Singer-songwriter Yui Shetona, who gained attention for being featured by DJ HASEBE before her debut and securing NHK Radio tie-ups, has released her 2nd EP “TINY LAND.”
Following her previous work “MUSIUM” by about a year, this release features five tracks where she sings melodic, ethereal tunes with her smoky alto voice, sprinkling influences from hip-hop, jazz, and classical music that she has been familiar with since childhood. The unique soundscape mixes ’80s-like beats and synth phrases with modern effects like autotune, already exuding a sense of maturity.
Having delved into pop music almost entirely self-taught from a classical background, she graduated at the top of her class from the Music Creation program at Osaka Music University. How has her unique musical style been cultivated over the years?
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Fascinated by Black Music in Adolescence: An Unexpected Struggle with Her Singing Voice
-You learned to play the violin as a child. Were you from a musical family?
Shetona: No, my friends who lived in the neighborhood were taking a lot of lessons, so I asked them, “I want to play too! I asked them. One of the reasons was that there were many teachers in the neighborhood who taught classical instruments. I also used to play the piano, but I was too bad at it (laughs), so I switched to the violin and continue to play it today.
Yui Shetona
Graduated at the top of the Music Creation program at Osaka University of Music. Starting ballet in her childhood, she experienced various genres of music including violin and street dance, leading up to the present. Before her debut, she was selected as a featuring artist by DJ HASEBE and gained attention through NHK Radio tie-ups. Her “MUSEUM EP,” released in 2023, was also highlighted by the producer Hyadain, and her latest work “Groovin’ Weekend” has been performing well, reaching as high as 15th place on FM NORTH WAVE, making her an increasingly noteworthy artist.
-Was the music you were listening to a lot at the time mainly classical music?
Shetona: Yes, I did. I liked austere composers like Vivaldi, but I was also attracted to fantastic impressionist composers like Debussy. That’s when I started learning classical ballet, but ever since I was little, I’ve always had a problem with girly outfits (laughs). I didn’t like frilly costumes, so I went to a street dance class and had a lot of fun, and from there my exposure to black music increased. Through dancing, I became fascinated by their unique groove, singing style, and rhythm, and I majored in a vocal course in high school.
-So you were also interested in “singing” from that time?
Shetona: When I entered the vocal course, I was first forced to sing J-Pop uniformly. That is not in my own roots, and the mainstream high tone voice did not suit my voice quality either, making it difficult to sing. I was never told I was “good” by students or teachers who judged me on how high I could hit the high notes or on such techniques. Rather, I was constantly told in a slightly negative way, like, “You have an unusual voice.
-I was always told that I had an unusual voice, but in a negative way.
Shetona: Yes, that’s right. I was still a student at the time, so I couldn’t stand the way people looked at me like I was the only one who was different. But I had an opportunity to try gospel singing in class, and when I was praised for it, I said, “That’s really good! and I was praised for it, which led me to gravitate toward jazz and soul. From there, I was awakened to the coolness of R&B music sung by women with low voices like iri, and I became more confident in my singing and voice.
-When you were in high school, you were more interested in “not wanting to study” than in “wanting to do music,” right?
Shetona: I entered (university) with a light heart, thinking that I would like to make film music if I could, so I didn’t expect to be so deeply involved in the world of music (laughs). (Laughs.) At the time, I had nothing I really wanted to do, and I spent the first half of college not knowing what I wanted to do or what I could do.
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Graduated at the Top of Music College: Approaches Music from Sensory and Theoretical Perspectives
-At Osaka College of Music, you took classes to study melodies of various genres, didn’t you?
Shetona: I was taught Indian music, Okinawan music, Hawaiian music, folk songs, Enka …… rock, from rock ‘n’ roll to hard rock, in each genre in detail. The school trains so-called professional composers, so we learn the skills to respond to any order from a client. They would decide on a reference piece and then try to break it down first to learn its structure. So I got into the habit of analyzing other artists’ songs even when I was listening to them (laughs).
– After learning the structure of various music genres in this way, which artists did you fall in love with?
Shetona: For example, I became attracted to artists like SIRUP, Suchmos, and WONK, who play jazz and black music in a J-POP format.
At first, I had no idea about jazz and black music and just listened to them because I thought they were “pleasant,” but when I went to see a friend of mine who was majoring in jazz play live, I saw them play saxophone and piano, and I suddenly became interested in them. I took a jazz theory class, and as I learned to write big band scores and improvise, I fell more and more in love with it. In jazz, I especially like Charlie Parker and Sam Gendell’s balance of layering notes, melodic themes, and improvisation. I became more and more attracted to the theoretical and esoteric aspects of music.
-Your last work, “MUSEUM,” was your graduation project.
Shetona: Yes. I wanted to show that I could create music of various genres, so I created this work with the image of a museum with various pieces of music on display. Until then, I had put vocals on tracks I had made myself, but for “MUSEUM,” I wanted to try something new, so I aimed for a band sound.
I used the sound of Kroi and BREIMEN as references. Their alternative sound, influenced by jazz and hip-hop, felt very familiar to me because I have similar roots. Moreover, I don’t think there have been many patterns with female vocals on that kind of sound image.
-When she entered university, Sitona said she could barely keep up with the classes, but last spring she graduated at the top of her class. Was there a turning point in your development to that extent?
Shetona: The Corona disaster was a big one. I think the turning point was that I learned a lot of theory during that time because I was in remote classes all the time. Until then, I had been making music by “feel,” but that only reduced my ability to draw out the music, so I decided to relearn jazz theory and popular theory from scratch and understand everything about scales, chords, and so on. By doing so, I was able to put chords on melodies that I had created with my senses, and conversely, I was able to put melodies with a strong theoretical foundation on chord progressions that I had laid out with my senses, which greatly expanded the range of what I could do.
-It is a fusion of sensation and theory.
Shetona: In addition, I also thought about what kind of skills are needed to sell my work as a “product. While searching for quality, sound makeup, and originality that only I could bring to the table, I asked myself, “What is commercial music?” This research led to the improvement of my skills.
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Nurturing Essential Skills in an Age of Consumption
-How did you spend the year after graduation? Did you have any confusion about the transition from being a student to a working adult?
Shetona: As a student, I knew that I was protected by society, but when I graduated, I realized that if I did not challenge myself in various things, I would be left behind. For example, now is the time when music is also consumed. If you can’t create a song that catches the ear within the first 10 seconds of the introduction, it will be challenging to get people to listen to it.
I think it is important to make music a viable business and to create uncompromising works of art as an artist. In order to balance these two, I think it is necessary to cultivate, for example, the ability to draw out someone’s talent as a producer and the ability to read the times, as I just mentioned. I began to think about these things more after graduation, and I became quite nervous about music.
-Are you currently working while you are working as an artist?
Shetona: I work as a system engineer and teach music theory at my alma mater. I monitor how younger students than myself usually listen to music at my alma mater. They listen to music at double speed on YouTube, for example, and I can’t keep up with them (laughs), but it is a very valuable experience in terms of surveying their awareness.
-Do you sometimes get inspiration for your expression from things other than music?
Shetona: I used to paint in the past, so I often go to art museums for a walk, and ideas sometimes come to me then. But I also unconsciously analyze and listen to music that comes through my earphones while I walk. Recently, I am interested in visual images and fashion, and also idols. At first, I was listening to idol songs in order to learn J-POP arrangements, and I got hooked (laughs). It’s inspirational and soothing, and it’s also a good way to learn about the behind-the-scenes work, like “There’s also this way of presenting it. Someday I would like to produce a total production for an artist.
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Cultivating an Alternative Mindset through “Rebelling Against Mental Health
-Your new album, “TINY LAND,” was completed about a year after your last album. Did you have any themes or concepts?
Sitona: In the past, most of the songs were darker, so this time I tried to make brighter tunes. Specifically, it has a 1980s sound. I tried to reduce the number of tracks, emphasize the beat, and introduce synths in a big way. Instead, I tried to keep the chord progressions and melodies modern, and I also applied autotune to the vocals. The first track, “Coffee Time,” was the result of this process.
-Coffee Time” has a unique floating melody. How did you get this feeling?
Shetona: The image of “Coffee Time” is K-pop. I tried to create an atmosphere of fragility and ennui mixed with sparkling cuteness while adding a feeling that Sitona Yuy could not produce. As for the arrangement, at first I was going for a bossa nova or jazz vibe, but the floating melody stands out nicely in a 1980s-esque arrangement.
-Were there any works you referenced for the 1980’s style?
Shetona: “Heaven’s Gate” (from “It’s All Good”), released last year by a Malaysian artist named Alextbh, is a 1980s sound that has been reconstructed with today’s sensibilities. I have been working on a lot of music. In the past, I have often received feedback that my works have “too many notes and I don’t know what to listen to” (laughs), so I decided to simplify it as much as possible.
-What is your favorite K-pop artist?
Shetona: It’s not so much K-pop, but more of an alternative sound, but a female artist named FAVER has a singing voice that sounds just like mine. Actually, through her music, I learned that there are many singers in Korea who sing with a low husky voice and ennui.
Shetona: As I dug deeper into her music, I also fell in love with a solo male artist named ZICO. He was originally an idol, but now he is working on a wide range of music. I really sympathized with his lyrics from a creator’s point of view, such as “I’m called a genius, but I work really hard” and “Don’t think it’s that easy to come up with a melody” (laughs).
-I really sympathized with the lyrics from a creator’s point of view.
Shetona: I aim to be an artist who writes what I think in a life-size way, like a diary. There are so many love songs out there, so I don’t think I need to sing them (laughs). (laughs) I want to do things that other people aren’t doing. That is partly because I am not good at competing. Once you are alone, you don’t have to compete (laughs).
-How do you think you cultivated your strong alternative spirit?
Shetona: I have been timid since childhood, and I was never very good at being compared to others. But as I mentioned at the beginning, when I was in high school, I sang a gospel song alone and was surprised, and I thought, “I don’t have to force myself to match anyone, I can do what I am good at and I will be praised! I thought, “I don’t have to force myself to fit in. Even after entering university, my mental weakness to go against the grain by saying, “It’s absolutely impossible to aim for first place by doing the same thing as everyone else” (laughs), may have led me to the alternative spirit you mentioned.
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“TINY LAND”: Tracks Reflecting Shetona’s Present Journey
-Why did you include a remix of Sitona’s debut song “morning moon”?
Shetona: To show Shetona Yui’s “whereabouts”, I thought it would be easier to convey the message if I reconstructed the songs I wrote when I first started my career with today’s techniques. I also wanted the lyrics to be heard clearly, so I decided to use a simple repeating rhythm pattern for the backing track. I wrote the lyrics when I was a sophomore in college, I believe. I had been often envied and bullied since I was a child, and I would often recall how I felt at the time and go “Oh …… shindo” every once in a while. I wrote this song to be a good-luck charm for myself, and I wanted to make it a good-luck charm for myself as well.
-“Blue Monday” has a hip-hop beat and jazzy vocals.
Shetona: Originally, “Blue Monday” was based on a free soundtrack that Shingo Suzuki of Origami PRODUCTIONS had released on Corona Disaster. It had a very dark atmosphere, but I took only the melody and put it on a newly created track, and this is the final version. I love the mysterious Chinese scale-like sound of the 4-degree harmony in the chorus.
The Latin-tinged brass is based on the song “I Learnt Some Jazz Today” by Tessellated, which became an AirPods commercial. It ended up with a completely different vibe (laughs). The rap part of the song is like all the complaints of a strong working woman. It’s not even close to the level of a real rapper (laughs), but it has a good feel that is unique to Yui Shetona.
-What did you think of singing “THEATER,” which is littered with words you like, such as “soundtrack” and “theater (movie theater)”?
Shetona: I love movies and soundtracks, and when I thought about how I could use them in a song, I thought of the movie theater as a part of my life, and I tried to put into words the feelings of the audience watching the scenery that I am seeing right now, which is actually an image projected on the screen of the movie theater where I am trapped. Perhaps there is no “world” outside this movie theater. This “world” that we are in may actually be a projected image of someone else’s consciousness. I wanted to write such philosophical lyrics. I also wanted to make this kind of dark, simple, and rugged hip-hop track.
-Groovin’ Weekend” is a single song that was released last September.
Shetona: I wanted to make lyrics that sounded good and had a pleasant feel to them, but you couldn’t understand what they were saying (laughs). That’s exactly the influence of what Suchmos and WONK are doing. Incidentally, the phrase “I can’t dance… Oh, it’s just the same steps…” came to me when I was thinking about people who are clumsy but do their best to dance.
-You mentioned that you are interested in working behind the scenes.
Shetona: I would like to try my hand at providing music to other artists and producing. I love Kenmochi Hidefumi of Wednesday’s Campanella. He has an outstanding ability to produce and draw out music, changing his style completely depending on the vocalist. I admire his way of working. When I want to write a song that might ruin the image of the song if it is released as “Shitnayui,” I feel it is best to have another vocalist and get involved as a producer. I would like to challenge myself to do that someday.
-Lastly, you will be performing a live recording in April. You are performing live with a band now, aren’t you?
Shetona: Yes, we are a 5-piece band, with two members of the ” #1 Beat a Day ” rhythm section. Tarow-one, a rhymesmith who was also my instructor at university, introduced us to each other and said, “We are of the same generation, and it would be fun to work together. We went into the studio for a session and hit it off. I am still new to live performances, but I would like to keep the arrangements, atmosphere, and groove that can only be heard there.
Yui Shetona TINY LAND
LABEL：Trigger Records
FORMAT：Digital
release date：March 1, 2024 (Fri.)
Included songs
1.Coffee Time
2.morning moon remix
3.Blue Monday
4.THEATER
5.Groovin’ Weekend
Distribution link: https://linkco.re/4E150GrX
