Up Closer with Joe Inoue

MANILA, Philippines - J-Pop artist Joe Inoue will perform and sit as judge in the J-Pop Animé  Singing Contest, one of the cultural highlights of the ongoing Philippines-Japan Friendship month. The fifth edition of the Japanese musical talent search, together with the Cosplay (costume-play) Mini-Contest, happens  today, starting 1 p.m., at the SM Mall of Asia.

The singer-songwriter and TV host, who looks much younger than his 27 years, is known for being the voice of Closer, the opening song of the popular animé series Naruto, and the co-host of NHK’s J-Melo, which is aired in over 130 countries worldwide.

J-Pop (Japanese Pop) music is an integral aspect of Japanese popular culture, being used in animé, commercials, TV shows, movies, video games and other forms of Japanese entertainment.

The goal of J-Melo (short for Japanese melody) is to spread J-Pop and that’s why Joe’s here. “What’s really exciting is that the Philippines ranks second among foreign countries that watch J-Melo the most,” revealed Joe in yesterday’s presscon at Sofitel.

Joe, who didn’t require an interpreter like other visiting Asian artists, was born and raised in L.A. He moved to Japan seven years ago to pursue a career in its entertainment industry. “Since my heritage is Japanese, I got very struck by J-Pop even when I was a kid. And I’ve always wanted to connect with the Japanese people and it’s hard to do that when you’re in Los Angeles,” he said.

Fortunately for Joe, it wasn’t that tough for him to start a career in Japan. “They just took a look at my face and thought, passed!” he joked. 

He learned to speak as well as read and write Japanese, mostly from devouring animé and manga comic books.

His music is mainly rock and he sings in both English and Japanese, in an effort “to blend in the best of both worlds.”

Before coming here, he didn’t know much about the country except for the mangoes, the tropical image, and some rock bands he discovered on YouTube. 
After driving and walking around last Thursday and holding a Fan’s Day yesterday, he said, “I really love the landscape, I love the bright smiles. I wanna stay.”

Joe was also asked to differentiate J-Pop from K-Pop (Korean Pop), which has a huge following in the Philippines. He said, “J-Pop is one of a kind and one of the most diverse types of music, I think. It’s very peaceful music, especially the lyrics if you translate it. Ninety  percent of J-Pop is singing about the positive things rather than the darkness…It’s kind of interesting, like people in the Philippines are very peaceful and nice, and I think that’s how a lot of people (here) connect with J-Pop and animé.”

J-Pop, he added, has a lot of sub-genres and its artists are also influenced by Western music. “For example with Western rock, they take that (influence) but change that into something truly different. I think that’s the beauty of the cosplaying culture, too, they take something that was made somewhere and turn it into something totally different and I think J-Pop is unlike any other genres of music in that sense.”

As for K-Pop, he said, “It’s a really, really cool genre. They (Korean artists) sure do know how to shoot videos, make music, like the Western-style. I can relate a lot because it’s kinda like the things I hear on American radio stations. Sound is good, dancing is great, it’s very cool.”

“J-Pop is more of pop in its own definition. If I could explain it in a musical theory kind of way, it would be easier… If K-Pop is cool, J-Pop would be the happy music. There’s a lot of smiles that come with J-Pop and the listeners, too. It’s definitely the kind of music you would want to listen to if you’re feeling sad or happy rather than if you wanna get going with the dancing-beat-slapping-butts kind of stuff. It’s not like that. It’s more of sharing happiness with your friends, and it’s the type of music that brings the world together. That’s why I think J-Melo is being watched in different countries and that there are so many fans out there of J-Pop, animé and cosplay.”

Meanwhile, 10 finalists will compete in the J-Pop Animé Singing Contest. Also performing at the event is the No Plan Band, which is composed of diplomats from the Embassy of Japan. 

July is the Philippines-Japan Friendship Month. First celebrated six years ago, the celebration is mounted by the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation Manila, featuring activities that showcase Japanese arts, culture and entertainment.