The Japanese pop-savant’s latest single is a jubilant plea for racial equality.
I tend to see people and things in soul and energy over the surface, so I don’t understand the sense of superiority or inferiority based on skin color or racial differences”— Shihori
Visionary pop artist, Shihori, is set to premier her new MV, ‘Under The Skin’, the lead track from her latest album ‘MUTATION’ on January 14th. Inspired by the struggles of the world, Shihori finds solace in songwriting and connecting with others through her music.
The opening hook of ‘there’s no superior’ hits with impact, a falsetto break in Shihori’s dynamic voice on ‘superior’, which flourishes over melodic synth patterns. The introduction of the playful percussion is enticing, with hints of futuristic house beats, the rhythm is anthemic and a centerpiece that drives the track. Shihori’s vocals are a shining light throughout, expressive and emotive, passion lies in each note sung, a battle cry poured into every word.
‘Under The Skin’ came from the horror of discrimination, which stirred something deep in Shihori, an Asian artist herself. “As COVID-19 was spreading badly, the problems of discrimination against blacks and Asians were occurring one after another, and combined with the presidential election, it got so tense that America seemed to be split in two and the country would be destroyed.” explains Shihori, “Personally, I tend to see people and things in soul and energy over the surface, so I don’t understand the sense of superiority or inferiority based on skin color or racial differences.”
This MV is a representation of herself embracing the inner soul and human life while dancing towards a brighter future. A 3D animation shows her character moving through a futuristic landscape, slowly removing her clothes, hair, and skin, revealing Shihori’s ultimate message – stripped of our racial divisions and materialistic goods, all we have underneath is one soul.
Making her debut in 2007, Shihori has been making waves in the Japanese music industry for some time. Her career explores the world of J-pop culture, writing theme songs for anime, games and idols,the release of her 3rd single, ‘Never End Wonderland’, a video game theme song, charted at number 5 in the hit charts. She has also accumulated an impressive 11 Gold Disc certification, and has sold more than a Million copies in total.
In 2018, she made a drastic change and moved to New York, pursuing new opportunities focusing on English-language songs.
During that time she also wrote and sang a theme song ‘BATTLE QUEENS’ for the popular video game ‘League of Legends’ (2020) and Shihori’s charity collaboration on ‘The Real Folk Blues’ from popular anime series Cowboy Bebop reached #6 on the Billboard Chart (2020).
The process of her struggles in the US has led to her first US album ‘MUTATION’ (Oct 1st, 2021.) ‘Under The Skin’ was born from a world of hatred into something inspirational and created with love, a mutation of sorts. And for Shihori, this mutation will continue to offer its power in 2022.
Based in LA, Shihori’s musical journey began in Japan where she was born and raised. It was during a lonely childhood caused by deafness in her left ear and a diagnosis of Aspergers’ syndrome (now considered part of the Autistic Spectrum) that she stumbled upon music, which gave her access to connect with those around her, allowing her to really sense the world for the first time. Later in life, she would contemplate that ‘music is the magic tool that lets me access other people’s hearts,’ and this connection has been a running theme throughout her career.
YouTube- Shihori MV “Under the Skin”
https://youtu.be/SQrFTgBkMFI
WEBSITE https://www.shihoriartist.com/
YOUTUBE https://youtube.com/channel/UCVckWx6y_h3ZRVmeVs3u9RQ
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/shihori94/
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/shihorine
TWITTER https://twitter.com/shihoriny?s=21
SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/artist/07vlETVQJk1RgSF2YCsrhr?si=XcoGq5HSTo65G_zYp5ug-w
BANDCAMP https://shihori.bandcamp.com/