Nagoya,
Japan native Kumiko Kato has had around eight appearances at U.S. anime
conventions since her first American appearance at Ushicon in 2004, but
she's only performed twice in Japan. That may because Kato has tried to
build her career in the U.S., especially in New York. "Energy," Kato
told fans about her feelings for New York, where she lived for two
years to study singing and dancing. "I feel free, I feel I can do
anything on the subway. I can listen to music and dance in the subway.
In Tokyo, it's impossible in the subway - `She's crazy.' It's the
freedom." Kato's stardom dreams began when she was five or six years
old, and was taken by her parents to a Japanese performance of the
American musical "A Chorus Line." "At the time, I was so touched, I
wanted to grow up on stage - and then I started to take dance lessons."
Later in her life, Kato got more inspiration from Janet Jackson's
albums, and that helped encourage her to travel to New York for music
study after she graduated from high school. "I did a part-time job to
make money to go to New York. I took dance lessons in New York and I
thought I should come here. I couldn't speak English at all then, so I
thought I had to study English and come to New York. I took a student
visa to some to the U.S. and I lived her two years."
Kato
has spent so much time in the U.S. that she met an artist for one of
her favorite shows at a U.S. convention. Kato is a fan of the Sailor
Moon manga
series, and she encountered Kazuko Tadano, the character designer for
the animated Sailor Moon, at the Anime Central convention in Illinois.
With more concerts in the U.S. than in Japan, does that mean Kato
thinks success as a singer will come more easily in America than in the
desperately competitive Japanese music market? "I don't know," Kato
responded. "If I sing from my heart and I do my best, it does matter.
"I don't know which is easy, but I have good connections in the U.S.,
better than in Japan. It's easy? It's hard, actually - I don't know."
But Kato said she had more chances to perform in the U.S. than in Japan
at this writing, so she's singing at U.S. conventions. Kato also is
planning to release recordings through a U.S. company, hoping to find a
Japanese label to handle her material in the future. In the meantime,
she's working on a new set of songs to supplement the music she's been
singing at U.S. events for the last year, and continuing vocal training
to improve her voice - something Kato feels is still needed.
Nagoya,
Japan native Kumiko Kato has had around eight appearances at U.S. anime
conventions since her first American appearance at Ushicon in 2004, but
she's only performed twice in Japan. That may because Kato has tried to
build her career in the U.S., especially in New York. "Energy," Kato
told fans about her feelings for New York, where she lived for two
years to study singing and dancing. "I feel free, I feel I can do
anything on the subway. I can listen to music and dance in the subway.
In Tokyo, it's impossible in the subway - `She's crazy.' It's the
freedom." Kato's stardom dreams began when she was five or six years
old, and was taken by her parents to a Japanese performance of the
American musical "A Chorus Line." "At the time, I was so touched, I
wanted to grow up on stage - and then I started to take dance lessons."
Later in her life, Kato got more inspiration from Janet Jackson's
albums, and that helped encourage her to travel to New York for music
study after she graduated from high school. "I did a part-time job to
make money to go to New York. I took dance lessons in New York and I
thought I should come here. I couldn't speak English at all then, so I
thought I had to study English and come to New York. I took a student
visa to some to the U.S. and I lived her two years."
Kato
has spent so much time in the U.S. that she met an artist for one of
her favorite shows at a U.S. convention. Kato is a fan of the Sailor
Moon manga
series, and she encountered Kazuko Tadano, the character designer for
the animated Sailor Moon, at the Anime Central convention in Illinois.
With more concerts in the U.S. than in Japan, does that mean Kato
thinks success as a singer will come more easily in America than in the
desperately competitive Japanese music market? "I don't know," Kato
responded. "If I sing from my heart and I do my best, it does matter.
"I don't know which is easy, but I have good connections in the U.S.,
better than in Japan. It's easy? It's hard, actually - I don't know."
But Kato said she had more chances to perform in the U.S. than in Japan
at this writing, so she's singing at U.S. conventions. Kato also is
planning to release recordings through a U.S. company, hoping to find a
Japanese label to handle her material in the future. In the meantime,
she's working on a new set of songs to supplement the music she's been
singing at U.S. events for the last year, and continuing vocal training
to improve her voice - something Kato feels is still needed.
