Enka singer Jero, 27, performed his new single “Tsumeato” this week in front of 4,500 people who gathered to watch him at the Plenty Mall in Kobe City. The CD single went on sale on Wednesday for 1,200 yen.
Jero said the new song, about forbidden love, is the most enka-like of his songs to date. He went on to say: “My upcoming concerts will be a bit different from traditional enka performances though. I think people of all ages will be able to enjoy them.”
Jero’s first national tour begins on Sunday at the Tako Community Plaza Hall in Chiba, and he will play at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo on Aug 26 and 27. The full list of dates and venues can be found at his blog (in Japanese) at http://blog.goo.ne.jp/jeroenka/e/1ae47ee7935a2726800c70b010aa0179
© Japan Today
28 Comments
Login to comment
benhur
way to go! good singer.
biglittleman
They need to stop typecasting him and allow him to dress differently some times. I know for a fact he doesn't dress that way all the time. Even B-boys evolve in their swagger.
chuckers
Would you really want to see him dress like most other enka singers? A kimono, perhaps? Some of the sparkly suits that the big boys in enka wear would probably make him look like a pimp. And the less said about Hikawa Kiyoshi's fashion choices, the better.
Badsey
Enka singing is difficult -a sort of passionate vibrato yet delicate unlike opera. I like his duets better.
biglittleman
His fashion selection isn't only this or that. There are lots of styles in between.
tokyochris
Really? He has looked like he has just come from the set of 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' every single time that I have seen him...
DentShop
Agreed. I suggest he have a fat necklace with a big clock on it. Or 2 Ulysse Nardins on each wrist?
Altria
I agree. They could dress him up like a sailor from the U.S. navy, or in tight lycra cycling gear and helmet, or a Texan oil tycoon. But no, they're just going to push the same tired old gangsta stereotype, even though he's nothing like that in real life.
Sarge
His cap is on crooked.
Foxie
I would like to see him wearing a nice suit. His current stage fashion degrades his talent and enka.
biglittleman
@Tokyochris,
You don't understand the conversation. My whole point was he should change up his style from time to time. But he must always look the same to perpetuate his Talent agency's image they are trying to sell.
You should read a little more carefully. I have seen him before he was famous. Like I said before I know for a fact he doesn't dress this way all the time.
biglittleman
@Tokyochris
That was meant for Chuckers.
tokyochris
Congratulations on seeing him before he was famous, I hope you feel proud!
I wasn't disputing whether or not he does wear other clothes... but I have never seen him dressed in any other way in the few years that he's been popular
stirfry
12 bucks for one song ? please, child, its not like you're Led Zep or anything
TokyoGas
The lad always wears a doo-rag and a baseball cap. He should wear different outfits, but I bet that his talent agency dresses him.
biglittleman
Tokyochris,
You must be proud because you now understand what we are talking about! Good job!
im_charming
I got to talk to the guy once when he came to Kansai Gaidai for a taping of some tv show about a year ago. Really cool guy.
LoveUSA
he is one of the best enka singers without a doubt.
tokyochris
I'm proud that I was right to begin with because my view hasn't changed
Thanks for the congratulations though - it's brightened up my day ;-)
biglittleman
@Tokyochris,
Just because you haven't changed your view point doesn't mean you are right! If you are proud because you don't understand that, then you are very easily satisfied. Must be nice ;)
stirfry
he's also one of the ONLY enka singers
tasukidaisuki
That's the going rate for a Japanese single. You should see how much they charge for "limited edition" copies!
Taka313
My family really likes Jero and having someone dress in contemporary clothes, vice some of the circa 1970s Liberace-looking stuff (which I love for the unintentional comedy value), our children have been a bit more accepting of enka music.
Playing live to 4500 people has to be a rush. I've done a two gigs in front of a few hundred people and I will never forget those moments as long as I live.
Jero's living the dream. Good for him.
Taka
Sariri
My understanding is that his outfits are absolutely his choice, not the agency's. (He showed up in the same style from high school at the first NHK audition.) He also had a dozens of baseball cap collection to show, when a TV camera visited his room.
Kigatsuyoi
Good on Jero. I saw him on Nodo Jiman and he actually wasn't that great at the time but still got the "gokaku" chimes as they usually give for foreigners performing on Nodo Jiman just for being able to sing in Japanese. However, since then he has taken voice and singing training classes and is actually really good now. I only wish the mass marketed J-pop singers would do the same thing and actually work on improving. SMAP has been around for decades and they still sound like cr@p.
yomuri
all this talk about what he wears?
does anyone actually think that 90% of singers here dont have a stylist telling them what to wear?
also, im glad the article refers to him as "Enka singer Jero" and not African American Enka singer Jero" good work
biglittleman
@yomuri,
It's not a conscious effort by the Japanese media, hell we are still called Gaijin on a large scale. Japan doesn't really use the term African-American that much. For one reason people of African descent aren't considered American in Japanese eyes. It was like a new concept to my Japanese friends when we talked about it. It is like a Filipino or Korean born in Japan and never considered a Japanese citizen. There idea is usually Caucasian only even if their families came to the US a few hundred of years after most slaves had already arrived.
yomuri
@biglittleman
now i think about it, it was usually the western press that always referred to him as "African American Enka singer Jero".