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Her Musical Journey Begins at Waseda University
You joined a music club at Waseda University and started singing seriously there, right?
Oishi: Yes, I joined a club that covered black music. Waseda has a lot of music clubs, so I initially explored various genres. But when I saw the soul and funk performances at the welcome live, I was really impressed. When I went to jam sessions, everyone would play without sheet music, changing keys on the spot, and it felt so fresh.
By the way, when did you start playing instruments, and how proficient were you?
Oishi: I started learning classical piano when I was in elementary school. However, I stopped when I entered junior high because I couldn’t keep up with practice. In middle and high school, whenever I had free time at home, I would play and sing along to GRAPEVINE. I also started experimenting with an acoustic guitar that was at home, learning the chords. Even after joining the club, I was just singing, so I didn’t really dive into playing instruments. But I think it was lucky that I had a background with piano and guitar, as it helped me start composing later on.
During university, you mainly did covers and sang songs by artists like Corinne Bailey Rae and Minnie Riperton. I’ve also heard you like Cleo Sol. It seems like you lean towards a smoother style, with a cool vibe but also a subtle warmth, rather than powerfully belting out songs. Is that the kind of feeling you’re going for?
Oishi: There were people in the club with powerful voices who were really good singers, and I realized that it was okay if I couldn’t do that. There are many songs you can sing without needing to project a loud or high voice. I think it was really valuable for me to learn what kind of songs I could sing and wanted to sing during my time in the club.
After graduating from university, you started working on original music. How did you feel about your career path at that time?
Oishi： After retiring from the club and graduating, I never thought about “quitting music.” I felt that if I was going to continue, I wanted to sing my own songs and that it was the right thing to do. While working at a dumpling shop, I began seriously creating original music and doing live performances.
