ARTIST TO KNOW : MIREI
Japanese electronic-pop and R&B artist MIREI breaks the mold with her first international album Take Me Away
MIREI is the angelic yet dauntless voice from Japan calling attention to important issues like the #TimesUp / #MeToo movements, patriarchal oppression, and mental health awareness, while also delivering undeniable '90s-inspired R&B and future-pop bangers. Following the success of her first slew of international releases - "Take Me Away," "Let Me Be," "Lazy Boy," and remixes featuring Jersey Club King DJ Sliink and Queens, NY rapper and entrepreneur Dai Burger - the newcomer is unleashing her English-language debut Take Me Away via The Orchard / Cool Japan Music today. The 11-track collection, crafted in both New York City and Tokyo, was produced by and co-written with Zak Leeker (a classically trained musician who's earned support from industry heavyweights like Diplo) and mixed by DJ Shiftee (a two-time DMC World Champion). According to Ladygunn, "Mirei simply wants to use her creative prowess to tell important stories and her forthcoming album does exactly that."
For MIREI, the making of Take Me Away marks a thrilling new chapter in her growth as an artist - one that finds her facing the most difficult of emotions, then transforming those feelings into music that questions, challenges, and ultimately empowers. "I was so moved by the whole experience of making these songs," says MIREI. "Sometimes it actually hurt to write them, but I think thats a good thing. A lot of the time what we feel isn't happy or perfect, but talking about it is what connects us. I hope that hearing these songs helps other people to feel more connected too."
With its hypnotic melodies and otherworldly beats, the album artfully merges elements of R&B-pop and electronic, dreaming up a boldly original sound but never distracting from MIREI's captivating vocals. And in crafting her intimate lyrics, MIREI carefully drew from personal experience as a young woman in Japan's capital city. "There's a light side and a shadow side to Tokyo, and I've seen a lot of the shadow," MIREI notes. "I wanted to write songs that let people know about both sides."
All throughout the album, MIREI's kaleidoscopic sound provides a potent backdrop to her lyrical reflection. On the album's title track, for instance, she speaks to the sometimes-painful push for authenticity in a deeply conformist culture. "'Take Me Away' is about how hard it is to feel like you belong, especially when youre dealing with things like anxiety and depression," she says. And while the brightly textured track unfolds with a certain melancholy, MIREI offers some sweetly delivered encouragement to embrace your own truth, subtly turning "Take Me Away" into an absolute anthem.
The groove-heavy "Let Me Be" turns intensely soulful as she muses on power imbalances between genders, while "Lonely in Tokyo" contrasts its shiny disco beat with an up-close portrait of the struggles of two former classmates: a Papa-katsu companion and an aspiring idol singer. "Idol girls are very popular within my culture," MIREI explains. "They sing and dance but are often objectified by fans. They're expected to always look like dolls (cute, lovable), or be oversexualized in media." And on "Not a Number," with its gently dizzying rhythm and achingly tender vocals, MIREI pays poignant tribute to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements as she shares the story of Shiori Itō - a Japanese journalist/filmmaker who suffered severe backlash upon accusing a prominent TV journalist of rape and finally won her case in December 2019.
Not only showcasing her fearless honesty, Take Me Away endlessly reveals the tremendous musical passion that MIREI has pursued almost her entire life. "When I was really young, like three-years-old, my parents used to bring me to karaoke and sing all night long," she recalls. In kindergarten, she began taking dance lessons, which immediately sparked a fascination with pop divas like Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Soon enough, MIREI added singing to her repertoire and - with the help of Garage Band - began making music on her own when she was just 12-years-old.
By age 13, MIREI had caught the attention of a major record label, her first step toward global stardom. While spending her eighth-grade year in New York City, she performed in the prestigious choir Gospel For Teens and took home the top prize at the legendary Amateur Night at the Apollo. After moving to Tokyo the following year, MIREI soon found success with several hit singles and album releases on her home turf. Eventually teaming up with Zak Leever and DJ Shiftee, she began the process of bringing Take Me Away to life in 2018. Fast forward two years, her English-language debut and a first international full-length album is now available everywhere, HERE
FOLLOW MIREI ONLINE: