Today we’d like to introduce you to Yui “SensationaL☆” Yamamoto.
Hi Yui “SensationaL☆”, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Yui. I’m a musician, born and raised in Aichi, Japan. My real name is Yui Yamamoto and my stage name is Yui SensationaL☆. I have loved music since I was a child. I started learning piano at the age of five under the influence of my older brother and I have had the opportunity to learn and perform a variety of musical genres from classical music to dance music. I have performed on a lot of stages as a DJ, pianist and keyboardist. To pursue a higher level as a musician and to meet cool musicians who I had never met before, I decided to move to the US. I chose Boston as my first residence in the United States since it is home to the school I have always wanted to attend, the prestigious Berklee College of Music. I graduated from Berklee with a major in music business management. During my time at Berklee, I worked as a radio DJ on my own radio show called “Project-Y,” which was broadcast on the Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN).
I also worked as a stage crew on many professional shows featuring artists such as Paul Simon, James Taylor, Ron Carter, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. I decided to move to Los Angeles after graduating from Berklee after my artist visa was approved. Since having moved to Los Angeles, I have been able to focus on my performance more. I have played venues including Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Japanese American National Museum and Yamashiro Hollywood. The annual event, “Japan Day” was held at Angel Stadium in both 2018 and 2019 and the star player for the Angeles, Shohei Otani, appeared on stage. I had a chance to perform as the only DJ during the whole show. It was an amazing memory for me especially since I am a huge baseball fan. I am also a composer and a producer and have released five solo albums and four solo singles under my stage name “Yui SensationaL☆”. I also produce and compose songs for various artists and organizations. As a result of these contributions to the music industry, last year I was able to become a member of the Recording Academy which is known as the host for the Grammy awards.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My life as a musician has never been smooth. I have faced many hardships especially after moving to the US. The hardest thing for me in this country is the visa issue. All foreigners are required to have a visa to stay in this country. The artist visa which I have cannot be approved by the US government without musical achievement and work that contributes to the music industry. It is not an easy process since most of the visa applications require someone’s support, like recommendation letters, contact letters, etc. It also needs a lot of support from people during the process for the music achievement and contribution. For example, we need singers, players and engineers to help compose a new song. We also need to work together with many people when we release a new song or when we perform at a concert. The exact same things apply to the process when trying to obtain an artist visa. Many documents are needed, and it is not possible to apply without the support of many people. Thanks to all of those who helped me I was able to get the visa and because of that, I was given the opportunity to challenge myself as a musician in this country. It’s not a given. It is something for which I am very grateful. I was able to survive here thanks to the support I received from my family and friends. I learned it is really important that we help each other. So now, I am trying to help other people who may need my support. I often struggled to survive in this country before. Therefore, I am able to feel the pain of others thanks to those experiences and I have more compassion for others. As a result, these experiences have become my life’s assets.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I had a chance to learn classical music and Jazz music in Japan. I also had a lot of opportunities to play piano and keyboard for J-POP, Fusion and Rock as a member of some bands there. Additionally, I have composed many tracks for house music which is my favorite genre of music while I was studying the Berklee Method at Berklee in Boston. I began to compose a variety of music genres such as Jazz, Fusion, Hip-Hop, House, Top40 and J-POP thanks to that background. It helped me to release many songs.
I have also organized music events more than a hundred times in Japan and the US. They include a concert, competition, charity event, and workshop. I also worked for many different types of shows such as a professional concert, musicals, comedy shows and multicultural events as a stage crew while at Berklee. Recently, I have worked as a music director for some professional concerts and dance events as a result of these previous experiences. Additionally, I also work as a sound engineer for some music events since I have my own live sound equipment. I have become a judge for some music competitions due to my previous contributions to the music industry. I am also a member of the recording academy.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
These days I focus on composing and performance. I have produced other artists and also composed songs for organizations. During that time, I released five solo albums and four singles. I am making some music videos for my original tracks now. Additionally, I am looking for artists who will collaborate with Yui SensationaL☆ more. It means I am always looking for the opportunity to better myself as a professional musician. On the other hand, I am planning to make a system where indie musicians are able to easily tour abroad. For example, bring together a US-based musician who is looking for an opportunity to tour in Asia and a booking agent in Asia. Or helping a talented artist outside of the US network with a promoter and lawyer in the US. I want to support musicians all over the world in order to give them more opportunities to challenge themselves in the industry. To make the project successful, I have to reach the next level as a musician first. I look forward to my music journey to the sensational goal even now on without forgetting about the passion for my 1st day living in the US.
Contact Info:
- Website: yuisensational.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuisensational/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yuisensational
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectYY
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7aWbrObQbh59BECBqX2Qow
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sensationalproject-y
- Other: https://linktr.ee/yuisensational
Image Credits
One Photos by Daigo Otobe (File Name: 7RT09308). Two Photos by Shoko Rice(File Name: 4ABFC64A-3098-4904-AC93-FA635DF3D292, 8FD66DAB-33EF-4B23-B00D-66AC3F73F459). Artworks for three singles by Kai Yamamoto @AKainotora(File Name:01main03_02, 03main01, Discovery Artwork 082622).
