Every day we seem to be bombarded with new music by American artists who are constantly producing, and sometimes its easy to forget that music is universal and is being created everywhere in endless different varieties. Japan’s UNA (pronounced “yoo-nuh”), is originally from Okinawa, Japan, a small region of islands located towards the south-end of the country. Now a J-pop rising star in Japan, UNA moved to Tokyo and started her career as a model, quickly becoming a regular feature in Japanese magazines like Fruits, Spins, and Kera among others.
As a model, she’s toured the world with Asobi System promoting Harajuku fashion and Japanese culture, and now hosts a weekly series on the Youtube channel “Harajuku Kawaii“, showcasing fashion, models, and food from Japanese culture. It wasn’t until late last year that UNA put out her first single, JUICY JUICY, on Universal Music and is currently in the process of releasing her first full length record. She really cashed in when Mentos, “The fresh maker,” approached her to use the single JUICY JUICY in one of their commercials. Vocoder vocals, pulsing synths, and infused english make her J-Pop music fun fueled and oh so kawaii. Clearly UNA was intent on making her way to the top of the Japanese entertainment world and now she has her sights set on America. She’ll be performing for the first time in America, this month with Anamanaguchi, who pair nicely with their Kawaii influenced rock and roll.
UNA’s passion for Japan’s entertainment culture exudes from her every pore, and her ambitious goals are now a reality. She may be half a world away, but it is truly inspiring to see an artist from humble beginnings step into the spotlight in such a profound way. Jumping at opportunites she knew would catapult her into a position of creative power, she dared to dream big and is enjoying the rewards of her hard work. Watch her most recent video BOOM BOOM below and pick up tickets to see her live at the El Rey Theatre alongside Anamanaguchi on June 20th!
