with a australian instrument called degeridoo a blowing instrument. Will send you a video clip of this. I have a video clip of my former group called culture vulture, tokyo musical festival on youtube, I am playing the chinese drum and a indian percussio instrument called the towil in this clip. Please send me your name whom I can contact and discuss further. Albert Louis and best wishes always.
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May 13th, 2010 at 04:10
I am courently looking for work in japan and other Asian countries, I have been playing music for a very long time, I am really interested in getting over there to perform and get my music out there, playing music is something I really enjoy, and I like to make people laught and dance. I do hope I can get somoe help to get an agency over there to perform., My phone Number is (416) 857 0422, can you please give me a call, I am seriously interested thank you very nuch
Godfrey
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the music industry is getting bigger because more and more people likes to hear new music artists and new genres “
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the music industry would always be a thriving industry specially these days where we listen to a lot of music ~*:
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