Hi all!

I've been searching the Internet for a specific kind of music... although it's not all that specific, actually. Here's a video clip first.

She sings with so much air... I really love her voice.

Now, this is from an album covering Studio Ghibli songs, with a jazzy touch, but I don't care whether it's jazz or not, I just like ballads with a cute female voice. Khehehe. I don't really know what I'm looking for exactly, but if songs were women, I'd be looking for the cute ones, not the beautiful ones. (So, like, not Hikaru Utada and no robots...)

Everything I find seems to be either too old or way too ...J-POP or too weird.
For example I quite like 森田童子 (anyone knows her?), but if only it wasn't so old... anything just a little bit less weird/depressing would be really nice. Don't get me wrong, I love her stuff, I'm just not all that often in that mood. I also really like つじあやの and 湯川潮音 with their simple songs. But this one song hyperlinked up there really is THE kind of voice/overall feel I'm looking for. Maybe if your tastes are similar to mine, you'd have some suggestions for me?

プリーズ？　＾＿＾

Hikaru Utada is NOT "beautiful" by Japanese standards.
I learned that the hard way.....

My Japanese friend (a guy) told me a few minutes before "Don't ever tell a girl that she looks like Utada Hikaru", but I thought he was crazy and didn't believe him. A few minutes later, I told a Japanese girl (my friend was sitting next to me) that she looks like Hikaru Utada. She gave me this weird look and then said "Is that a good or bad thing?". He laughed so hard when he heard that....

Anyway, I was wondering if you might like Van Tomiko. At least for this one song.
It's from the J-Drama "Slow Dance". The song is called "Hold me". (Link:

)

For singing, breathy voice is often not recommend, since it is often indicative of bad technique.

Btw, the singer sounded off-rhythm in so many places. Or is that how the song is supposed to sound like? Jazz rhythms can often be very tricky.

IMHO, her voice sounded terrible.
Not even that autotune (which was too much in the song) could save her.

It might not be what your looking for, but when I heard that jazz song I thought it sounded kind of like Ritsuko Okazaki. Here's some of her songs:
For Fruits Basket
Friendship
Serenade
Sugao

Quote:For singing, breathy voice is often not recommend, since it is often indicative of bad technique.

Btw, the singer sounded off-rhythm in so many places. Or is that how the song is supposed to sound like? Jazz rhythms can often be very tricky.

IMHO, her voice sounded terrible.
Not even that autotune (which was too much in the song) could save her.

Hehe, I guess we don't share the same music tastes... but very interesting story about Hikaru being a beauty model (or not) ;P Thanks for the link too, it's good. Is Slow Dance good? I just started watching J-Dramas and I can't get enough of it hehe.

I'd love the song even better if she were just a little more out of tune/rhythm/air

Bokusenou Wrote:It might not be what your looking for, but when I heard that jazz song I thought it sounded kind of like Ritsuko Okazaki. Here's some of her songs:
For Fruits Basket
Friendship
Serenade
Sugao

YES.
Exactly the kind of singer/music I'm looking for x)

Thanks Bokusenou! Btw, just went over to your profile and blog. I'm not good enough yet to read in Japanese, but I'll be sure to check it out when the time comes! Any music of that kind would be super welcomed Though Ritsuko Okazaki should keep me occupied for a while...khehehe. Gawd. just wikipedied her... It makes her music even more touching ;')

comeauch Wrote:

Quote:For singing, breathy voice is often not recommend, since it is often indicative of bad technique.

Btw, the singer sounded off-rhythm in so many places. Or is that how the song is supposed to sound like? Jazz rhythms can often be very tricky.

IMHO, her voice sounded terrible.
Not even that autotune (which was too much in the song) could save her.

Hehe, I guess we don't share the same music tastes... but very interesting story about Hikaru being a beauty model (or not) ;P Thanks for the link too, it's good. Is Slow Dance good? I just started watching J-Dramas and I can't get enough of it hehe.

I'd love the song even better if she were just a little more out of tune/rhythm/air

"Slow Dance" was one of my favorite dramas.
I can't guarantee that you'll like it. But it was really good IMHO.

If you finish "Slow Dance", also watch "Orange Days". It has the
same lead male actor (Tsumabaki Satoshi).

Just discovered Saori Atsumi (アツミサオリ), through the ending song of Genshiken ;P
For a split second, I thought I had found it. Then the guitars and drums kicked in >< なんで？！T__T Still some great first 10 seconds though. Song here:

She also has a couple of OK songs (in the context of this thread where we're looking for something not too much robotized or "all-smiles rock"... hehe). But most of it is ASR [new coining for "all-smiles rock"] though.

[ファブリス]

comeauch Wrote:I've been searching the Internet for a specific kind of music... although it's not all that specific, actually. Here's a video clip first.

Love that clip. It really shows the quietness of life under the apparent drama that seems to cover it all the time.

Kumaki anri
Makino yui
Goodbye my love by Fukuda saki
Advantage Lucy
Cymbals
Kurahashi yoeko
Toki asako
Andou yuuko
Nakashima yuu - look up the song hasu
Yui
Nakashima mika- it might be nakajima
ズータンス
Aiko
Shiina ringo - check out ringo no uta and killer tune AND jinsei wa omoitoori. She's jazzy and she has a lot of songs

speaking of van Tomiko I loved her cover of the song boku wa koko ni iru. Also liked younhas version as well as Benny's English cover.

Oooh, thanks! It was so refreshing to listen to those artists, howtwosavealif3! I'll link some of my favorites out of them:

倉橋ヨエコ 's voice is awesome! (

)

熊木杏里 is such a 美人 lol. Sings well too! (

).

I love ズータンズ's clips XD (

) Such a smile! Makes up for totally not mastering that "going down the escalator/stairs" move hahaha!

I wasn't expecting something like Shiina Ringo. What a pleasant surprise! Jazz/tango... (

) As you say, she seems to have many other good ones too!

Now that I'm into it... There's also Pinacoteca on the jazzy side. (

)

if you know 森田童子 then you're probably aware of 佐井好子. a bit more jazzy and psychedelic, but she's also from the seventies.

also these two:

tenkousei

ichiko aoba

I forgot to mention oohashi Torio
He is very chill and jazzy. His voice is definitely not cute

Not sure if its the genre the OP is looking for, but seems a ballad to me :-)

Binomag Wrote:Not sure if its the genre the OP is looking for, but seems a ballad to me :-)

Haha, interesting voice Perfect for waking up *yawn&stretch* The doll in the clip is freaking me out though lol.

howtwosavealif3 Wrote:I forgot to mention oohashi Torio
He is very chill and jazzy. His voice is definitely not cute

Wow, I'm so glad I started this thread!
From 大橋トリオ :

I had no idea something like that existed in Japan... Thanks!