Takehara Pistol: “It’s Always Been Fun, So I Never Felt Like I Had to Pay My Dues”

The days of traveling across the country and performing over 250 live shows a year are my foundation—an independent singer.

“The protagonists in my lyrics rarely overlap with myself. I often write about a phrase someone said or a scene that made me feel happy,” says singer-songwriter Takehara Pistol (48). 

In 1999, he formed the folk duo Yakōzen with his college classmate Hirochika Hamano (47) and began performing. Despite gaining a core fan base of music lovers, the band disbanded due to internal conflicts. Afterward, Takehara continued his creative journey solo, which he called “dosa mawari” (touring extensively), and in 2017, he made his first appearance at NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen with the song “Yo, Sokono Wakaino.”

“However, my 2019 release Oi! Oi!! is rare in that it’s actually based on my personal experiences. It’s about the time before I started making music, when I was living a messy life. So every time I perform it live, I remember the layout and smell of the apartment from that time and feel the urge to tell my younger self, ‘Get it together!’ (laughs).”

Takehara’s lyrics are both delicate and bold, soothing the dry hearts of modern people, while his powerful voice shakes the souls of his fans. Reflecting on his musical roots, he attributes them to his childhood.

“Everyone in my family, except my mom, was involved in music. My dad still plays in a Hawaiian band, my sister learned the piano, and I attended Electone classes. There was always some kind of sound filling our house.

When I was in elementary school, I sang the theme song of the anime Attack No. 1 in front of everyone during a school trip, which sparked my love for performing in front of people. From there, I gradually got more into it, and by high school, I seriously wanted to become a professional musician. I started writing original songs and sending demo tapes to record companies, but none of them worked out (laughs).”

The toughest days

After entering university, Takehara joined the boxing club and devoted himself to it, but after retiring, he was struck by a deep sense of loss.

“I think it was about 10 months between retiring from the club and forming Yakōzen. That period was the hardest. I kind of remembered, ‘Oh yeah, I had a dream of becoming a professional musician,’ but it was just lingering there in my heart. I didn’t know what to do specifically, and time just kept passing as I was drifting. That’s when Hamano-kun called me out of the blue and invited me. The song Oi! Oi!! that I mentioned earlier is about that time in my life.”