#3 PEARL (SHO-TA) - The music that gave me a reason to be who I am
Lately, I've been really enjoying the time I spend listening back to songs I've loved in the past while thinking, 'Which artist should I write about next?'
Whether to group them by genre or talk about them in the order they left an impression on me—while I struggle with things like that, the feeling of 'traveling through my own musical history' has returned.
Hello, I'm Steve.
This time, I'm introducing Pearl, and Sho-ta a.k.a. Naomi Tamura, who has been singing at its center all this time.
Looking back, among the artists I've been obsessed with, there haven't been that many so-called 'bands.' In that sense, Pearl definitely had a unique and special presence.
What is PEARL?
PEARL is a rock band that started in the late 1980s, centered around Naomi Tamura (then known as Naoko Tamura, later under the name Sho-ta).
At the time of formation, it was a band with multiple members, but as they continued their activities, there were repeated member changes, and eventually, only Sho-ta remained.
It has a somewhat dramatic history of a 'new PEARL' restarting with her as the axis.
However, what remained consistent throughout those changes was
that Sho-ta's overwhelming singing voice was the core of PEARL.
Even if the form of the band changed, I think it's fair to say that her singing shaped Pearl itself.
The reason I first encountered PEARL is... honestly, I don't remember clearly.
But it was probably a late-night music program.
At the time, music that appealed to everyone occupied prime time, and if you wanted to encounter artists with a bit of a quirk, the late-night slot was the only window.
There was a romance in that time slot, as if 'unknown sounds' were slipping in through the gaps in television. The reason I, who usually rarely listened to rock bands, was drawn to Pearl.
It's simple, and I think it boils down to the fact that Sho-ta's singing was overwhelmingly good.
*The song 'PEARL', which shares the band's name, from their second album
Every one of Pearl's songs is like a scene cut from a movie, and when you listen to them, the scenery naturally comes to mind. Not as a vivid full-color image, but as a scene with a little bit of sepia mixed in—though this is just my own feeling.
Around 1987, when Pearl debuted, the 'Ika-Ten' boom was in full swing, and the whole country was all about bands. Even in such an era, I think Pearl stood out in a unique way.
And the one I listened to the most was the album 'She’s Fresh', from the period when Sho-ta stood as a solo project in all but name.
She wrote the lyrics and music for all the songs herself, and with guitarist Char supporting her, it was a finished product that made me think, 'Well, of course it's cool.'
*There is a video of her performing 'Gogatsu no Kaze no Naka de' (In the May Wind) from the album 'She’s Fresh', but she does the chorus on the recording herself, and that is the coolest part, so I am introducing the recording.
The reasons I was ultimately drawn to Pearl were two simple and strong elements—
the power of the music, and the persuasiveness of her voice.
Thinking about it now, when these two combined beautifully, I think I jumped into that sound without hesitation.
After a while, I started listening to various artists myself, and the opportunities to hear Pearl naturally decreased.
Then one day—a familiar voice suddenly flowed from the TV.
It wasn't as Sho-ta of Pearl, but
as solo artist Naomi Tamura, singing 'Eien no Ichibyo' (One Second of Eternity), the commercial song for Ginza Jewelry Maki.
*A commercial that spawned several hit songs from this series
Even though it was such a distinctive singing voice, at first I remember well that I couldn't connect it for a moment, thinking, '...Huh? But, was Naomi Tamura like this?'
After that, this commercial song became a big topic, and the subsequently released 'Yuzurenai Negai' (Unyielding Wish) became a huge hit as an anime ending theme.
From here, her solo career as Naomi Tamura began in earnest.
When I looked her up for the first time in a while to write this column, I found that she is still active and singing with a band, and
that powerful, somewhat melancholy singing voice is still there.
It's surprising that the energy residing in her voice hasn't faded at all even after all these years.
Among the many works, 'She’s Fresh' is still special to me.
It's an album I listened to over and over again at the time, and even now, just by playing a few songs, I can return to the person I was back then in an instant.
Music is truly mysterious, isn't it?
It's like a time machine that brings back not just 'nostalgia,' but
even the emotions and scenery of that time.
When I listen to Pearl or Sho-ta, I am reminded of that power.
Music is like a 'bookmark' in life.
Is there a song you want to turn the page back to and listen to right now?