Miyuna -- Fuwa Fuwa（ふわふわ）

 

That is an example of the Japanese fluffy pancake that I had at Fuwa Fuwa back in the spring of 2018. I don't seem to have any photos of the dish or the restaurant after that year, so I guess that it'll be close to four years since I've visited such a place. I hear from friends that the pancake place has survived the pandemic thus far, so I would love to head there once more in the near future.

Strangely enough, I can't quite remember how I came across singer-songwriter Miyuna（みゆな）but I suspect that it may have been from an appearance on "Uta Con"（うたコン）recently. In any case, her "Fuwa Fuwa" which can be translated as "Fluffy" although considering her lyrics of a woman going through a rough patch and needing someone to hold might mean that Shane Anderson's translation of "Unstable" is the more accurate term.

According to her Wikipedia article, "Fuwa Fuwa" was a 2018 demo although this wasn't mentioned on the J-Wiki profile for her, but over there, it's listed as her very first creation that was placed onto her debut album "Me"（眼...Eyes） which was released in February 2019. Listening to it a couple of times, I'm struck at how she aurally resembles a slightly lower-toned Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）with her melody sounding like something that Shiina would have also composed. It's some frenetic piano-and-guitar pop moving along with Miyuna's rock chops. Adding onto the Shiina aesthetic, there is also something of the cabaret performer within the singer. As for "Me", it peaked at No. 116 on Oricon.