Sayulee is a bilingual singer-songwriter, born in Japan to a Japanese father and a New Zealander mother. Having been raised in New Zealand, she came to Tokyo in April 2008 to pursue a musical career. Sayulee’s YouTube channel has more than five hundred videos, which have drawn a total of well over ten million views. An audacious artist, she once took on an ambitious challenge: creating a new song video every day for a year, which resulted in an amazing 365 music videos. Now, Sayulee has started a project called YOUR SONG where she puts music to lyrics written by her fans, who have never written lyrics before. She also films interviews with these first-time lyricists, to ask them about the stories behind their songs. The heart of the YOUR SONG project is to discover and share the hidden treasures people have inside them, for the world to see, rather than artists alone sending their messages to the public.
First of all, please tell us about your background.
Sayulee: I’m the only musician in my family, but I’ve always liked playing music, ever since I was little. I took piano lessons while growing up, and played the drums in a band when I was a high school student. However, I wasn’t seriously thinking about becoming a professional musician, and I remember my music teacher saying “You have so much talent but you’re not making any effort! If only you would practice!” (laughs) Also, my father actually wanted me to have a so called ‘decent job’ because he thought it would be difficult for me to have financial stability as a professional musician.
Then, all of a sudden, I had this thought that I didn’t want end up in my fifties with any regrets in life. So, I decided to audition for a music school. I thought getting accepted in to the school as a ‘singer’ was way out of my league, so I first auditioned for a guitar major, not that there was much hope in that either (laughs). Surprisingly, I got accepted into the school as a vocal major! I started at the bottom, but grew a lot, and ended up graduating with the ‘top female vocalist’ award. Not long after, I was even able to win the songwriting contest at Parachute Music Festival, the largest musical event in Oceania.
Later, I had to find the right city to base myself to pursue my music career, because deep down I knew that New Zealand wasn’t a choice for me. I thought it was either London or Tokyo, so I actually visited both cities to do gigs there and research the music scene. It was a difficult choice, but I felt ‘called to’ Japan. I loved Japanese people and their sense of humor, and Tokyo is a diverse city where I am able to use both English and Japanese. I moved to Tokyo just two months after making my decision, and I sold almost everything I owned, including CDs and my Taylor guitar, to raise the money I needed. I only had a suitcase and PC with me when I landed in Tokyo!
You created YouTube videos for 365 days straight. Please tell us about any good and tough experiences you had.
Sayulee: I would say the whole challenge itself was crazy because I had to sing and create a video for 365 days straight! But it was great to actually see my vocal and guitar skills improving on a daily basis, and to be able to share songs with people. Also, I was happy to receive responses from viewers, and I was really amazed when I got lots of comments from people far away like Brazil and Turkey! The feeling of being able to connect with the world through music was just amazing. However, it was also very physically challenging, especially the last two weeks of the project. I developed an inflammation in my throat, and a doctor actually told me to stop singing. It was really painful to even speak, but I made it through until the end with the help of steroids (laughs).
Right now you’re working on the YOUR SONG project. Tell us about it. Do you have any plans to create an album from these songs?
Sayulee: To be honest, I wasn’t too sure if I could even write songs in the Your Song way, but it’s going surprisingly well. I’m enjoying the new experience of crafting music using lyrics written by people who aren’t professional songwriters. I’ve become more resourceful as a musician by creating songs for people, and the lives and messages they dared to share. Through singing and sometimes editing other people’s lyrics, I was able to discover new melodies in me which I wouldn’t have known I had otherwise. And, yes, I plan to create a full-length album of the arranged versions of the songs used for the project, and to perform these songs live.
What is your goal as a musician?
Sayulee: Of course, it would be great to be able to play a show in a big venue like the Nippon Budokan. However, I would like to become an influential artist, and create songs that will have a lasting impact on people’s lives. I really believe in the power of music, and it’s my goal as a musician to touch people’s hearts through my songs.
Finally, please give a message to our readers.
Sayulee: Please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can enjoy the YOUR SONG series with me! — I am still accepting lyric applications if you’re interested! You can even send me lyrics in English! Please check out the link below!
