Yes, you guessed it! Triple threat for November 25th, with my next guest, Japanese-American singer Monday Michiru!
Monday Michiru (born August 19, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-American actress and singer/songwriter. Born into a very musical family, she discovered her passion for music at a young age, and also delved into dance as well as acting and soon after, her career shot off, having won several awards for her lead role in the movie "Hikaru Onna", and then soon after set her sights on her music career with the release of her debut album "Mangetsu". Having worked with the likes of Basement Jaxx, m-flo, Mondo Grosso and others, Monday has become quite the accomplished musician, while juggling family life and travelling between the US and Japan now and then. Having just returned from Japan for m-flo's 10th anniversary concert, Monday spared some time to answer some of my questions!How long have you been doing music professionally for?My first paid job was when I was 22, but I've been recording since age 13.
What style of music do you generally play, and which musicians provide inspiration for your sound?My style is really a crossover and conglomeration of various stylistically, culturally and generationally, all sonics that I have been inspired by; but in a sense, it is my own soul. Many musicians provide inspiration, and it's hard to list just a few.
Besides being an accomplished jazz singer in the US, you have also done quite a bit of work in Japan. One of your most famous works was the track you did with hip-hop duo/producers m-flo - the song "A.D.D.P." Tell me about that experience.Firstly, I wouldn't really refer to myself as a "jazz singer" -- what I do is not, in my eyes, jazz, being a daughter of jazz musician parents and the wife of one; however, I am inspired deeply by jazz and there are no doubt inflections. And truth be told, I am quite underground here in the U.S., whereas Japan was where my musical career took hold and people generally think of me as being part of a Japanese collective that came out in the '90s. The song you mention, A.D.D.P. by m-flo, was a lot of fun to do. In this day and age, one can do things over the internet, sending sound files, and such was the case with this track where they initially sent me the back track from Japan to NY where I live with a chorus melody & lyrics already written, and I contributed by writing the A & B melodies & lyrics, which Verbal then touched up by adding some Japanese here and there. I recorded the vocals in NY which we sent via internet, and they finished up the track and mixed in Japan. As you know, they recently commemorated their 10th anniversary with a big 2 day concert in Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, which I was a part of. A lot of fun. And I have to mention that they are the sweetest, most humble duo you've ever met -- they work hard, they're talented, a great pleasure.
Can fans expect new material from you anytime soon?I am currently working on a remix to my last solo album, "Nexus," which I hope to have out by Spring of next year. I'm also talking with a label in Japan about doing an acoustic, more jazzy album, which I'll start working on come January 2010, as well as probably putting together a polar opposite project on my own.
Is there ANY musician that you would like to do a collaboration with in the future?Meshell Ndegeocello comes to mind first -- I simply love and respect EVERYTHING she has done musically and conceptually.
Are you doing any projects and/or campaigning for anything right now aside from your music career?Not really. My greatest project in life is my son. As well as my marriage with a very complex man, and our equally complex dog :-) That alone takes up plenty of my time and energy.
I imagine you have a lot of music tastes; what do you normally play on your iPod and/or when you’re at home?You'd be shocked to know -- I don't own an iPod. Last person in the 21st Century not to own one probably. Even my 9 year old has one (LOL!). And truth be told, I rarely listen to music at home. It takes away from my thinking space and ability to dream and hear my own melodies and rhythms. There's so much sonic stuff out there in our daily lives, from when we're in the car, supermarket, shops, TV, even out on the streets, that silence is a luxury.
Where’s the one place where you can go and get your creative flow going in order to write/create music, apart from the studio?Out on the road. I see, hear, feel and experience different stimulations that inspire me to think in a different way to write. People inspire me.
You’ve been active as a professional musician for almost 2 decades, give or take. How does it feel so far? Do you feel you have more to accomplish? Is there anything you still want to do, both in your music career and outside of it?I still feel like I'm a baby in music. I don't know enough, I'm still not good enough, still haven't written THE song that would make me feel like I have nothing more to give. Aside from music, I have a great love and passion for FOOD and wine. I'd love to do something that would combine my two passions.
Who is your closest musician friend, and how did you two meet?I can't say there's ONE closest musician friend. My husband, as mentioned previously, is a jazz musician, a very brilliant trumpeter as well as composer and arranger. The fact I married him speaks volumes of my deep respect for his musical ability. But there are so many who have been a part of my musical life, and some who continue to be, who I feel close to and we've communicated in a way that other regular friendships cannot compare. I do have to mention my engineer, Dave Darlington, who I have worked with since the mid 90s and who I consider a wonderful friend, to be a close musician friend as well. All I have met through work.
What do you do in your spare time when you’re not recording or touring?Being a mother, wife and home caretaker, and a MEAN cook!! And a bit of a lush.
To the critical question now. You have been involved in music for some time now, and music tastes and styles are changing quickly in this day and age. Where do you see music in Japan going in the future, in the sense of changing tastes, and will this allow you continued creativity down the road?I don't believe in trends or musical fads as much more than that, and I have always strove to create on the pure basis of creativity that is a communication between myself, my muse, my Gods, and the universe and those who are in tune with it. So whatever is going on musically on the exterior with the flavors of the month, I hope to create music that will transcend that. As far as music in Japan and where I see it going, it's hard to say; I'm not a fortune teller, and there are always talents and trend setters coming out of the wood work that one didn't anticipate.
Do you feel you’ve contributed to the advancement of music in Japan/US as a jazz/house singer? And is there anything you’d like to see done in this whole genre of music in Japan/US?I don't know if I've been a contributor to any advancements, but I do like to think I've been a contributor amongst the many wonderful musicians and producers out there who have contributed and inspired all of us. As far as what I'd like to see/hear in the future in either Japan or the U.S., I always wish to hear that new track or tune that hits my in the heart and makes me nod and say, "That's it..."!!
Woohoo, and there you have it! Arigatou to Monday for the interview. And like I said, keep reading and supporting to see more interviews like this, and support artists like Monday. Till next time, saiyounara!
J~
Monday Michiru
