Indie Music: Shihori “Soul Trip”

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by Germar Derron img alt data-original-height 450 data-original-width 800 height 225 src https lh3 googleusercontent com -6LwsF6fDSSA X3z36iV9IpI AAAAAAAAE s VDcOQcdvt6USC1wWq9GR4U-HgS2S-5oGgCLcBGAsYHQ w400-h225 Shihori 2B- 2BLook 2Bto 2Bthe 2BCookie JPG width 400 Earworm nbsp sticky music nbsp stuck song syndrome nbsp or nbsp Involuntary Musical Imagery IMI nbsp is a nbsp catchy nbsp piece of music that continually repeats through a person s mind after it is no longer playing Soul Trip instant earworm In most reviews at this site I place myself in the role of A amp R artist manager producer or engineer nbsp Because these artists are independent often unknown sometimes still wet behind the ears I write in an advisory fashion Here that technique seems superfluous and silly But why does a new artist an indie artist sound this polished–this radio ready I did some digging Shihori just entered my musical world and has only performed stateside for a mere two years but she s no newcomer Her musical resume reads like all of my favorite artists resumes but for the country of origin Though her path was bumpy she s already experienced major success in a tough and large market–Japan nbsp The title Soul Trip seemed to allude to soul music or–maybe more appropriately–a neo-soul sound But after I let it loop for awhile it felt more spiritual I feel more than I hear here and I dare not listen Then I realized that soul in this instance may be wholly referencing that intangible unseen human essence And I felt that ride the trip more with each play Shihori answered my unasked questions nbsp I wasn t allowed to just be myself nbsp Japanese culture forces you to be the same as nbsp everyone else so I was bullied because I was very different from other kids Through those experiences nbsp love who you are became the core message of my music and now I think America needs this message too What does it matter if your skin color is white or black What matters more is what your SOUL looks like I felt this quote much like I feel this song My Japanese friend Ai told similar stories of being bullied because she too wasn t the same Unfortunately her Russian father passed on his brown hair to her So she felt a connection to my struggle as a Black man in a country that believes I m not the same And many years later those struggles remain That cultural connection remains And it s all perfectly captured on this track nbsp Shihori s good nbsp img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d yIl2AUoC8zA border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie i AXEAaHvSbds W9zDQ5MYHzk F7zBnMyn0Lo border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d 7Q72WNTAKBA border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie i AXEAaHvSbds W9zDQ5MYHzk V sGLiPBpWU border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie i AXEAaHvSbds W9zDQ5MYHzk gIN9vFwOqvQ border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d l6gmwiTKsz0 border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d qj6IDK7rITs border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d TzevzKxY174 border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com ff LookToTheCookie d 63t7Ie-LG7Y border 0 img img src http feeds feedburner com r LookToTheCookie 4 AXEAaHvSbds height 1 width 1 alt Click here to visit this podcast episode