Hit Song Jorogumo: Hitomi Nishikawa’s Dedication to Preserving Aki Yashiro’s Shiranui Jouwa

Enka singer Hitomi Nishikawa, whose previous song “Onnaeshi” sold more than 10,000 copies in Japan. Hitomi Nishikawa, an enka singer, said, “I absolutely wanted to sing this song.

I really wanted to sing this song,” she said.

She sang a new song on August 7, “Shiranui Jowa,” which was written in 2005 by Aki Yatsushiro, a senior singer in her hometown of Kumamoto Prefecture.

I was born in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, six houses down from Aki Yatsushiro’s parents’ house. In my hometown, the Ariake Sea is called the Shiranui Sea. Both Ms. Yashiro and I grew up seeing the Shiranui Sea, where you can see the fishing fires. It really is a beautiful sea.

Mr. Yashiro told me, “You have to work hard.

Mr. Yashiro passed away in December 2011 at the age of 73, and this “Shiranui Love Story” was published to commemorate his 35th anniversary. For Mr. Nishikawa, it was a “hometown song” sung by a great star from his hometown. It was natural for him to be strongly attracted to this song.

The last time I met Ms. Yashiro was during the recording of a TV program last year. He was listening to “Onna-ro-hana” and said to me in Kyushu dialect, “You must do your best. I was really happy because he was someone I admired in my hometown.

Mr. Yashiro was still in good health when I decided to cover this song, and then he passed away very suddenly. Because of Mr. Yatsushiro’s passing, I wondered if it would be a good idea to release it right away. But now I am going to sing a local song sung by Ms. Yashiro, whom I adored, and connect it to my own. I couldn’t be happier.

The previous song “Onna-ro-hana” was also sung by composer Chiaki Oka 30 years ago. And this time, “Shiranui Jyogatari” is also an Oka work.

The song is about a woman who waits for a man for a long time and is strong at heart. But it is totally different from my character. I myself say “Hi, bye-bye” to those who leave me (laughs).

When she sings “Shiranui Jisatari” on stage, she says the response is great. We asked him for his tips on how to sing well at karaoke,

The song has an impact right from the beginning, and I think it’s a song that karaoke fans will fall in love with. The best part is the part “Anata, aitakatta ka ……”. I don’t think there are many songs like this. If you sing it as if you are talking to someone without thinking, I think it’s really good.

He told us, “I think it’s very good if you sing it as if you are talking to them without thinking.

A change of pace from Nishikawa’s “Unarubushi” style

In fact, his previous work “Onna-ro-hana” was sparked by YouTube, which is a rare pattern. It has been viewed 400,000 times to date, and has become a hot topic in the record industry.

I thought people wouldn’t buy CDs after watching YouTube, but the CDs sold well. Of course we did a lot of campaigns, but YouTube ignited the fire and definitely contributed to the sales.

Nishikawa says that he had considered quitting the COVID-19 crisis because there was no place for him to sing. That is why he treasures each and every stage he performs on now.

Until “Onnarohana,” I was the Hitomi Nishikawa of “enka” (traditional Japanese ballad music) and “unaroused” (a kind of “grunting”). I was a singer without sex appeal. That is why most of my fans are women. I like “laughter” so much that I wanted to go into “comedy,” so I think I am really funny on stage. Of course I sing seriously, but all I do is laugh during the songs. It’s a great stress reliever, so I hope you will come and see us.

It has been 22 years since his debut. This year, he is steadily expanding his fan base, holding another dinner show at the Hotel Chinzan-so in Tokyo in October. I could sense that Mr. Nishikawa is determined to “carry on” the songs of Mr. Yashiro, who is a senior singer in his hometown.