Singer, author and poet Ekotumi has not been idle in the past year. She continued to make new music, kept in touch with her fans by sharing special performances, but she also got to work on a completely different project; Ekotumi became a hologram.
Currently, the hologram can be seen in Belgium, during ‘Le Salon’ Made in Asia in Brussels, as well as herself, as she will be doing some performances in Europe. More on that later in this article.
But before she hopped on a plane for these shows, she released a new single titled A Wingless Country, a song from her new art project Covid’19-’20. Ekotumi wanted to capture the memory of living during the pandemic by recording soundscapes during the lockdowns.
What’s special is that A Wingless Country contains a total of 205 sounds from 88 locations in Japan. These recognisable sounds from Japan are carried by Ekotumi’s powerful voice, while she is accompanied by instruments that are played almost to the point of minimalism. It makes for a song filled with melancholy, among other things. What is even more special is that the musician decided to produce the song inJapanese and English to increase the reach and understanding of the story the musician wants to share, about how people have forgotten the more than 1,000-year-old book of Japanese mythology entitled Kojiki. A good choice by Ekotumi, as both versions are very compelling.
It is clear that Ekotumi wants to tell her story with great elegance, with love for her surroundings, nature and mythology. Her voice is powerfully expressive, but at the same time it is calm while telling her story, which creates a special balance. All this together with the sounds she has brought with her, it is an emotional song that somehow seems to make one homesick. The elegance and focus on beauty (of Japan) can also be seen in the video she shared, shot in various locations in Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
There are many gods and goddesses in Japanese mythology, most importantly, the gods of nature. Everyone has his or her individual character, sometimes angry, sometimes jealous, crying and loving like humans. These are the ancient stories, but they are still enshrined in Japanese beliefs, even in these modern times. Ekotumi combines the traditional Japanese Kojiki with a unique blend of modern Japanese pop music. This personal and energetic interpretation of the Kojiki has been critically acclaimed and recognized as a most accomplished work of art.
Ekotumi will be performing at Made in Asia in Brussels on 8, 9, 10 of October. On 13 October, she will have a solo concert at The Lexington in London, five years after her performance at HYPER JAPAN.
