N o one can tug at the heartstrings without even hitting the high notes like Japanese folk/pop singer Kousuke Atari (中孝介) can.
Atari, who has the looks of a smoldering sex symbol but sings with a soft-spoken and poignant voice, became a pop icon in Taiwan with his film debut in Cape No. 7 (海角七號) in 2008, and then with his role as a folk-singing customer in the art-house flick Taipei Exchanges (第36個故事) last year. The pop crooner will perform 2011 Kousuke Atari Taipei Concert (2011中孝介台北演唱會), his third concert in Taiwan, at Legacy Taipei (傳音樂展演空間) on June 26.
Born in the Amami island region in southern Japan, Atari is acclaimed for his take on the shima-uta (island song) style popular in the area. The media has dubbed Atari “the most tender voice on Earth” for his understated but emotionally compelling vocals.
Photo Courtesy of Sony Music
“The first impression I got from shima-uta was nostalgia,” Atari wrote in an e-mail interview with the Taipei Times earlier this week. “It’s the feeling of loving people, or feeling homesick, or being moved from looking at beautiful views or listening to good music. I want to express these feelings when I sing ... A good singer is someone who can describe the scenery behind the songs.”
In accord with his image as a down-to-earth folk crooner who has a fondness for wearing wrinkled linen shirts, many of Atari’s songs eulogize earthly beauty with titles such as Summer Sky, Haru (Spring) and Hana (Flower).
“Various types of flowers bloom in various seasons. They all look different for each of the four seasons in Japan,” Atari said. “I want to sing about the connections between people and nature and describe that kind of warmth through songs.”
Atari’s only two film appearances have been in Taiwanese films.
“I decided to appear in these movies because both of them have nostalgic and beautifully written stories with beautiful cities and views,” Atari said.
The pop heartthrob’s Taiwanese connection goes beyond cinematic appearances. He covered Taiwan pop star Wang Lee-hom’s (王力宏) The Heart of the Sun and the Moon (心中的日月) on his mainstream debut album Natsukasyha (觸動心弦) in 2006.
He also sank his teeth into Malaysian pop crooner Michael Wong’s (光良) Fairy Tale (童話) on his 2007 album Hua Jian Dao (花間道).
Not satisfied with the occasional Mando-pop cover, Atari went on to release the album Tyuukaken Best (像樂器一樣的聲音) expressly for the Chinese-speaking market last year. The project, a cover album on which he spins Japanese renditions of Mando-pop classics, contains tracks such as Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) Ten Years (十年) and Teresa Teng’s (鄧麗君) On the Side of the Water (在水一方).
Atari also tackles singing in Mandarin for the first time on this album, performing Chinese composer/producer Zhang Yadong’s (張亞東) Tibetan Plateau (青藏高原).
“Yadong asked if I wanted to sing this song. When I heard it, it really caught my heart,” Atari said. “With Yadong helping me on the accents and the way to express it, I think I was able to create a new way of expression for the song.”
With his two appearances in Taiwanese films and the Mando-pop cover album, Atari has become that rare Japanese singer whose career is closely knitted with Taiwan’s pop market.
After Taipei, Atari will continue his tour of Asia with performances in China’s Guangzhou on July 8 and Shenzhen on July 9.
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