Michiru Yuasa -- Watashi no Hana（私の花）

 

A few months ago, I introduced a singer to the pages of KKP by the name of Michiru Yuasa（ゆあさみちる）after I'd seen her on an episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた）. She performed something that was a little different from the usual enka and Mood Kayo via her "Osozaki no Hero"（遅咲きのHERO）which was more along the lines of 80s rocker Ayumi Nakamura（中村あゆみ）.

Well, when she made her official debut back in April 2020, her first single was "Watashi no Hana" (My Flower) which was written by Reiko Kaminaka（紙中礼子）and composed by Yuhei Hanaoka（花岡優平）. After listening to it, I realized that this particular song was the type of kayo that I would usually hear on "Shin BS Nihon no Uta", but I wouldn't classify it as either enka or Mood Kayo. For me, this is in that genre middle ground known as New Adult Music sprinkled with Latin. And in the music video above, Yuasa even pulls off some tango moves. 

Michiru Yuasa -- Osozaki no Hero（遅咲きのHERO）

 

A few weeks ago, we were watching NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた）on Jme, and thankfully, it's finally returning on a regular schedule, when we saw a slim young lady with short hair in what looked like a rocker's outfit. Hm...I thought that she rather stood out among the other enka and Mood Kayo guests.

Well, shades of Ayumi Nakamura（中村あゆみ）and GAO. This is singer-songwriter Michiru Yuasa（ゆあさみちる）from Niigata Prefecture and her profile has stated that she's basically open to any genre to sing. But in this case, her 7th single from May 2024, "Osozaki no Hero" (Late-Blooming Hero) is a good ol' rock-n'-roll tune from yesteryear and that's why I made the comparisons to the first two singers. It kinda feels like a 80s pop-rock song. Written by Yuhei Hanaoka（花岡優平）and composed by Masato Sugimoto（杉本眞人）, the song seems to be paying tribute to the little guys...the people who plug away at their professions day in and day out, just trying to make a good living and lifestyle. 

As for further information on Yuasa, she won a prize at the "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）national championship in 2007, has participated as a backup singer on a GLAY album, recorded songs for commercials, and made her official major debut with the single "Watashi no Hana"（私の花...My Flower） in 2020. She was also greatly influenced by acts such as Anzen Chitai（安全地帯）and the Carpenters. Among her hobbies are illustrating, reading and making her rounds of the onsen.