Japanese singer Hatis Noit performs in the National Concert Hall as part of the Festival of Voice, along with Saint Sister, Rachael Lavelle and Clarissa Connelly for Ecstatic Visions on 22 May. We asked Hatis the BIG questions . . .
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Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm a singer deeply interested in the human voice. I’m drawn to everything that can be perceived through it - emotions, physicality, and even memories carried within our genes.
I love people, but I feel the deepest kind of happiness when I’m alone, especially when I’m walking by myself. I suppose I’m quite a dreamy person.
Since giving birth, I’ve been surprised by the changes within myself. At times, I still feel as though I’ve become someone else. But perhaps this is what growth - and aging - has always been.
How would you describe your music?
I create music using only my voice. It’s the kind of music that imagines how humans might communicate if we didn’t have language - using only the voice as a means of expression.
Who are your musical inspirations?
There are far too many to name them all, but over the past decade, I’ve been especially immersed in the music of Okinawa and Amami, Ainu traditions, as well as music from Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I think it was either a Japanese boy band called Hikaru Genji, which my mother took me to when I was a child, or the first one I went to on my own - a concert by the Japanese rock band LUNA SEA.
What was the first record you ever bought?
It was A Walk in the Park by Namie Amuro. At the time, I was mostly listening to J-pop.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Cello Suites by Yasuaki Shimizu. For some reason, after giving birth, I suddenly found myself unable to listen to most music. Even songs I used to love felt overwhelming, almost as if they carried too much information, and it made me uneasy. But this album was different. It brought me a deep sense of calm. Although it’s not just one song, I found myself listening to the entire album on repeat for quite some time.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Magic by Tujiko Noriko.
Not in the Mood by Hikaru Utada.
Kaerimichi by Origami.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt. I listened to it continuously during a journey back to Hokkaido after my father passed away. Every time I hear it, I’m taken back to those snowstorm-filled roads. It brings me a sense of quiet peace. It’s a piece I could listen to endlessly.
Where can people find your music / more information?
My website and Instagram.
Alan Corr
