YUI – A Young Japanese Artist To Look Out For

I know I have been a movie-craze/Japanese-craze lately but this is a great blog entry full of [virtual] goodies. I have even linked up two great video clips from YouTube. Just stay with me for a minute or two.

Last weekend, running out of shows to watch, I have decided to catch an Asian movie. So I gave Cynthia a choice of either a horror movie or a tears-jerking one. Need not to say, though she likes neither, she picked “Midnight Sun” as she can’t take horror movie at all (evil me, I know).

“Midnight Sun”’s plot has the typical Japanese/Korean template with Kaoru Amane (played by Yui) having a rare disease (called XP) – an example of how pop-culture raises awareness – that forced her to stay away from the sun. Not able to live a normal life, Kaoru spent the night time playing her music on the street. The story began with her having a crush with a boy who stopped by the bus-stop opposite her house every morning on the way to his surfing by the beach. Well, I am sure by now you know where the story goes from here.

This movie is actually pretty artistic. There were many moments with no dialog, just acting or filming of scenery. The overall acting was good (especially Kaoru’s boyfriend and her father). Now, back to the subject of this blog, from the moment Kaoru opened her guitar case, to the moment she performed, I was pleasantly surprised by her acting. And when she was trying out different chords humming the melody, I was like: Wow! That is how I write my songs! You are probably waiting for the punch line right? When the end credit was shown, all the three songs featured in the movie are written – both music and lyrics – by Yui herself. When I returned home and did some research, she was from the Indie music background and does have an album. No wonder the acting was so convincing.

I have found the music video of the titled song from YouTube. Not only do you get to appreciate what her music is like, but also get to see the highlights of the movie. For those who are frustrated with the Japanese lyrics, there is an English translation here.

You want more, ya? I have found a live performance of Yui. I tried to get her album from HMV Singapore but it is out-of-stock and the order processing time will be 4 to 6 weeks. Worst of all, it costs S$72. When I typed in HMV.com.sg, I was actually directed to its Hong Kong website and it’s much cheaper to buy her CD there.