Let’s face it, our rooms are never as tidy as we want them to be; but despite the mess, we’ll always know where everything is. That’s exactly how MIREI feels about her music. 

“My music is my own room in my heart. It’s colourful, fun, exotic, and chaotic but has one spirit. First, you might see it as messy, but once you understand it, you’ll get to know why everything is picked and placed there,” the Japanese artist tells Bandwagon. 

MIREI’s music takes influences from an assortment of genres. Existing between the planes of R&B, pop, and electronic music, the 23-year-old describes her sound as a “collage” of all the music, and even video games, she grew up around. 

“My parents would always play music while driving the car, so my initial tastes and exposure to music were strongly influenced by them. My dad loved to listen to English music, especially the soul and R&B genres whereas my mom enjoyed Japanese rock,” she explains. 

“I also developed my love for electronic music thanks to the rhythm game “Dance Dance Revolution,” which I played when I was young. I’m sure all the different influences that I grew up with are projected in my own sound.”

Since her emergence into the music scene in 2013, MIREI has enchanted audiences with her delicate and emotive vocals that shine against the backdrop of a kaleidoscope of sounds and genres. 

But it’s her lyrics and storytelling that truly stick with you. 

Never been one to shy away from difficult conversations and divisive issues, the ‘1998’ act raises a lot of important themes in her songs, from mental health awareness to cultural conformity to sexual harassment. 

Coming from a conservative society, these topics—which MIREI shares affect a lot of young people in Japan—rarely make it to mainstream music, often noted as risky or even foolish to speak out about. 

“As a Japanese person who was born and raised in Japan, I feel like there’s a culture here where you shouldn’t say anything risky or controversial, even if it bothers you a lot. Taking a risk is defined as something foolish, especially when you’re in public. I’ve seen many things that are clearly wrong but ignored because it’s part of our ‘system’,” MIREI explains. 

Wanting to inspire change and empower young people, the singer-songwriter is relaying her advocacies through her music and making it an important pillar of her next chapter as an artist. 

As her English debut in 2020, MIREI dropped her album Take Me Away which served as a collection of thoughts and stories that stem from feelings of injustice, doubts, fear, and anguish. 

“All of my songs start as random thoughts. I’m not a very communicative person, so when something gets stuck in my head while I’m talking, it keeps lingering in my brain until I digest it by writing it on my notes which eventually turn into songs,” says the ‘No Ordinary Love’ hitmaker. 

The album spans 10 tracks, each honestly and vividly exploring different social issues. From tracks like ‘Lonely In Tokyo’ which draws attention to Japan’s Papakatsu culture to ‘Take Me Away’ which highlight the experience of dealing with anxiety and depression, MIREI’s English debut record is a showcase of strength and courage.

“Take Me Away felt like the only way where I could express my emotions and thoughts out loud. I sang in English hoping this album would reach out to as many people as possible around the world,” she says. 

“And thanks to that, I’ve connected with new listeners around the globe and got to be vulnerable with my fans, which I’m really happy that I did since it has helped me become closer to them. Now, the album has become like memory and reminder of hope.”

In spite of the risks and fears she may have, MIREI has never been one to falter. “Initially, it can be challenging especially when you’re addressing social and cultural issues through your music but once you build the courage to do so, I think that boldness stays with you,” she says. 

Since Take Me Away, MIREI has continued advocating for change and standing up for the unspoken through her music. Most recently, she released her single ‘Sell Me Your Love’ that was inspired by a true stabbing incident that happened in Kabukicho, Shinjuku that made national news. 

“Kabukicho is known as the special place in Tokyo where you can buy love for money - in other words, the red light district of the city. When I started following the coverage around the incident, I started reflecting a lot about how empty and superficial love can feel in a city where it can be treated as a commodity for some people,” explains MIREI. 

“At my home alone, I felt a weird emotion that I’ve never felt before so first I started to write it down to digest it. After I made a demo, I sent it to my crew Zak and Shiftee, and they told me it might be interesting to share it with my listeners. That’s how this song was made and finally released.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Through her music, MIREI just hopes she can show people, regardless if they’re listening from out or inside Japan, that they’re not alone with the emotions they feel, no matter how isolating it may seem. 

“I want you to feel that we’re all feeling the same emotions and you’re not alone. I’m here singing as loud as I can in Tokyo with the hope that people know that we’re all in this together. Music has given me the inspiration that I needed to grow as a person and I want my own songs to offer the same that I’ve experienced,” she says. 

Throughout her almost decade-long career, MIREI has always wanted to share some love and strength with her listeners, and in the latest chapter of her journey, she’s getting to do that and so much more. 

“Everyone’s too shy to express love for each other. People rarely engage in PDA, so music has always been a way to say ‘I love you’,” she says. “I find it inspiring to see music connect people and deliver emotions that are otherwise hard to talk about. I’m always looking for a new, great way to say ‘I love you’ in my songs.”

With so many more stories to tell and already a number of new material recorded, MIREI has big plans for 2022—one of which hopefully include a tour, she shares. 

“It’s going to sound a bit surreal but I’ve never met my fans in person since the pandemic started right after my first album was released, so hopefully I can meet them and sing along with them. I’m fully vaccinated and super ready! Haha.”