Wednesday, February 16, 2005
>> I Am Nami Uehara
Can you believe that we’re already seeing a new crop of talent that have grown up with SPEED and Namie Amuro? I mean, Amuro—the veteran of the 90s talent—turns 28 this year and hiro, the youngest member of SPEED, becomes of legal age to drink alcohol here in Hawaii (21). So let’s give a big mensore (welcome) to the newest talent to hit the scene: Nami Uehara (13). One thing that differentiates Nami from the rest is that she wasn’t born in Okinawa; she was born in Tokyo (her parents are from Okinawa). “Namihee” (that’s pronounced as “nami-heh” or if you can read this: ナミへえ) counts SPEED and Amuro as her idols and made up her mind to become a singer at the age of two (an age where I was still lugging around my security blanket a la Linus). Nami will be releasing her debut single entitled “IAM” (TOCT-4844) on February 23rd—give it a listen at her record label’s site. Here’s a bit more information on the next big thing:
- Birthdate: 2/26/1991 (hey, her single gets released three days before her birthday!)
- Hometown: Tokyo (her parents are from Okinawa)
- Bloodtype: O
- Height: 158cm (5’2“)
- Hobbies: shopping, keeping a diary
- Favorite Artists: Britney Spears, Beyonce, Christina Milian, Amuro, Shena Ringo
- Favorite Brands: Playboy, Pony, ANAP
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
>> Featured Website: Okinawa Sanshin Kyoushitsu
Today’s featured website is called Okinawa Sanshin Kyoushitsu (in Japanese) and is an online school for all levels of sanshin players. Prices start with a ¥3,000 entrance fee and ¥3,000 for three months thereafter. I’m impressed with the lineup of teachers which includes: Shuken Maekawa, Tooru Yonaha, and Suguru Ikeda. [via シマウタ37.6度]
iTuned: 国頭(クンジャン)サバクイ from the album “ゴールデン☆ベスト [Disc 1]” by ネーネーズMonday, February 07, 2005
>> Rimi and Tink Tink on NHK
This month (so far) we have two NHK music specials that will feature Okinawan artists. Coming up on Friday the 18th, Rimi Natsukawa will perform along with a cappella wonder group The Gospellers on “Suteki ni Showtime”. The 45 minute show will air at 5:15 p.m. HST.
We’ll also be in for a treat on Monday the 21st (President’s Day) which is when the über cute O-Pop duo Tink Tink take the stage on the 30 minute show “Yume·Ongakukan”. You may recall that Acoustic Parsha was just on that show late last year with J-Rock singer Hitomi “Yaiko” Yaida. “Yume” will air at 3:30 p.m. HST.Speaking of Tink Tink, did you know that they’ve just (2/2/05) released their first major label single entitled “Taisetsu na Hito/Hitohabune”? The maxi-single, from Avex, is the ending theme for the TBS variety show “Hanamaru Market”.
