AVO Interview with Chii Sakurabi: “Cherry Blossom Memories tells people about the beauty of Japan”

It has been a while ago that we brought attention to the bubbly J-Pop singer Chii Sakurabi. Five years ago, she was performing in The Netherlands and after that, Chii became busy with performances all over the world and releasing music. Her latest release is the mini-album Cherry Blossom Memories. Time to have a little talk with the musician about what is currently keeping her busy.

AVO Magazine: Last time we have spoken each other was 5 years ago at the event Moshi Moshi in Amsterdam. What has been keeping you busy in the past years?
Chii: Time flies! After the Amsterdam event, I performed at many Anime conventions like in England, France, Germany, Mexico, U.S and Japan! All of them were awesome! Actually, I’ve been writing a children’s book. Once I finished making it, I may release on Kindle Kids’ Book store!

AVO Magazine: You have been living in the United States for almost 10 years, in an earlier interview with AVO Magazine you said that you felt that you were always meant to live in the U.S., do you still think the same?
Chii: Yes! I love living in the U.S but who knows maybe after I will retire I may go back to Japan or not. Depends on the situation at that time. The U.S is so huge to compare to Japan, there are so many things to see and experience. More and more adventures are waiting for me!

AVO Magazine: You have been performing all over the world, also in your home country Japan. Can you tell us about the most fun memories you got during your international performances?
Chii: I always enjoy to see how the audience reacts by watching my show. At the Japanese idol concerts in Japan, the audience reacts in a predictable way. They use the same dance (Wota-Gei) and shout the same words but in other countries, all the audience act differently. This difference even depends on the region or country. So I tell people what to do sometimes like “make some noise!”, “jump”, “follow me” or something like that. So the audience gets to experience a little bit of the Japanese way and I also enjoy their ways to see a concert!

AVO Magazine: Your latest release, for some, came as a surprise, is a mini-album titled Cherry Blossom Memories, it does consist of a few high energy songs as we are used to from you. What do you want to share about this release?
Chii: This mini-album tells people about the beauty of Japan. The song called AIUEO is the Japanese vowel reading. That’s the first thing we learn at school as a child. I noticed many foreign people learn Japanese, so I thought this song could help them a little bit. I composed this song by adding some essence of the old beauty of Japan. I hope you feel it!

The song called Donguri Koro Koro is a cover song of a Japanese kids song. It’s originally a slow song for kids but we made a J-Pop remix so everyone who likes J-Pop can enjoy the song as well. All Japanese people know this song, so if you remember this song and sing in front of Japanese people, they would be surprised!

AVO Magazine: As you are an indie musician, it is much more difficult to get yourself more known in the music world. That means that you have to work hard and do a lot of things by yourself. How do you deal with that?
Chii: Nowadays, there’s so many good software and apps to create materials. Also if I search online, I can learn how to use them. So I think that helps indie musician more than before. So all we need are passion, effort and IDEAS!!!

AVO Magazine: Any piece of advice for those who are interested to become active as an indie solo artist, what are the things they need to think about when they want to release and spread their music?
Chii: I think the most important thing is to know clearly what they want to express through their music and how they want the world to receive this message.

AVO Magazine: What are things that still are on your bucket list for your musical career?
Chii: My dream is always to have my music in an anime or video game. I haven’t had the opportunity yet, but I’m always hopeful that the chance may someday arrive. I will be ready! So if anyone reading this is interested in J-pop songs for your project, be sure to contact me!

Chii Sakurabi’s newest release Cherry Blossom Memories consists of 6 tracks and can be purchased for $10.00 (around € 9,00) through the shop of the official website of Chii Sakurabi. You can get the physical album or you can choose to have a digital version.

It is also possible to buy her earlier work, such as Angelic Dream and Moon Princess, on the website or listen to it through Spotify.

Want to stay up-to-date so you can know when she will perform near you? You can follow Chii Sakurabi through several social media channels, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I want to thank Chii Sakurabi for her time to have an interview with AVO Magazine.