Changed 4 Good - Interview with aimi
Born and raised in Japan, aimi is a multi-talented singer-songwriter offering a distinctive fusion of modern and classic R&B, infused with empowering messages for women. Based in Tokyo, she is now one of the most authentic R&B songstresses, proactively contributing to the evolving Japanese R&B scene. In this exclusive interview for Tokyo ON, we cover her background, her passion for promoting R&B, and her latest projects.
<Background>
Tokyo ON: Given your considerable knowledge about R&B, I guess you listened to it a lot when you were young. How did you discover R&B?
aimi: I discovered R&B through MTV and I was staying up watching a bunch of 90’s or 00’s late night music videos on repeat. But before that I first listened to soul and disco music from compilation CDs. I’d turn on the radio and I happened to hear James Brown and Stevie Wonder. I was really drawn to that kind of music when I was in elementary school.
TO: Why do you think it resonated with you so much?
aimi: I think it’s the vocalization. I was born and raised in Japan, and I didn’t have anyone who could speak English around me. Even though I didn’t understand the language, I was so attached to the sound and the groove, and how they use their voices. All these R&B divas taught me how to sing, and it really became a part of me. And as I grew older, I started to look at the meaning in the lyrics, and I found out they throw everything into the songs, they’re not afraid of speaking their minds. It felt liberating.
I started writing poems in Japanese in the beginning, when I was 10 or 11 years old. In junior high, I started to write in English.
TO: Can you tell us some songs or artists that really influenced or inspired you?
aimi: I was a big fan of Beyonce, Destiny’s Child. And TLC, SWV, I love them all, but Destiny’s Child was the biggest influence among the girl groups. All the visuals, the videos, and the attitude.
TO: You’ve been releasing your music on your own label “Love Ocean Records”. Do you prefer being independent?
aimi: It is challenging, and I love having creative control over my music, but at the same time, I’m very open to working with labels. I’m not 100% happy with the way I do things right now, but I’m happy with the music I put out.
TO: In “The Wave” you mentioned you’ve had a dream since you were seventeen. How did you decide that you wanted to become a singer?
aimi: Around that time, I took part in a big audition, “Voice of McDonalds”, held by McDonalds and Sony Music. I placed 2nd among 14,000 people. That was the first time I really showcased my voice and what I really wanted to do, and got some recognition for it. That’s how it started.
TO: You also mentioned in the lyrics that you’ve been patiently waiting and you’ve taken the long way around. What are some of the challenges you’ve had to face?
aimi: So at 18, I was thrown into this music industry. It was a lot for me. Everyone else was already writing songs, they could sing well or dance well, but I was just a part timer at McDonalds in Narita. I just loved music. I had to find my own voice and my own way of expression. For a good 10 years, I was playing the acoustic guitar and singing at the same time, but I didn’t enjoy playing the guitar haha.
I was trying to do all sorts of things, being an independent artist. It was a lot of trial and error. Then I fell in love with R&B again, just before the pandemic. I was organizing a music festival back in my hometown, and I was supported by all the people back home, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to continue as a songwriter. I almost lost the passion for writing my own songs.
That’s when I met Shingo.S, my current producer. And he introduced me to new R&B. He told me that I sound really good when I sing R&B in English. He probably figured out that I grew up on R&B. Shingo.S introduced me to the music of H.E.R., Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker and more. That’s when I found my voice in R&B again.
TO: Do you feel like you’re living your dream now or do you have further to go?
aimi: I have a dream of exporting Japanese R&B to the world. At certain levels, I think it’s coming true, I have an international audience supporting me outside Japan. But it’s not yet possible for me to go on a world tour or work with international labels to promote my music. I feel like I’m already encountering my community and connecting with them on my social accounts.
When I released “Water Me” and “Changed 4 Good”, I wasn’t thinking about the Japanese market at all. But after COVID, I realized there are people who support me in Japan, so I started to think that maybe I should write music in Japanese again. I’m getting support from my local distributor and staff around me, all the collaborators. I’m very blessed to have them, but at the same time I want to show them better views, I want to make bigger waves.
<Promoting Japanese R&B>
TO: You started a podcast called Detox R&B, where you feature both international and Japanese R&B. Was this to raise awareness of the genre in Japan?
aimi: It is to raise awareness for people who don’t really know the genre, or people that know 90’s R&B but don’t know much about modern R&B. It’s such a versatile genre right now. At the same time, there are people who love R&B but they don’t have a way to connect with other people. So it’s both, bringing new people in, bringing true lovers in, bringing everyone together.
There are many Japanese artists that do R&B, but they might not call themselves R&B artists. They don’t necessarily want to categorize themselves into just one genre. But I personally love it and what I do is very much R&B oriented. It was very popular in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I hope I’m helping bring it back. I’m making events and podcasts and hashtags to bring some attention to R&B in Japan.
TO: Other than the language, what do you think are some of the differences between international and Japanese R&B?
aimi: I feel like the gap is becoming smaller, but it’s still very different. R&B in general is very much celebrated for its culture and history in America, UK, and other parts of the world. But in Japan, since it was imported, I feel we are kind of borrowing the essence of it, and it’s never truly been a part of our culture or identity.
For me, it has always been a part of me. In 2024, I feel that it’s very much possible for anyone in the world to start an R&B project. There are really good artists in the Philippines, in Korea, everywhere. In Japan I hear people say R&B is a difficult genre to sell here.
TO: You’ve also hosted R&B events in Japan called “Stay Ready”. Tell us about your vision of “R&B for All”.
aimi: “R&B for All” is a phrase that I always go back to, I ask myself, “Am I doing this for just me, for just a limited section of people, or am I doing this for everybody?” When I get on the stage or organize events, I try to make it as open as possible. The event was held at Space Odd in Shibuya. For vol.1, I booked upcoming R&B/HipHop influenced artists like Kenya Fujita from Bleecker Chrome and Kona Rose as an introduction to new J-R&B. We had a very good reaction from the audience which led us to do vol.2. For vol. 2, I asked female artists to take over the stage - Mirei (Mirei Toyama), Sincere, EMI MARIA and JASMINE. Bacardi kindly sponsored the event, so we were able to lower the entrance fee and bring my DJ friends to play between shows. It was more like a party and I’ve seen the community grow in such a short span.
<Recent developments>
TO: Not everyone is aware of this, but you recently had throat surgery. What happened? How did you recover?
aimi: I probably hurt my vocal cords by singing at night, singing too much. I basically could not sing in a high register, the pitch was going weird. I learned that I had to get surgery in March last year, but I kept singing because I couldn’t afford it. It was coming to a point where I was getting stressed and really scared to keep on singing like that. So I went back to the hospital.
I started going to see a vocal coach, and she happened to be the vocal coach at the hospital. She really is a support system for me, physically and mentally, she’s become one of my mentors now. With her training, I was able to feel comfortable singing again.
TO: One of the key themes in your music is “Changed 4 Good”. It’s a clever slogan, because it both means to have changed in a positive way and also to have changed forever. Tell us what that means to you.
aimi: I was trying to find myself in music, as a person, as an artist, as a woman. I felt like I was trying to please others, be liked by my producer, my fans, my family. I had all this pressure on me, and I wasn’t focusing on what I personally enjoy listening or making. I’m coming to love myself, what I do now.
“Changed 4 Good” means I’ve changed to accept who I am and be the one I want to be. It means courage, I needed to let go of some of the things I was holding onto. I was doing that for a very long time But you can change, and it’s your call to make that change.
TO: And yet we can continue to change for good, because the world continues to change around us. Did you ever feel like, “Ok this is it, I’ve turned a new page” and then later on you change again?
aimi: I am constantly changing, I think that’s part of accepting who I am, and expecting myself to be better. It’s part of growth - it’s a process.
TO: Earlier this year you released your single “I’m OK” which was produced by LEJKEYS from the U.S. Tell us how that came about.
aimi: I’m such a big fan of Jhene Aiko, and I’m also a big fan of Julian’s (LEJKEYS) solo work. I put up a cover of Jhene Aiko on my Instagram, tagging Julian, hoping that he would hear me sing. And he did!. So almost two years ago he came to Japan and he randomly sent me a DM, and asked me if I wanted to go into the studio with him. I went to the studio with him together with Shingo S. We did a couple of songs, and “I’m OK” was one of them.
TO: What was it like working with LEJKEYS?
aimi: Julian’s background is Vietnamese, but he was born and raised in the U.S., I believe. He was part of AI’s tour in Japan years ago. So he loves Japan, and has respect for Japanese artists and culture, so he made the studio seem like a very fun and comfortable place. He made it so safe for me to perform and try things.
Julian’s chord progression and instrumentation, it’s relatable to Japanese people. I can’t even explain it, he touches our souls.
TO: The lyrics of “I’m OK” feel really relevant in today’s age, about trying to deal with anxiety and uncertainty.
aimi: Last year, just before Stay Ready vol.2, I said to myself, “This might be the final stage for me”. I was in a really depressed state. I was really insecure about my voice, I didn’t know how to go on with myself and my music. And everything seemed very difficult for me at the time. So that’s how I started writing “I’m OK”, while I was recovering. I wanted to tell my audience that I was going through this, but I’m OK. I’m not perfect, and I know life is going to be a rollercoaster, but it’s OK not to be OK.
TO: Does that mean there’s more songs to come out of this session?
aimi: Yes, I would love to finish some of the music that we were working on.
TO: Awesome! Are you keen to do more global collaborations?
aimi: For sure! I’m very interested in working with people overseas more, and I’m doing that now. I enjoy co-writing with people. I think co-writing is not as popular here as it is in the U.S.
I found it very fun to work with JASMINE and EMI MARIA. That really helped me write certain things that I would never write on my own. I really find the process interesting. I think co-writing has many possibilities, it brings you out of your comfort zone, it’s very free and liberating.
TO: What do you think of working with people from non-English speaking backgrounds?
aimi: I have many listeners in Taiwan, So I definitely want to collab with Taiwanese artists. But I’m also really a big fan of Filipino R&B artists. I'd love to collab with them too.
This is also something I’ve never said anywhere before, but I love Christian R&B too. I relate to it spiritually, I don’t know why, maybe because my Mom is Christian. I feel very connected with their music.
TO: Your recent single “Love Like That” is I think your first in a more dance-oriented style. Tell us about this new direction and how you got here.
aimi: I wanted to do a disco track, I grew up on funk music, and soul music, so I wanted to have that kind of energy, except I didn’t want to do it old school. So I kind of mixed disco and house, and it became “Love Like That”.
TO: Are there some other musical styles that you want to pursue in the future?
aimi:, I do want to dive into a healing project. It’s just something that I need to do. I love healing soul, like Amel Larrieux, Jhene Aiko, Umi, Raveena, Sinead Harnett, I would like to try expressing my thoughts with a healing sound.
TO: At the same time, your latest single “Sippin’ Sake” is more of a throwback, especially with the latin sounding guitar. I imagine you must have really enjoyed making this one, it’s more forward and confident than your other tracks. Was it easy for you to get into this mindset and attitude?
aimi: I’ve always wanted to do a sexy song, but I couldn’t do it for some reason. Now I want to talk about women being treated right, I wanted to empower women in the 30’s. Like sake, as the years go up the value goes up, and there’s no waiting.
I was inspired to write “Sippin’ Sake” after a girl's talk. One of my friends was having a hard time with her partnership and I wanted to tell her that we deserve more.
TO: Interestingly you’re releasing the a cappella and instrumental versions of “Sippin’ Sake”, the way they used to do. Are you encouraging people around the world to make remixes?
aimi: Yeah definitely, I want to hear different versions. Also, I wanted everyone to listen to the a cappella so they can hear the vocal production. We put so much effort into the vocals on this one. My vocal producer, Yui Mugino, helped me write this one. She is amazing as a vocalist as well.
TO: This question is just for fun - one classic thing about R&B is the key change on the final chorus, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you do one? Are you not a fan of those?
aimi: I actually do a key change when I perform “You Are” live, and it feels real good!
TO: I still hope you put key changes in your studio releases, but I guess I’ll just have to see you perform live! Speaking of which, you’ve announced your first solo show, which will take place at Shibuya WWW on February 21, 2025. How does it feel to arrive at this point?
aimi: It has been a long time coming but it feels like the best timing. I’m gonna be performing with a full-band, I promise that it’s gonna be the best show ever! I hope to see everybody there including you :)
TO: Last, do you have any message for your fans?
aimi: I wanna send my love and gratitude to all my fans and listeners around the globe - you’re making my dreams come true and you have no idea how much your support and comments help me go on further as an artist. I’m working on new music right now and I can’t wait to share with y’all.
TO: Thanks for talking to us today and we look forward to the results of all your projects!
Check out aimi’s official website and follow her on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Get tickets* to see aimi in Tokyo (Shibuya WWW) at her solo show on February 21st, 2025 via eplus.
(*Tickets available from November 1st. Pre-school age children can also enter the venue)
