Mei Ehara is not only a singer-songwriter but also a talented photographer and designer. Born in Japan, Mei started making films while still in school, leading her to record her music at home. After self-releasing several recordings in the early 2010s, she launched her debut full-length album, Sway, under the Japanese independent label KAKUBARHYTHM. This was followed by her second album, Ampersands, in 2020.

Mei collaborated with Faye Webster on the song Overslept from Faye’s 2021 album I Know I’m Funny Haha and provided vocals for Cornelius’ 2022 single Change and Vanish. Apart from music, she has contributed to various projects, including editing for the magazines Sono and DONCAMATIQ.

One of her latest releases, The Fruit Not Yet Ripe, signifies the artist’s comeback, marking her first new song in a year and a half. As Mei shares the evolution of The Fruit Not Yet Ripe, the original version’s fictional elements are replaced with lyrics reflecting personal emotions, making the song feel more authentic. This introspective process illustrates an important shift in the artist’s approach to songwriting, where personal resonance has become a focal point.

Currently, the artist is preparing to join Faye Webster’s fall tour in North America, marking her first performances in the U.S. and Canada. Despite past scheduling conflicts that thwarted previous opportunities, the artist is excited about this chance to collaborate with Webster, who has long admired their music. The tour will include dates in the western U.S., allowing the artist and their band to participate fully. While the prospect of performing abroad is thrilling, Mei is mindful of the physical demands and is preparing diligently to ensure she can maintain her stamina throughout the tour.

Ahead of the artist’s upcoming tour with Faye, Mei managed to find some time in her busy schedule to sit down with View of the Arts and discuss her latest release, preparation for the tour, and her artistry in general.

View of the Arts: The Fruit Not Yet Ripe is your first new song in a year and a half. Can you share the inspiration and creative process behind this single?

Mei Ehara: Towards the end of 2017, while performing live as a three-member band, I was working on a song titled “徘徊する” (Haikaisuru/Wandering), which later served as the prototype for The Fruit Not Yet Ripe. We experimented with it live several times, but it didn’t feel right. Our trio setup couldn’t achieve the arrangement goals, and it didn’t match my creative mode at the time, so I left it unfinished until 2023.

As I started working on my third album, I happened to revisit this song on my computer. I found elements that resonated with my current creative vibe — specifically, the verses, overall mood, and bassline — so I deconstructed the song and transformed it into the current “まだ早い果物” (The Fruit Not Yet Ripe). The original “徘徊する” had strong fictional elements in its lyrics, making it difficult for me to immerse myself in its world. However、 the completed “まだ早い果物” now features lyrics that reflect my emotions, finally feeling like it resonates with me. When I shared the demo recordings with my bandmates at home, I had already made most of the arrangement decisions myself. Considering it is a very simple and low-key song, I was curious about the listener and live audience reactions since its release. I’m glad that it has been well-received.

View of the Arts: You’ve been announced as a support act for Faye Webster’s fall tour in North America. How did this opportunity come about, and what are your feelings about performing in the U.S. and Canada for the first time?

ME: In the past, I have been invited on tour several times, but due to various scheduling conflicts, it didn’t work out. I’m grateful to Faye, who has repeatedly considered me as a touring partner. This time, it was challenging to join all the shows, so we managed to participate only in the western U.S. dates where my entire band could accompany me. I’m thankful to Faye and her team for considering this and agreeing under these circumstances.

Leaving my home country to perform isn’t something that happens often for me, so both my band members and I are looking forward to it. I’m excited to meet Faye, with whom I’ve exchanged emails for years, and visiting America for the first time is something I’m eagerly anticipating.

My main concern is whether I’ll have the stamina for it. I’m used to a lifestyle where I mostly sit in a chair and performing consecutively for several days is uncommon in Japan, so maintaining good physical condition is crucial. To ensure I’m healthy for the trip, I plan to start running and strength training a month before heading to the U.S.

View of the Arts: Faye Webster has mentioned you as a major influence on her music. How does it feel to hear that, and how has your relationship with Faye influenced your work?

ME: I was delighted that Faye listened to and enjoyed my music, and kept track of my new releases. I am grateful for the advancements in civilization, as without subscription services, she might never have discovered my music. 

However, I believe a significant reason why Faye took a liking to my music is due to the contributions of Tsujimura Goh Bun, a senior at the label who produced my first album. At the time of making the first album, Tsujimura skillfully picked up on the demos and the idealised visions I created, respecting my ideas while reproducing the demos and respecting my ideas. Ultimately, while I’m happy that Faye enjoys my music, I feel a responsibility to continuously evolve and strive to create music that truly reflects who I am, always aiming to surpass my past work.

View of the Arts: Your new single features a mix of easy-going grooves and existential lyrics. Can you tell us more about how you balance these elements in your music?

ME: I strive to write lyrics that can be interpreted broadly in meaning. The Fruit Not Yet Ripe has a minimal melody, which also limits the lyrical content. This constraint makes each word and phrase more impactful, potentially hindering the broad interpretation I aim for. Therefore, I focused on selecting words carefully, ensuring that phrases like “it was still too early” became the most catchy and expressive in conveying my intended message.

While speaking in interviews risks revealing specific interpretations, this song lyrically explores themes of my immaturity. I have other songs that delve into regrets and reflections stemming from my immaturity, but for this particular song, I aimed to arrange it with a mood that overlooks and comforts oneself, and portrays the anxiety and suffocation from nervousness after making a mistake through BPM and drum bass. I’m not sure if it’s coming across as intended, though.

View of the Arts: You contributed a song to the forthcoming tribute album for Haruomi Hosono. What can you tell us about the song you chose and why Hosono’s work is significant to you?

ME: I believe Haruomi Hosono is a hugely significant figure for music lovers worldwide, and anyone in Japan aspiring to make music respects his work. When I first heard his music as a high school student, I was amazed that there were such cool musicians in Japan.

Many musicians around me had interactions with Hosono-san, and I never thought I would have the chance to connect with him. In the winter of 2022, I had the honour of appearing on Hosono-san’s radio show, and I thought that would be the only time I would have any interaction with him, given his status as a major figure in my eyes. So, being selected to participate in the tribute album still feels surreal.

The track I covered for the tribute album is a song from HOSONO HOUSE, one of Hosono’s most popular works. I believe it’s such a perfect piece that making any changes or reworking it would be pointless. Therefore, I felt it was essential to approach it with the utmost respect. While the recording was completed in the fall of 2023, I’m still anxious about its public release. I hope many people, including Hosono-san, will enjoy it.

View of the Arts: Born in Aichi, Japan, you began with filmmaking and later moved into home recording your music. How have these early experiences shaped your artistic journey?

ME: I’ve always loved watching movies, and as a child, I wanted to become a film director. I aimed to attend a university where I could study filmmaking, but my parents didn’t understand and I couldn’t pursue it. Instead, I unexpectedly got accepted into a university psychology program. My father secretly applied for me, which left me frustrated. Out of that frustration, I recruited people online and formed a team to make independent films. However, I soon realised I wasn’t suited for group projects, and with members ranging from professionals to students, we didn’t gel as a team. Eventually, I found it easier and more enjoyable to create visual works on my own, mostly silent films and simple, short animations.

With the need for sound in these projects, I started recording music at home. While I had dabbled in composing since childhood, focusing on creating music for visuals on my computer became more enjoyable for me than filmmaking, and I naturally drifted away from shooting videos.

Due to this habit from those days, whenever I think about arranging a song, I always construct accompanying visuals in my mind. Conversely, I believe  I couldn’t complete songs without visual imagery. For instance, during song production, if I imagine light reflecting on water, I would want to incorporate the sound effects of light, and I might adjust the dynamics of the keyboard to match scenes in the visual or story. It feels like creating a soundtrack, and deep down, I might want to make films.

This compositional style of completing songs based on visual ideas that arise during production is something I believe I’ll continue for the rest of my life. Lacking formal musical knowledge, when conveying arrangement concepts to band members, I write out the visual content in prose, akin to a movie synopsis. I thought I wouldn’t have another chance to make videos, but thankfully, in recent years, I’ve had opportunities to work as a production designer and art director for other artists’ music videos. These experiences on set have had a positive impact on my music production, leading to new discoveries.

View of the Arts: Your latest double-sided 7-inch single Game Over / Picture is out now. What was the inspiration behind these songs, and how do they differ from your previous work?

ME: I wanted to capture the atmosphere I love in Game Over. During my childhood, due to my father’s job, I moved and changed schools frequently, so I didn’t have many friends and spent a lot of time playing games. Similar to movies, I also loved game music with sound effects, so I aimed to create a song that summed up various scenes in a short span, much like a video game. At the time of production, I experienced some exhausting events in my personal life that made me think, “game over,” or “I’m such an idiot.” The lyrics reflect self-reproach from a devilish perspective, anticipating that I might repeat similar mistakes like I’m mocking myself. The concept of starting anew from the first stage after a game over resonated well with this theme.

Since the song has fewer lyrics and fewer sustained notes in the melody, I intended to change my singing style slightly from before. I’ve never had a strong desire for people to listen to my songs or pay attention to the lyrics; I’ve always viewed vocals as another element akin to an instrument. However, lately, I’ve been eager to expand the expression in my singing, and I consider Game Over to be the most vocal-focused song in my repertoire now.

Picture was originally released as a home-recorded track on a compilation cassette tape from my label. During its production, the world was going through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A friend who worked at a funeral home shared heartbreaking stories about how COVID-19 funerals differed significantly, where families couldn’t touch the deceased or meet relatives, prompting me to create a song about parting with loved ones. I couldn’t stop thinking about how painful it would be to be left alone without a proper farewell to someone you love. If I were in that situation, I would want to immerse myself deeply in sorrow, believing it to be crucial. Creating this song and empathising through imagining such experiences made me realise the importance of cherishing loved ones and meaningful things in our daily lives. Since I rarely base songs or lyrics on fiction, Picture is a particularly rare piece for me.

View of the Arts: You’ve collaborated with several artists, including providing vocals for Cornelius’s single. How do these collaborations influence your music, and what have you learned from working with other artists?

ME: It was challenging to participate as a singer, but it was a valuable learning experience for me. In response to the previous question, I mentioned that I don’t have a strong desire for people to listen to my songs or pay attention to the lyrics, partly because of a lack of confidence that my singing voice has a unique and special quality.

However, through participating in various artists’ songs, I have discovered the joy of singing and have gained more opportunities to experiment with my songs. I try to introduce subtle changes in my performances during live shows. Moving forward, I want to continue learning, so I would be delighted to have more opportunities to participate in various artists’ projects.

View of the Arts: Your music seems to attract a global audience. How does it feel to have listeners from all over the world, and does this international reach influence your songwriting?

ME: Every day, I receive messages from people overseas via Instagram DMs and email, and I’m genuinely delighted to read them. It fascinates me greatly to think about how people abroad come to discover my music, what aspects they appreciate, and the emotions it evokes for them, especially considering the language barrier.

I don’t speak English much, so I don’t think I can actively change my music to appeal to international audiences. However, I do want to create music from Japan that as many people around the world can enjoy as possible. I’m not sure how to achieve that, but I hope that by continuing to create music that satisfies me personally, there might be opportunities for people overseas to listen to it.

Beyond music, a significant influence for me was learning that people in Palestine listen to my music. Amidst their tragic history over the last 76 years, knowing that someone there listens to my music made a profound impact on me. It made me ponder deeply about how they might feel when listening to my music. Since then, I have been actively involved in initiatives like distributing over 20,000 fabric patches across Japan for free and creating donation goods for Palestinians, and collecting donations at live venues, bookstores, and record shops across Japan. From my position, I strive to raise awareness among people in Japan about the situation in Palestine, advocating for a lasting ceasefire and the liberation of Palestine. I want to continue showing solidarity with Palestine so that all its people can enjoy music freely, just like us.

View of the Arts: Your upcoming album is scheduled for release by the end of 2024. Can you give us a sneak peek into what themes or musical directions you are exploring in this new project?

ME: I don’t fully understand it myself. However, I wanted to create something that became a cohesive piece throughout all the songs. I’ve heard that fewer people nowadays listen to albums from the first track to the last. Despite that trend, I wanted to create a work that is conscious of the overall flow rather than just a collection of standalone tracks. So, this time, I feel that my music has become even more like a soundtrack to the visual stories in my mind, and it has become more personal than ever before.

I tend to get involved in trouble easily, and I’m also easily affected by my mental state, which has caused many production halts over the past few years. Also, because I am strict with myself and have high ideals, I have struggled a lot to create music that feels up-to-date to me, which has resulted in longer production times. However, this time, I feel like I might be able to think, “I did well” when it’s all over.

View of the Arts: Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you have a specific routine or environment that helps you create your music?

ME: Once I’m up, I start the washing machine, then prepare and eat breakfast while it runs. By the time I finish eating, the laundry is done, so I hang it up and then vacuum. After changing my beloved cat’s water, I finally make coffee and sit down at my desk. From there, whether I can accomplish anything depends on the moment, so I just head to my desk. There are days when I can’t do anything, and the day ends without achieving much, but I know that unless I step into the arena, nothing will begin, so I sit at my desk even if I don’t feel capable.

When sunlight comes in, I feel the passage of time, and if I haven’t accomplished anything, I become disheartened thinking, “I’ve let the day pass without having done anything,” so I keep the window closed to block out the light and turn on the lights.

Since entering my thirties, I’ve found sitting makes it easier to gain weight, so I’ve switched to sitting on a balance ball instead of a chair. I think I drink too much coffee.

View of the Arts: How do you approach the musical arrangement of your songs? Do you usually have a clear vision from the start, or does it evolve?

ME: Sometimes I have a clear vision, but most of the time I don’t. I start by programming the drums, deciding on a BPM somewhat arbitrarily, then layering on bass and keyboards. It’s only when a visual image of the song emerges at a certain point that the production of that song truly begins in earnest. I don’t start with a reference like “I want to make a song like that person’s song,” so I work in a state of “let’s see what I can do” once I’ve progressed.

Not having reference songs to rely on makes it challenging during collaboration with band members, as there’s no common language to guide the arrangement process. However, I’ve decided not to aim to create songs similar to specific ones, as attempting to emulate a particular track tends to lead me astray and hasn’t worked out well in the past.

View of the Arts: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy in your free time that might surprise your fans?

ME: I’ve been enjoying supporting K-pop idols for a few years now and even attending their concerts. I occasionally post about it on social media, so it might not come as a surprise. Apart from music, I enjoy being hands-on with things, so I’m always crafting something, cooking on a whim, or rearranging my room. Recently, I’ve also learned to tattoo myself.

View of the Arts: What do you like to do to unwind and relax when you’re not working on music?

ME: Spending time with my beloved cat is important to me. Since my cat adores me, I want to reciprocate those feelings. That’s why I talk to my cat, walk together to places in the house where she wants to go, and engage with her like I would with a person. Looking back, I’ve been continuously immersed in music for the past few years to complete albums, so I might not actively recall taking time to relax. After finishing the album, I would be happy to go on trips to hot springs or go out drinking with friends ‘till dawn.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Mei Ehara

_{View of the Arts is an online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}