K-POP has been leaking into Japan since 2000.
Lately KARA has been great and SNSD has been great, it isn’t uncommon to
see old men in an uproar at the local bar over this spectacle.
And as you might guess, Haginiwa Keita is an ‘SNSD’ fan. He announced to
the public that he became a fan of SNSD after discovering them on
YouTube after watching Korean TV show “We Got Married”. He said, “It was
just great and really heartwarming.” It caused those around him to fall
silent, but he didn’t push the issue further so I decided to watch it
as well and it goes without saying, it was very touching.
Now, Haginiwa Keita has found an amazing Korean singer. Her name is IU,
which is pronounced aiyuu. The meaning of her name is, “I and U (you)
can become one through music”. She is 18 years old and is known
throughout Korea as ‘Korea’s little sister’. IU has a popularity that
crosses generations. She still has yet to debut in Japan, but she has
some amazing songs.
If you still have doubts, check her out on YouTube. By watching her
there, you can witness her clear high-pitched tone and she’s still a
teenage singer. However, there’s so much more that can’t be transmitted
through a screen.
She still can’t interview yet, can she? I had already given up. And so I
went to the Bunkamura Orchard Hall with Haginiwa Keita, who was
cheering for her 120%.
The Bunkamura Orchard Hall is a venue for the world’s top classical and
ballet performances. Occasionally concerts are held there as well.
Leading singers like Kato Tokiko and Onuki Taeko have sung there. It is a
venue for singers who (want their audience) to hear the songs clearly.
And suddenly, an 18 year old Korean singer was there. Moreover, she
appeared there before she even had her debut, this something that is
truly unheard of.
When I entered the venue I was surprised. The setting was a full
orchestra with a guitar and piano. The man on guitar was the famous
composer Toriyama Yuuji. Everything was complete, just with that person.
She completely gained control over the venue for 2 days. Tens of
millions of yen would not be wasted on her. To spite myself, the trait
of Kansai people came out in me as I started calculating the money and I
became sad. I don’t think that much investment in a newcomer has ever
been seen in Japan before.
IU’s pitch was flawless.
She’s 164cm with a slim build and she is a girl that is even more than you can imagine.
“First, we’ll start off with a daaance rehearsal. Please, let’s just have IU-san enter.”
First we watched her dance in silence, but she broke the silence.
“I wonder, is it okay if I sing?”
Everyone replied with, ‘of course!’ And with that the atmosphere on
stage became brilliant in one single swoop. The orchestra members were
also 18 years old, so I was holding my breath to see what there real
ability was.
And then she started to sing. Everything was so grand as her clear voice
carried throughout the venue. It was as if her voice purified the air.
Well the next day was IU’s showcase live performance. Even though this
is still before her debut in Japan, Japanese fans were coming to see her
in midday. And even more so, everyone was young. If you look at this
from people who are fans of Korean dramas, well this would be their
daughters and grandkids. [TL Note: In Japan, the elderly/middle-aged are
known to really be fans of Korean dramas]
I asked, “How did you know about this?” and the 3 high schoolers from
Chiba happily answered, “We bought her CD and this event ticket was
inside, so we applied.” These girls weren’t wearing uniforms with their
skirts like miniskirts. If I had to describe them, they were rather
ordinary. These were high school girls who didn’t wear much make-up and
dressed appropriate for their age.
“What do you like about IU?”
“We think she is such a great singer…..”
When I asked I heard several people came to like IU from the drama
“Dream High”. In the beginning of the drama she is a fat girl that wears
glasses, but she gradually becomes pretty and gains love. That;s what
I’ve been told. When IU wore huge black glasses in this drama, they
became a huge hit and became popular thereafter. They’ve certainly
become popular in Japan too. I don’t really know the reason, but perhaps
it’s IU’s influence as well.
The event started. “Good evening. I’m IU.”
The first song she sang was “Los Child”. The audience was captivated and
became lost in the music. It wasn’t bad at all. It was really amazing
actually. Her clear high-pitched tone was evident from the start. She
captured the listener’s hearts with her angelic voice. Word for word,
she would take a breath and release powerful emotions in her singing.
Even though it was in Korean, those of us who were listening were able
to instinctively comprehend the deep meanings (in the lyrics).
After her song finished, IU began commenting and speaking in Japanese.
“The next song is one you guys all know, which really surprises me.”
IU then danced and sang “Good Day”. This song was released in Korea in
2010. The song was on her mini album “REAL” which had more than 17
million downloads and became a big hit. However, she stunned the
audience by singing it in perfect Japanese.
“Good Day” is a song that gained much attention in Japan and Korea for
the “3-pitch booster”, which has IU singing at 3 distinct high pitched
notes. When I heard it here, it was as though we had reached heaven. She
has a voice that just cleanses your soul.
Credits to Kanki@WeHeartIU Read more
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