Conversations with Eri Blossom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eri Blossom.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Japan and moved to NYC in 2014. When I visited NYC for the first time in 2012, I came to take lessons with the daughter of Ray Charles, Sheila Raye Charles, since Ray Charles had been my inspiration. I had some street performances at train stations, such as Times Square and Union Square, which changed my life. I performed some songs with friends and saw a guy who seemed to enjoy our performance. So, we decided to talk to him after the performance and found out that he was actually deaf. He told us that he had a great time and left one dollar. This experience made me decide to learn music in NYC. 

Also, When I lived in Japan, I always felt like an outsider because my assertive personality never met the ideal of a Japanese woman. I felt worthless, which made me think that I must conform. But after I moved to NYC, my personality became stronger, which allowed me to increase my self-acceptance and enjoy myself. This experience made me confident in myself and encouraged me to make music to share my stories. 

But recently I realized that this experience also made me deny the Japanese side in myself and tried to be someone else. Actually, I wrote music only in English when I started. But when I wrote my recent single “Breakthrough,” I thought that I had to write the song in both Japanese and English and include Japanese sounds since I wanted to talk about Japan. This has allowed me to access Japanese side of myself which makes me feel authentic and unique as an artist. Also, it’s been helping me to accept who I really am and makes me feel grateful for my background. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it wasn’t. In the US, I have some experience with the Japanese woman stereotypes. When I had a disagreement over mixing with a music engineer, he imposed his idea and didn’t listen to me at all. I got the feeling like he assumed that I would keep quiet due to my nationality. I had to make extra effort to impart my vision for my song. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
One of my themes as an artist is feminism. I would like to share my honest thoughts and experiences as a Japanese woman through my music. I recently released a single called” Breakthrough.” Will Smith’s incident at the Academy Awards inspired me to write this song. I saw some messages on Twitter (Current X) by Japanese people (including women) that supported Mr. Smith. I was shocked that feminism in Japan is way behind. People still treat women like children. The craziest part is women accept it. Through the song, I would like to present a new way of being a Japanese woman and break the stereotype of Japanese women. I hope to convey this message to Japanese women but also share with the world what’s going on with us. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Books have been the best resource that helps me to do my best in life. I write songs and get inspiration from books. I recently read a book by Yoko Ono, which made me get into her. People think she is the woman who always was around John Lennon, but she is educated and has a very clear vision as an artist. In the 70’s she was thinking ahead about feminism and tried to share it with Japanese people, which surprised me. Now, I’m reading books by Takeshi and Taro Okamoto for inspiration and going back to my roots. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eriblossom.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eriblossomnyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eriblossomnyc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriblossomnyc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkGP4OkM2KTgm_0-J4rG1dg
• Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/eriblossom/breakthrough

Image Credits
Sophia Ellizabeth