Rie Fu  2007-10-28 22:40:58

 TOKYO — Roses have been the motif of Rie fu’s music for the past couple of years. The 21-year-old London based J-pop singer/songwriter has just released her second album titled “Rose Album,” that reflects her broadened musical perspective and matured sound since her self-titled debut.

“I am not sure why I am so attracted to roses,” she muses. “But roses are romantic. Just like the flower, my music is on the borderline between reality and escapism. The lyrics and arrangements come with bits of thorns thrown in the mix.”

Born and raised in Japan, Rie fu spent a few years in the U.S. in her youth, from seven to 10, where she first encountered her love for music. She moved to London to study fashion and art after she finished high school. Currently she is studying fine arts and oil painting in London. “This is my third year in London,” she says. “I used to get homesick all the time, but I am happy and comfortable where I am now. The good thing about London is that music is everywhere and the city is more humane than Tokyo, too. Sometimes, you end up talking with a stranger on a bus.”

Rie fu remains busy going back and forth between the two cities three or four times a year. “I don’t enjoy the flights, but my current lifestyle suits me well. It allows me to look at Japan from a point of view that I wouldn’t be able to, if I lived there. I get to create music that I could not have, otherwise.”

Slowly but surely Rie fu is making a name for herself in the London circuit, doing gigs at small bars around the town. “It used to be every other month that I did live gigs,” she says. “But I meet new people at shows and they invite me to do shows elsewhere. I plan on doing two or three shows every month.”

One of the encounters was with Susie Hug, a British singer/songwriter and wife of Adam Seymour, the guitarist from the Pretenders. Together they teamed up with that band’s drummer, Martin Chambers, to record three songs. “It was fun. They are big-name people, but are really kind and friendly,” she says of the recording session. “Japanese musicians are technical and very organized, but in the UK, the vibes are the key element for recording in a good atmosphere.”

The encounter with Hug also led Rie fu to broaden herself musically. “Susie introduced me to bands like Moby Grape, the Byrds, and Velvet Underground.” Rie fu listens to a lot of ’70s music and a psychedelic touch can be heard on some of the cuts on the second album. “I expanded musically with the album, incorporating a broader genre of music on this album than my last. My sound has matured more in hindsight.”

The response from audiences both in Japan and the UK has been good so far, she says. “I want to do a U.S. tour eventually,” she says, eager to position herself in the worldwide market.

Rie fu has a gig coming up in London in June at a festival in a park. “I want to do more shows outside. I got to do one last year. There are no walls, and the sounds just spread out. It felt good.” Though it’s still in the works, she also has a Japan tour scheduled for summer. “I’d like to incorporate art and music in one place,” she says of her ideal show. “Sometimes I do live painting on stage at shows, but maybe I should have a show at an art gallery in the future.”




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