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'Island Song Prince' brings his unique sound
By Zhang Qian |
April 8, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LOCAL audiences will get a taste of traditional Japanese folk music next Sunday when "Island Song Prince" Kousuke Atari plays at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Audiences may hear his most popular numbers, such as "Flower," "Home Road" and interlude songs from the movie "Cape No.7." Atari says his songs evoke happy memories of his childhood.
He will also interpret popular Chinese songs in his unique island song style. These may include Eason Chan's "Ten Years," Jay Chou's "Flower Sea," Terasa Teng's "Lady beside the Water" and folk song "Tibetan Plateau," sung in Chinese.
Most of the Chinese pop songs prepared for the concert were not too difficult, said Atari, but he was astonished by the difficulty of "Tibetan Plateau" the first time he heard it.
"Pronouncing each Chinese word correctly is not an easy job either," says he. "I forced myself to listen to various versions of the songs and imprint the pronunciation in my head."
Atari says that he will also bring a cello to the concert this time, so as to present the best live sound to accompany his voice.
Born in Amami Great Island of Kagoshima in 1980, Atari has been fascinated by traditional island song since high school. He carries on the traditional Japanese folk song style and combines it with pop music. His voice is often described as clean and warm, more like a musical instrument than a human voice.
His hometown is a small island with rich resources, and island song is a traditional music that local residents created to convey their experiences in daily life and describe the natural scenery. It is usually sung in dialects, which may be unfamiliar even to many Japanese people, according to Atari.
Though having always been a fan of island songs, it was not until going to college in Kagoshima that Atari decided to sing them more widely.
"I witnessed a lot of musicians in Kagoshima making big efforts to promote their culture, which made me feel it was my responsibility to introduce my hometown culture to more people," says Atari. "It's a great challenge, and I am determined to do it."
He gained the Newcomer Award at the Amami Folk Song Competition in 2000, and since 2006 has been an influential singer in Japan. Atari's participation in the movie "Cape No.7" in 2008 brought his unique Japanese folk songs to a wider audience in Asia.
Date: April 15, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 80-980 yuan
Tel: 962-388
Audiences may hear his most popular numbers, such as "Flower," "Home Road" and interlude songs from the movie "Cape No.7." Atari says his songs evoke happy memories of his childhood.
He will also interpret popular Chinese songs in his unique island song style. These may include Eason Chan's "Ten Years," Jay Chou's "Flower Sea," Terasa Teng's "Lady beside the Water" and folk song "Tibetan Plateau," sung in Chinese.
Most of the Chinese pop songs prepared for the concert were not too difficult, said Atari, but he was astonished by the difficulty of "Tibetan Plateau" the first time he heard it.
"Pronouncing each Chinese word correctly is not an easy job either," says he. "I forced myself to listen to various versions of the songs and imprint the pronunciation in my head."
Atari says that he will also bring a cello to the concert this time, so as to present the best live sound to accompany his voice.
Born in Amami Great Island of Kagoshima in 1980, Atari has been fascinated by traditional island song since high school. He carries on the traditional Japanese folk song style and combines it with pop music. His voice is often described as clean and warm, more like a musical instrument than a human voice.
His hometown is a small island with rich resources, and island song is a traditional music that local residents created to convey their experiences in daily life and describe the natural scenery. It is usually sung in dialects, which may be unfamiliar even to many Japanese people, according to Atari.
Though having always been a fan of island songs, it was not until going to college in Kagoshima that Atari decided to sing them more widely.
"I witnessed a lot of musicians in Kagoshima making big efforts to promote their culture, which made me feel it was my responsibility to introduce my hometown culture to more people," says Atari. "It's a great challenge, and I am determined to do it."
He gained the Newcomer Award at the Amami Folk Song Competition in 2000, and since 2006 has been an influential singer in Japan. Atari's participation in the movie "Cape No.7" in 2008 brought his unique Japanese folk songs to a wider audience in Asia.
Date: April 15, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 80-980 yuan
Tel: 962-388
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