The Power of One - Interview with Keita Keith
Keita Keith is a singer-songwriter, composer, producer and engineer born in Fukuoka, Japan but left home for the shores of Australia when he was just 19 years old. Now back in Japan, he’s working on his music career here with the release of his first full album “Somewhere in the World.” Royce Leong of Tokyo ON finds out what made Keita Keith the man he is today.
Tokyo ON: What kind of music did you listen to when you were young? Did you learn to play any instruments?
Keita Keith: When I was young, due to my father’s influence I listened to a lot of 80’s American disco and what people call Japanese city pop these days. I learned to play the guitar by myself, and by applying guitar chord theory to the piano, I was able to learn piano too.
TO: How did you get started on song writing?
K: I started making songs as soon as I was able to play three chords on the guitar. I wasn’t great at first, but I got used to making songs with just a few chords, and even now I have a lot of songs that only use two or three chords.
TO: You do a lot on your own - writing, singing, production, arrangement, mastering, even promotional videos. How important is it to you to be independent and have full creative control?
K: To me, making music and promotional videos is just the same as making dinner and hanging out with everyone in the bar. I enjoy everything so I just want to do it all. Me at the supermarket thinking about what to make for dinner tonight and me sitting in front of the piano writing songs is the same feeling. There’s no particular difference. It’s just natural to me.
TO: To be honest, your music doesn’t sound very Japanese (and not just because you sing in English). Sometimes with your music I even think I am listening to a radio in Australia! What influences your sound? Did you pick up anything from Australian music?
K: It’s not that I particularly have a love for Australian music, but since I was young I was always listening to western music, so that’s the kind of music I’m making now. But, I make an effort to put in a little bit of Australian expressions in my lyrics. Not that I’m showing off or anything.
TO: What was your impression of Australia? How was your experience?
K: Actually, I ran out of money and was homeless for about 2 months.
During that time, I slept at the station, and when I was totally broke I went to the church for meals. So many people helped me out. In Japan, even though I have a home and can communicate perfectly, it was in a foreign land where I couldn’t communicate at all that I truly felt the love of others.
TO: Did it surprise you that people were kind and helpful?
K: At the time, I didn’t have the headspace to feel surprised.
When I was at Perth Airport to return to Japan, I was overcome with the feeling of “being glad to be alive” and I truly sensed the kindness of others. I must have cried for half an hour or so.
TO: I’m sure that must have been a really hard time, but you survived. What did you learn through this experience? Did it change your approach to life?
K: The Japanese people around me seemed to be having so much fun as “exchange students”, but I was trying hard to become “Australian”. Until now I’ve been playing around without going to school, so I thought I had to achieve at least something. The day before I went back to Japan, I was so happy when a taxi driver mistook me for being an Australian! Even though I’ve returned to being Japanese now.
I haven’t changed my approach to life per se, but I am grateful for all the times I was helped out, and I’m trying to repay that through music.
TO: It’s kind of difficult to categorise your music into a specific genre. Are you purposely trying to avoid genres - to create genre-less music?
K: I’ve always thought that “categorizing music means limiting yourself,” so I have absolutely zero interest in genres. With Spotify and Apple Music I’m forced to choose a category, but I’m neither an R&B singer nor a pop singer. I’m Keita Keith.
TO: I believe you wrote “Before You’re Gone” after you went on tour in China. Can you tell us the story and meaning behind it?
K: Yeah I wrote that song after I toured China. These days, music is something you can listen to anywhere in the world, but while in Japan, somehow I was never able to truly feel that.
After performing concerts in nine cities around China, I was able to really feel that music is actually reaching people around the world. So I wrote “Before You’re Gone” to express my feelings of gratitude to all the people throughout the world listening to my music as well as the people that came to see me on tour in China.
TO: As someone who left my hometown to build a life far away on my own, “One” really resonates with me. How hard was it to leave home and chase your musical dream?
K: I’m glad you understand how I feel. I left home when I was 17, when I was meant to be a high school student. Yeah that means I didn’t go to high school…
I could only play three chords on a guitar, and since I had no experience singing in front of other people I was kind of scared, but there was no other option than to leave town. I’m not that strong, so I needed to put myself in an environment that I couldn’t get down or run away from.
I understand now why people tried to stop me, but at the time, all I could think about was leaving. Now it’s my beloved home town.
TO: The cover photo of the “Let’s Get Back” EP looks like Perth. Many Australian cities have beautiful harbours or riversides. It makes me homesick! Do you want to go back to Perth?
K: Well spotted! I took that photo from a bridge over the Swan River in Perth when I was about 19 years old.
Whenever I look at that photo I get feelings of nostalgia but I also remember the hard times and it nearly makes me cry. When I was about to leave Australia, at the end I promised my friends “Someday I’ll be back here as a great singer.” So I’ve always had it in mind to go back to Perth as a professional musician.
Someday, I will definitely have a concert in Perth and meet my friends again!
I can’t go back for any other reason.
TO: Last year you had some issues with your voice. That must have been really scary as a singer. How did you get through it?
K: I noticed I was steadily losing my voice, but I kept pushing it to sing. It turned into a bad habit and now I can’t go back to the way I used to. In order to start over from zero, I had to rethink everything including pronunciation and how to sing and so I took voice training.
I still haven’t beaten it completely, sometimes my old bad habits come out.
But I think that’s also a part of being Keita Keith so I accept it.
TO: What are some of the ideas or styles of music you want to try in the near future?
K: I find that Japanese music is still obsessed with genres and I really want to break that kind of thinking. I want to sing rock music, I want to rap, I want to sing jazz - that’s all the real Keita Keith. You can categorize a song, but you can’t categorize a person.
TO: Do you have any message for your international fans?
K: Thanks for reading all the way to the end!
These are difficult times we’re living in, but try not to lose hope, let’s keep fighting together!
I believe music has a really mysterious power - it makes you cry, makes you laugh, makes you want to party, Music has always been my savior. And now it’s my turn to give courage to others with my voice.
I’m gonna do my best in Japan to reach people all around the world!
TO: Thanks for your time and we hope you will make it back to Australia some day!
Make sure to check out Keita Keith’s new album “Somewhere in the World” and keep up with Keita Keith on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.