Music: Enka Singer Jero
Enka is a classic style of Japanese folk singing. You might recognize the sound from various old school Japanese samurai films. Quentin Tarantino ventured to use some of Meiko Kaji’s songs for his films Kill Bill vols. 1 and 2. Since I was little I couldn’t stand the sound, often comparing it to what sirens might sound like, trying to lure sailors off their course.
But over the winter break, there wasn’t a channel that didn’t have some holiday special which featured famous enka singers. One new star, a foreigner who calls himself Jero and wears hip hop clothes, is gaining attention as the first African-American Enka singer. Watch this clip and tell me you don’t get goosebumps:
I think it is awesome for someone outside of Japan to break into a musical genre that is inherently Japanese, especially as an African-America. Jero actually went to the same school I am studying abroad at now, and the other day he came to visit and I was able to see him in person, followed around by a camera crew. Having seen him on TV before, I have to admit I was really starstruck–any other foreigner that makes it big in Japan is no big deal to me, but Jero is a special case in that he has actual talent, and isn’t just getting by as being a foreigner (although that is part of the appeal.)
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