When did you know you were a musician? How it all began?
I started classical guitar at the age of 4 when I was living in New York. I saw a woman playing guitar on the TV and asked my parents if I could have “that toy”. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be with the guitar and naturally began to dream of being a musician.
We have seen you mix Japanese and English in your lyrics? Would you continue to do that as your style?
Being bilingual, it was a natural choice for me to blend the two languages since they both have different characteristics that enhance the music, both sound and meaning wise. I don’t know if I’ll continue on with this style, but I’m willing to adjust the ratio between the two depending on where I release or perform the song.
What is your most favorite song from your work & why?
That’s hard for me to decide! But I’m in the mood of “Tumblin’” a song I wrote inspired from Gypsy Jazz and Big Band style. It’s a song about how keeping up with busy life duties can sometimes be an overwhelming race, but those who keep on working hard will be rewarded.
Rei "Tumblin’" (Official Music Video)
We hear a mix of pop, jazz, blues, rock and roll..What should we call your genre?
I’d call my genre “Rei”. Although it might not be a descriptive answer for those who haven’t listened to my music yet, the musicians I’ve looked up to are always original and cannot be categorized. In that sense, Beck is my role model, since he has developed his own distinctive genre of an old school blues/ rock feel infused with contemporary hip hop beats.
Would you like to share an upcoming news with us?
I am hopefully going to release overseas this year so please look forward to further news at my website (http://guitarei.com/) or my social media, Twitter/Facebook!
Is Guita, a Guitar in your name?
Yes it is! I liked the way “guitar” and “Rei” can be combined into one word as “guitarei” so I’ve been using it for my accounts/websites and whatnot, it’s not technically my artist name. But please feel free to call me that, if you like ☺
