Jero releases new album as tribute to Tadashi Yoshida
Oct 3, 2008 Artist, Jero, Music
American enka singer Jero, 27, on Wednesday released a new album, “15 gems,” as part of a tribute to composer Tadashi Yoshida who passed away in 1998 at the age of 77. Enka singer Yoko Nagayama, 40, and 13 other singers contribute to the album with Jero.
Jero, who sings a version of Yoshida’s popular song “Let’s meet in Yurakucho,” said, “It was difficult because its key is very low. But I think I could make it more attractive than the original one although I was very nervous. It’s a famous song that I used to listen when I was a kid.” (Source : JapanToday)
Jero is an American born Japanese enka singer. Born in 1981 as Jerome Charles White, Jr, a grandson of a US navy man and a Japanese woman. Under the influence of his grandmother who likes to sang enka songs to him when he was young, he grew up loving enka songs as well as the usual Pittsburgh playlist of hip-hop and R&B.
Moved to Japan in 2003, two months after arriving in Japan, he entered the NHK Nodo Jiman competition broadcast on TV. After joining several karaoke contests, he finally caught the attention of the scouts of Victor.
Still keeping his hip hop style, Jero released his first single “Umiyuki” on February 20, 2008. The single entered the Oricon charts at number 4.
Enka is a genre of Japanese popular songs. Usually come in a form of a ballad song to express sentimental feeling. Enka is usually singing sad aspects of life, irrecoverable destiny, desertion by the lover. It is an expression of love, but love will never be successful and sorrow and tear follow happy memories.
