Ballsack’s J-Pop Midlife Crisis , pt. 1: 大森靖子

Starting sometime last year, I started really getting into Japanese music. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, because I had always thought I hated singing in Japanese. Turns out I don’t! In the night threads for the following week, I’ll write a little about each of my favorite artists that I’ve discovered, and share a streaming album for you to dutifully ignore.

The first artist that really kickstarted my interest was Seiko Oomori (大森靖子). She’s been around for a bit over a decade, initially rattling around in small clubs. You can find some English language articles on her, identifying her as part of an ‘anti-Idol’ movement, something that she seems to rather firmly reject. Indeed, at this point she labels herself as an Idol, despite continuing to write and produce her own music. I’ll be honest, what an idol is and isn’t is still a little hazy for me, and seems to have much to do with how the audience receives an artist.

Oomori is known for her sometimes depressing and cynical lyrics. She’s also recently been known for power abuse, particularly in her idol group ZOC. That’s unfortunate. Anyway, here’s her 2014 album 『洗脳』, a great starting point for anyone interested. Indeed, it was the album that really kicked off my interest. It took me a bit to get into the rest of her discography, but, at this point, I really enjoy everything she’s done, more or less. Indeed she’s the one artist that I keep coming back to, and when I do, keep enjoying.