Tune into “The Sound of Now” 「時音」 : Discover Ideas to Improve Your Life and Be Inspired. A Compilation of This Year’s 「時音」Series -Part 1-

Jun Miyake, a globally acclaimed composer based in Paris, conceived “Undreamt Chapter” for TOKION. Miyake couldn’t leave Japan due to the pandemic and our first meeting for the project took place the day before the first state of emergency was declared. He spoke to us about his frame of mind when he composed “Undreamt Chapter,” which was included in his latest album Whispered Garden released on December 15.

Nagi Yoshida, a photographer, established an unparalleled field capturing the world of ethnic minorities and indigenous tribes in African and the Brazilian Amazon by building rapport with them. Last year, she published “DRAG QUEEN -No Light, No Queen-“ (Writes Publishing, Inc), which featured drag queens, a minority presence in big cities. Her work was received with a surprise for its originality. We asked about the aesthetics that she pursues, which ceaselessly invites the audience to another world.

When CHAI released their debut album in 2017, they made a splash with their pop personality and unique band concept. Since returning from an overseas tour with folk-rock duo Whitney in February 2020, what have they taken in as the pandemic forced them to stay at home? We spoke to the members about their experience of steadily building their reputation as an international band.  

Japan’s first virtual model and influencer, imma, donning her distinctive pink bob hair, rapidly rose to fame on Instagram in 2018. Her height, weight, and nationality are all unknown. Although she is well-known virtually, people have been intrigued with her presence as a woman and expressed their empathy towards her. Her words have a power of persuasion regardless of whether it’s been said in the virtual sphere or the real world. As we listen to imma’s narrative, we see her as an energetic figure with a promising outlook for the future.  

In 2020, film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion award for best director award at the Venice International Film Festival for Wife of a Spy, starring Yu Aoi, which was Kurosawa’s first historical drama. It was an extraordinary feat as it was the first time in 17 years for a Japanese director to win the award. What did he want to get across by portraying a couple doing their best to survive a turbulent time before the outbreak of an unprecedented war?

In 2019, Chiharu Shiota, an artist, held her largest-ever solo exhibition Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles, at the Mori Art Museum, which looks back her career that spans a quarter century. The cancer she previously had returned in 2017, and she worked on this exhibition while receiving treatment. As we face unprecedented crisis due to the pandemic and feel closer to the notion of life and death, we asked Shiota about her thoughts on artistic expressions and how she copes with matters around her body and soul.

BABYMETAL celebrated their 10th anniversary last year, but their tour in Asia was canceled due to the pandemic. They had to scale back their live performances, which led them to reflect on their past activities. In the midst of that, they made their first appearance on Kohaku Uta Gassen, NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve television special in 2020. The following year, they performed 10 concerts at Nippon Buddokan. With the band back in motion, what’s been on BABYMETAL’s mind these days?

Night Tempo, a DJ/producer, has been in the limelight for his exquisitely reimagined city pop and kayōkyoku tracks featuring the “Showa groove.” Since the pandemic, he has been actively creating a “place” for online culture aficionados by offering talk shows on his YouTube channel from his home in Seoul. What kind of potential do Showa kayōkyoku and the likes have for Night Tempo, who has been breathing new life into the retro culture?