masshiro (pure white) - Fujii Kaze
こんにちは!
For my choice of Japanese culture to interact with, I chose to listen and read along to the lyrics of a song by one of my favorite singers! Fujii Kaze has been one of my favorite Japanese singers for a few years now due to his wonderful instrumentals and vibes, especially in other songs such asきらり!
Despite not understanding everything he was singing about in the song, I was able to pick out specific words while also having the ability to read along, for the most part, to the words he pronounced! Fujii starts with a very soft "ん" sound accompanied by a warm electric guitar that continues throughout the entire song, acting almost like a heartbeat. Then, when transitioning to upbeat singing, he uses a very soft head voice that conveys vulnerability for the words he's saying, further adding to the dreamy feeling this song conveys. Even without knowing the words, I hear Fujii bouncing the syllables as he sings, lining up with the varying rhythms different parts of the song have. When the drum and electric guitar play, he clips the syllables, sounding almost like raindrops hitting the surface. He uses many hard "k" and "t" consonant sounds that also act as rhythmic elements throughout the song, providing the pure white image he intends to convey.
I have noticed that the manner in which he pronounces words in Japanese when singing directly parallels the instrumentals and feelings Fujii wants to reflect. When he sings more intense-feeling songs, his voice drops deeper, and he pronounces sounds slightly more intensely. Contrasting this, when singing softer songs, his voice also switches to pronounce sounds more softly, all while aligning these sounds with feelings that can truly be interpreted and felt by anyone. Overall, Fujii Kaze's music is a key example of Japanese being used as a percussive and melodic tool, reflecting different intended sounds and feelings. His voice is truly an emotional instrument itself, cultivating beautiful music!
If you enjoy any form of city pop and jazz, Fujii Kaze is definitely the perfect artist to listen to and explore the Japanese language!
ありがとう!さよなら! (Fujii Kaze also has a great song called さよならべいべ!)
ああ！このうたがめっちゃいいよ。I really enjoy the guitar, as you mentioned, since it is very warm and upbeat. It sounds very relaxing, almost like something you would hear at a coffee shop! I absolutely love this recommendation and Fujii Kaze is an icon for sure.
ReplyDeleteOoh, this sounds very nice! Thank you for sharing this song. I have been learning guitar over the past several months and am always excited to explore different styles of music. Might try to incorporate this one into my playing!
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