Natsu and the City: Natsu Summer and the Enduring Appeal of City Pop
Natsu Summer (ナツ・サマー) is a city pop/reggae singer in Tokyo who often DJs and sings in luxury hotels and clubs such as Ginza Music Bar, Nine Bar in Shinagawa Prince Hotel and EXBAR Tokyo. Working in record shops and boutiques by day, she is well versed in the classics of city pop and her sound perfectly captures the beauty of an endless deep blue summer sky and glamorous city life. Here she talks to Tokyo ON all about her music, city pop and summer in Japan.
Choose your city pop soundtrack!
Classic (Spotify playlist selected by Natsu Summer for Tower Records)
<About Natsu Summer>
Tokyo ON: How did you develop your music style? What did you listen to when you were young?
Natsu Summer: Thanks to my mother’s influence, when I was a child I listened to Yuming, OFF COURSE, チューリップ and Joe Hisaishi (composer of many Studio Ghibli films). When I was a junior high school student I listened to Toshinobu Kubota’s radio program. He was living in New York at the time so I was listening to R&B which was popular then. In Japan there was a bit of a diva boom with MISIA, bird and Hikaru Utada, and I used to enjoy singing their songs at karaoke...although my style is totally different now!
TO: How did you decide to become a musician?
NS: When I was a child I saw singers on the TV and they shone so brightly I thought I wanted to be like that myself too.
In elementary school I sang in a group choir, and in university I formed a unit with a friend to sing original reggae songs in local clubs, or singing songs with bands, but then I met my current producer a few years ago and the present “Natsu Summer” was born.
TO: I know you DJ with vinyl and your sound has a bit of a retro feel to it. Do you prefer vintage/retro things?
It’s not that I have a strict preference for DJing with vinyl, but since I release my own records I naturally have a lot of vinyls around me...I think that using a computer with unlimited data that allows for unlimited possibilities seems interesting, but I think choosing from my own records is simple yet deep, and that maybe suits me better.
I’m trying to listen to current music as well, but I always feel a kind of connection whenever I listen to old music. I’m always reminded of something, a place, a memory, a feeling. Every day there’s so much new music being released in the world that you could spend a lifetime and not get through it, but it’s nice to feel these connections and I hope that people who listen to Natsu Summer will also feel that too.
TO: Is your record label “Cool Evening Records” named after Yu Imai’s 1977 album “A Cool Evening”? If so, why is this album important to you?
NS: Yes that’s exactly right! But it was my producer Cunimondo Takiguchi that came up with the name. I love Yu Imai’s songs too so I often play them when I DJ.
<About city pop>
TO: Why do you think city pop still inspires people almost 40 years after it began?
NS: While I’m sure there are people who have always been into city pop, people who have parents that were around when city pop was trendy are issuing releases to revive the genre, and it seems like “city pop” as a genre is really having a moment now on YouTube, streaming platforms and social media, even among non-Japanese people. City pop sounds glamorous and shiny to me, but it also is exciting and new and maybe that’s what appeals to people nowadays.
TO: Music (and city pop) is often a reflection of life. While city pop existed then and now, what do you feel are the major underlying differences?
NS: When city pop was popular in the 80’s, Japan was right in the middle of the bubble, but now it’s different. Perhaps a part of it is that people in the present want to go back to the past.
Personally I think it’s great that the music, things and designs that were fashionable in the past can still be appreciated by today’s society.
TO: City pop often describes a romanticised ideal of things like beaches and night life. Is your life like that?
NS: Haha not at all! I grew up in a port town in Ehime prefecture surrounded by the mountains and the sea. So that’s why I’m enamoured with the kind of city scenes that appear in city pop.
TO: I think an important part of this music is city life. In Tokyo especially life can be very glamorous. What are some of your favourite things to do in Tokyo?
NS: Although I’m not an expert on the subject, I like looking at architecture (buildings), and I think one of the best things about Tokyo is that you can see and touch many works by world-renown architects. Plus you can see art exhibitions from all different countries, and you can see international artists who come to Japan to perform.
On the other hand, amazing places like Asakusa which tourists travel from all over the world to see are still alive and well. Tokyo has a mix of old and new, it has restaurants that serve everything from shojin ryori* to avant-garde cuisine, you can enjoy the city any number of times via different approaches so I really hope people come and visit. And cruising at night while gazing at the Tokyo skyline from the water is also fantastic.
*A traditional style of cuisine for Buddhist monks and nuns made without meat, fish or other animal products
TO: Although city pop has become popular internationally, it still seems very Japanese at the core with its associated images and culture. Do you think it’s something that can only be made in Japan?
NS: I think the people who were originally behind the genre were influenced by a lot of foreign music, and their interpretation as Japanese people led to the birth of city pop, but then people from other countries were then influenced by city pop and added a different interpretation to create something new. So now we have another movement.
TO: City pop is also thought of as an escape. What do you think people are seeking an escape from in Tokyo/Japan?
NS: Surely what everyone who lives in Tokyo wants to escape from is the packed trains in the mornings. But when I lived in my hometown in Ehime prefecture, there just wasn’t enough to satisfy me so I wanted to escape to the big city. Now both of them have their good and bad times, so I wish I had a “dokodemo door”* like Doraemon so I could leave or come back instantaneously.
*One of Doraemon’s magic tools that allows the user to teleport to any location instantly
<About summer>
TO: Where do you like to go/what do you like to do during summer in Japan?
NS: These days I’ve been doing a lot of watching fireworks between buildings, but I’d love to put on a yukata and munch on a slice of watermelon while watching a big firework display. We might be just watching fireworks, but getting dressed up all fancy in yukata is a special part of Japanese culture.
TO: What is it about summer that inspires you?
NS: Since I was born in July I was given the name “Natsuki”, and so I love summer because it feels like a part of my roots. But these days the summers in Japan are just so hot. People are even dying now each year.
Every year we experience killer heat with the progress of global warming. I love summer but I’m now a little scared of when summer next comes. As the years pass I feel that we really have to be careful in our daily lives to slow down global warming bit by bit. We can do little things like not using straws at cafes, or bringing our own water bottles. I’ve always thought that it would be great if there were lots of shops you could bring your own bento box to.
TO: Many things are going to have to change if we want to enjoy living the way we have been. Otherwise the summers we love so much will only exist as memories.
Does that mean you don’t like winter?
NS: When I was a kid I hated winter and never wanted to go outside, but since I’ve grown up I can just put on a down jacket and dress really warmly so it's not so bad. And having lived in Tokyo for a while, I’m happy to have been able to see lots of snow.
TO: What are you working on now? What’s next for Natsu Summer?
NS: In summer this year I’m going to release an album fully made with a band, and I also hope to do some concerts in association with it. I’d also love to perform overseas too…
The album will be on iTunes as well so please look out for it!
TO: Thanks for your time and we’re really looking forward to hearing the new album later this year!