SHANTI / Vocal・Lyric・Compose
Artists with the potential to appeal to a world wide audience have special ingredients that can cross cultural boundaries and impact audiences with an intimacy that can only come from real understanding. Tokyo based Singer/Songwriter Shanti is such an artist. She can speak and sing in English, Japanese, and French. Raised in Japan to a successful western father and Japanese mother, she has from an early age enjoyed a rich understanding of Eastern and Western cultures that were a part of her upbringing. Her music touches audiences in a unique way and she has not found it difficult to reach them though recordings and live performance...
In June, 2011 she completed her first European tour, playing 6 shows including JAPAN EXPO in France, Germany, Spain and Portugal with shows in Paris, Cologne, Madrid, Astorius and Lisbon. She received a standing ovation from the fully packed hall at her first show in Paris.
She has released a total of three full solo albums, an EP, and a new release coming in February of 2012.
Her first album, "SHARE MY AIR" (2008), was recorded in Paris under the supervision of top American drummer and band leader Tommy Snyder with some of France's top musicians such as Jean-Michell Kajidan and Jean-Philip Rykiel, It was released on an indie label and attracted many music lovers who warmed to the honest delivery of great songs performed by great musicians playing in the studio as a band, like music should be recorded.
After signing with Nippon Columbia Records she released: "BORN TO SING" (2010), "ROMANCE WITH ME" (2011), "SUNNY AND BLUE"(Summer 2011) and her soon to be released album " LOTUS FLOWER" coming out Feb. 2012 all available from CD JAPAN and iTunes worldwide. All albums were #1 on the iTunes Jazz chart; "Sunny & Blue"(2011) reached #10 on the overall iTunes charts.
"BORN TO SING" was nominated in 2010 for the best audio engineering award for the JAZZ and CLASSICAL Category and "ROMANCE WITH ME" won the award in 2011.
Shanti has been performing live since 2003, at venues such as Cotton Club Japan, Billboard Live Tokyo, Blue Note Nagoya, Motion Blue, and Blues Alley Japan. She performs with two formations; guitar trio (two guitars and vocal), or with a full 6 piece band. She has appeared at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and other classical halls due to collaborations with artists such as world renowned bandoneon player Ryota Komatsu singing French tango, and with Kazumi Watanabe, singing arranged jazz pieces. Some of her performing/ recording band members include internationally acclaimed musicians such as keyboard player Philip Woo from the band "MAZE", Clifford Archer from the band "Atlantic Starr", and drummer Tommy Campbell.
As well as music Shanti has become a recognised face on internal and international television. She is currently co-hosting a weekly, live TV show; "El Mundo" on Friday nights on Japanese national television (NHK) on which she performs from time to time. This program-- being a window for viewers to meet the diversity of world cultures with interviews of artists, athletes, chefs and professionals of all genres who are active world wide-- has inspired her to begin exploring new ways to collaborate with artists and musicians, including her aspirations to cross borders and boundaries and become the bridge to unite cultures by performing around the world and writing music with and for other artists as well as for herself.
Shanti has fans/followers all over the world due to her performance and lyric writing collaborations with Kanno Yoko for various ANIME films such as Stand Alone Complex and Visions of Eskaflowne. Her international fan base has increased since co-hosting and performing on "J-Melo", a music program on NHK WORLD from 2008~2010, broadcast in over 180 countries.
"Living in a unique environment, sort of like an " International Wonderland" in Japan, has helped shape who I am. I was raised with an understanding, acceptance and richness of cultural diversity, therefore my identity and music cannot simply be defined by my nationality."
*For international booking call & E-mail:
Concert Imagine +81-(0)3-3235-7772 / naoaki@concert.co.jp