A circle of friends connected by gootouch! In the “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE,” people who live and enjoy Tokyo appear in a relay format, and on March 29 we have Fuyuko, an artist recommended by Nanako Irie. We talked to her about her music, including her band “DUFDUF,” as well as her activities on the theme of mental health.
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Happiness Warrior Fuyuko’s roots are influenced by Sigur Rós and aiko
Takano (MC): Yesterday’s guest, Irienanako, recommended the artist Fuyuko. Irienanako-san said that she is a “warrior of happiness”.
Fuyuko: I am so afraid (laughs).
Takano: I would like to ask you about your side as an artist today.
Fuyuko: I have loved singing since I was a child, but it was aiko’s song “Andromeda” that gave me the chance to realize that I could make music and sing by myself. It was the first time I bought a CD by myself, and that was when I started singing and writing poems.
Takano: Fuyuko-san is also the vocalist of the alternative pop band DUFDUF, but there was something about her that reminded me of aiko. The melody is unpredictable, and the chords are not the most royal of places.
Fuyuko: I think aiko writes lyrics first and then adds melody to them. I am currently studying jazz, and I think that the way jazz chords are added and the way songs are sung actually have an affinity with aiko’s style. If that kind of feeling is reflected in my music, I am very happy.
Takano: And also Sigur Rós.
Fuyuko: I love Sigur Rós already! I was 20 years old when I first met Sigur Rós, and I thought, “How could I be so happy? I was really moved by it.
Fuyuko: I was in Germany when I was in high school, and the way of pursuing happiness was totally different from Japan! So, I feel that joy and happiness are the base of my works.
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Mental health is important. and we hit it off!
Takano: You say that the shadow of Sigur Rós was at the root of your work, Fuyuko, the warrior of happiness. I heard that you also plan events at a restaurant called Daydream in Kichijoji.
Fuyuko: Yes, I organize various events such as jazz sessions and DJ events, but my main focus is on mental health-related lectures.
Takano: I want to hear about it. I want to take it.
Fuyuko: I’d love to. I have been living among artists for about 10 years, and many of them have extremely rich sensitivities, and I have met many people who suffer from mental imbalance due to their occupation, which requires them to sharpen their senses and face their work and artwork with a keen awareness. My mother suffered from depression for about 10 years, so I have always had an interest in mental health somewhere in my thoughts.
Takano: I am very interested in it! I’m acting cheerful and energetic like this, but on the Oedo line on my way home, I have no expression on my face. I’m holding on to the strap with no expression on my face! But, after all, making music is a process of confronting one’s inner self, isn’t it?
Fuyuko: Yes, yes, I understand.
Takano: Yes, I understand: That’s why I think it is very important to take care of one’s mind. By the way, what kind of themed events have you held in the past?
Fuyuko: Yes, there was. For example, “Why did the fire of Summer Sonic 2022 happen from the viewpoint of pop music history?
Takano: Wow, interesting!
Fuyuko: I also deal with gender expression, gender equality, and patriarchy.
Takano: That’s an important theme, isn’t it? The counselor Masahiko Teshima, who is with us in the Mental Health course, is the author of “Why Are Artists Fragile? I understand that he is the author of “An Introduction to Counseling from the Music Industry” and other books.
Fuyuko: That’s right. Mr. Teshima also teaches at Muse Music Academy, a music school. He taught me that I should be careful about these things and not be obsessed with these things when I am doing music activities, which made my life easier. So I decided to hold this event to give people a chance to share Teshima’s knowledge with others.
Takano: What is the most recent event?
Fuyuko: The next event is called “Mental Health, Gender, and Self-Love for Writers and Expressionists,” which is a rather broad topic, and we are inviting a female writer and essayist in her 20s, Ms. Fumizuki Hoshino. Ms. Hoshino is struggling with her own perpetration as an expressive person, so she asked me to talk to Ms. Teshima. I am also very interested.
Takano: Yes, addictiveness, huh? I invited Mr. Toratetsu Nakazato to speak at the corner before, and we talked about how everyone can be a perpetrator without even knowing it. This is a very interesting theme that I have to be aware of in my work of expression as well as in my radio program. Of course, I want all creators to know about it, but I also want everyone else to know about it as well.
Now, here is a song. I want everyone to listen to it. Let’s play a song by DUFDUF, the band in which FUYUKO is a vocalist. Could you tell us why you chose this song?
Fuyuko: Yes, I did. It is the fifth song we released as a single, and it is arranged like the ending theme of a 1990s anime, so I thought it would be perfect for the evening.
Takano: It’s super good, this song!
Fuyuko: Thank you for the song!
Takano: What does “Nauratona” mean?
Fuyuko: It means a lucky item in Sri Lanka, something that empowers you just by having it. The song is about the joy of being inspired and empowered by your closest friends.
Takano: I really like the ambiguity of the melody, in a good way, and the fact that it doesn’t sound like a royal roadkill. I wrote down my impressions of the song, and I hope you don’t mind if I read them.
Fuyuko: Yes (laughs).
Takano: I picked a flower whose name I don’t know. I feel like I’m looking at them in a vase with a mysterious design.
Fuyuko: Hmmm.
Takano: Hahahahaha, the broadcaster is nodding his head.
Now, it’s almost time for FIST BUMP. What kind of friend will you introduce to us, Fuyuko?
Fuyuko: Yes, she is Hikaru Morimoto, an actor-trainer/facilitator and researcher. She is a theater performer, and I once had her dance to a song I wrote, and it was really beautiful.
Takano: In a word, what kind of person is Ms. Morimoto?
Fuyuko: Yes, “the beauty of human beings. Hmmm….
Takano: Human beauty! I’m curious. I am looking forward to tomorrow. Thank you for coming, Fuyuko!
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann