Our Story
Covid has upended our lives. The death toll has risen to tens of thousands, and the number of infected people keeps increasing. I can’t go out, my kids can't see their friends or play in the park. Even in such extremely difficult times, love exists and we can help each other with that love. There are many forms of love. Now that I can’t go out, or go to work, I have all day to spend with my family, and feel their warmth again. This love has saved me from this situation. Of course, the kids are noisy, get into a lot of fights, and sometimes I get frustrated, but I think to myself, “I'm happy nevertheless!”. The reality can get depressing, but this circumstance has deepened the love of my family. Like the lyrics of this song, “our love lives on, our song lives on”. There are times when I'm joyful and happy, and there are times when I'm sad and troubled. But all of that makes life. In that life, love is beautiful and pure. I wish that everyone in the world can give that love to each other. Because I love singing, I will send my love to you all through this song. May it reach someone. - Minori
Our world has become unpredictable and largely controlled by the pandemic. Our sense of security had been taken from us.
The members of this project were no exception. Some of us tested positive and had to spend many days in quarantine. Some of us were forced to postpone or cancel performances. And some of us still cannot visit families overseas. We, like many, experienced the pain and frustration of not being able to see the loved ones, and at times, nor embrace our own children.
During these difficult times, Minori Therrien Imai posted a song and the message on YouTube in 2020. Akiko Fujii saw this, and was deeply inspired.
In June 2021, Yushio was composing a song to an anti-war song written in English by Hiroko Nagata Bell. It was a song of gratitude for ordinary days and hopes for peace.
In September, Akiko proposed to alter the lyrics to fit the world restrained by the pandemic, and asked Minori to sing this song. It was then that Minori and Hiroko’s feelings coincided and the origin of this song “Thankful” was born.
The collaboration of the original five members began in October. In response to Minori's emphasis to sing in Japanese and our strong wish to convey the message of this song in both Japanese and English, Yajitomo, a former musical actor, pitched in to write the 2nd verse in Japanese, which was an interpretation of the English lyrics. Together, we carefully crafted the lyrics to tailor to the caliber of musical singers.
We began to see the whole picture as we added a chorus section at the end. We thought of ways to magnify the power of this song, so our message could reach more people. We also wanted to convey the joys of creating ‘together’ even under the restrictions of Covid. So we decided to feature multiple singers and weave their voices together.
We asked Minori and Yajitomo’s friends and accomplished singers from Shiki Theatre Company, Ai Taniuchi and Aki Kumamoto to join the production. In December, we began recording at the home studio. The reunion of the singers and awe-inspiring beautiful voices empowered us all.
In Mid-December, Yushio began to mix the data delivered from Minori who lives in Mississippi. Files included Minori’s singing, the chorus sung by her own children and students from the performing arts school that she manages. This ‘weaving’ process of the voices truly uplifted us. To further add thickness in the chorus section, we also asked Gro-Wing, a team of junior singers from a dance school that we had a close relationship with, to join the team. After some lessons with Yushio and Yajitomo, they were ready for recording. As their innocent voices rejuvenated us, our hopes for a peaceful future grew bigger.
Around the same time in New York City, Hiroko shared the rough mix of the song with Tony, the music teacher at her son’s elementary school. With his support and guidance, the school children sang “Thankful” at their annual winter concert at the end of 2021. We were truly touched and honored by their stunning performance. Tony explained,
“I was looking for a song that kind of expressed our feelings about being back in school together, both as a school and as a city, and I just couldn’t really find a song that expressed our feelings about that. When I listened to this song, my jaw dropped. Because this song was exactly the song that I was looking for.”
And coincidentally, Yushio met KAREN, whom she had been following as a fan. Yushio asked if it is possible for her to join the project, and to our surprise, the answer was “yes”! We recorded her singing at the home studio, while taking preventive measures against infection. KAREN’s participation is so significant in that it greatly widened the generation of singers. This was a riveting development that excited us all.
Then in February, Yushio studied DTM (Desktop Music) under Hiroshi Fujimaki, music arranger, while in quarantine to further elevate the quality of this song.
This song is a culmination of everyone’s ideas, time, effort, passion, and above all, the powerful voices of the remarkable singers, woven into one.
Since the lyrics depict the world after the pandemic, we thought of delaying the release of this song, but with the eruption of war and the sheer uncertainty of when the pandemic will end, we decided to release the song at this time, so that we can deliver our prayers and hopes for the world to return to calm and peaceful days soon.
We still have to live with anxieties, but we must not stop dreaming.
We have to keep imagining.
We want the future of children to be bright.
We hope for the day that we’ve overcome everything, and see the world shining upon us.
So now, let's connect, help each other, and walk with warmth in our hearts.
We dedicated such wishes in the lyrics.
May everyone be wrapped in love.