JCC E-Magazine June 2024

Special Feature

JCC speaks to Ms Lisa Ono, a well-known professional Bossa Nova singer who will be here to perform in Singapore this June to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her career. She has been performing enthusiastically in New York, Brazil and many Asian countries, and in fact, she first performed in Singapore in 2005.

Welcome back to Singapore! We’re happy to have you back here once again. Since the last time you were in Singapore, was there anything that you’ve missed or have been looking forward to?

Every time I’m in Singapore I feel like so relaxed, just walking around the town and having a great food already makes me feel happy. 😊

As a person with Brazilian and Japanese roots, what are some values about your identity that you keep sacred to your heart?

From the Japanese root, I think I have received my honesty and my sensibility for making music.
And from my Brazilian root, I have received the feeling of 'Not Worrying About Much' for all the things that happen in our daily lives.
Just like my favourite song that says "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"!!!!

You’ve lived in Brazil, Japan and even New York City for quite some time and now you’re also touring around Asia – How do you make yourself feel at home when you’re travelling between countries?

I always feel at home wherever I am, it’s just like opening the doors of each room of your home. I do my exercise, drink my coffee, my daily routine.
But the best thing is to enjoy meeting friends in each place, local food and also local landscapes.
And of course, to meet all my listeners, and update my new songs that I’ve been singing each year.

You’ve released songs in many languages such as Japanese, Portuguese, English, Spanish and even French. What are the challenges that you’ve faced when composing or singing in different languages and how did you overcome them? On the other hand, what do you enjoy the most about it?

Every time when I sing a song, it’s just like jumping into the beauty of each song.
No matter what the languages are…
I enjoy it so much when people sing along with me, those songs that mean so much for each and every one of you.

Do you have a message that you would like to relay to Friends of Japan Creative Centre or your Singaporean fans who are looking forward to your concert in Singapore?

Thank you so much for taking your time. I am looking forward to seeing you all so much, especially because we are not in Japan and being in a different atmosphere, it must be so exciting!
Any song requests are acceptable, I will be attending to them as much as I can.

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