JiZO:
Wassssap Taiyo Na! Thanks for taking the
time to do this interview with us at JiZO-Entertainment.
com. What you been up to lately?
TN: Hey,
JiZO. Sure. You’re welcome. Thank you for
the opportunity. A personal tragedy
has been affecting me heavy these days, but
it’s getting better by the day. Plus, I
creatively feel good, and lots of music is
on its way from me, so that’s a blessing.
JiZO: What
was it like being raised throughout New York
City? What did you like/dislike about it?
TN: Growing
up in New York City is crazy, especially if
you grew up there before 9/11. I could write
a whole book or two on it, but New York is a
place of extremes where at a very young age
I felt I was exposed to a lot. You have
people who are so rich, yet so poor, people
from all over the world and people who’ve
never left their hood, people who have the
souls of angels but live in the most trying
of circumstances, and people who act so ugly
but have so much materially. It’s a place of
extremes, but it’s my home, and most days I
love it.
JiZO: We
kind of want to get real personal with your
ethnicity. You say you’re Asian American,
but what are you specifically and how has
that influenced your music?
TN: That’s
fine. I’m ethnically Japanese with some
Korean (maybe). I’ve got this grandfather
who is some adopted anomaly of a man who may
be something else, very well Korean because
they are this ubiquitous minority there.
How has it
influenced my music? I don’t really know, to
tell you the truth. I don’t think ethnicity
has a big influence on me as much as
personal experience does because that’s what
put the muse in my music. Family, however,
is another story. I feel like family, or the
lack of one, is what makes up a person, so
family is something that has influenced me
greatly.
JiZO: What
made you want to get into the world of
poetry at such a young age?
TN: Unlike
my man Vudoo Soul or any other overachieving
Asian American, I never felt that smart or
gifted as a kid. I was somewhat of a jock
because I played a whole lot of basketball
and was on the team and all that, and I did
some drawing and painting, but it really
wasn’t until my English teachers in high
school told me I had some powerful things to
say with a beautiful way to say it did I
believe I was smart or talented at all. It
all started with poetry and writing, and the
rest followed. I had something to say to the
world, and it was urgent.
JiZO:
Congrats on your album releasing in March of
this year, what were your influences,
inspirations, heartaches, etc… about this
album? What stands out the most in your eyes
when it comes to this album?
TN: Thank
you. Now when I look back at this album
experience, I look at this Love is Growth
album as something like the second question
you asked. This album is like a guidebook to
survive growing up in a city like New York.
Not just surviving, but coming through the
fire onto the other side and prevailing and
knocking cats out. It’s about finding love
and meaning when what surrounds you can
resemble hell, a whole lot of negativity, or
loveless-ness. There are many “mistakes” on
the album for me as an artist because I’m a
perfectionist and I believe something can
always be done better, but for the most
part, I’m very proud of it. If I was a 13
year old kid who picked this up back in the
day, it would’ve been a lot of what I needed
as a lost youth. This album is just the
introduction though. Chapter one, maybe.
JiZO: Why
did you call your album "Love is growth"?
TN: It’s
one of my personal credos, mantras, if you
will. I got it tattooed on my chest. I try
to live by it everyday.
JiZO: How
would you describe your music to our
readers?
TN: It’s
New York hip-hop meets old-school soul
music. Sometimes one more than the other. I
rap, sing and play guitar and other
instruments. Music with an acoustic guitar
in one hand and a 9 mm in the other.
JiZO: Your
song "Lovely To Me (Immigrant Mother)" is
such a beautiful song. What made you want to
write it?
TN: Many
times as an American, though you live in a
country where it’s made up of immigrants
from around the world, you are often made to
feel ashamed of your immigrant parents or
family. Somehow, growing up being an
immigrant felt like being in an insult.
Like, somehow being called an “immigrant”
was synonymous with being called “stupid” or
“incapable” or “blood-sucking.” I grew up
with that shame. This song is so people
don’t feel that, especially the youth. It’s
so people don’t feel like how I felt when I
was a kid and I didn’t want to walk down the
street with my mother or father because they
were from a foreign country.
JiZO: We
can clearly hear Vudoo Soul and Kevin So’s
voice in the “Goodtime for Goodbye” track.
How did the project come about and how was
it to work with them?
TN: That’s
a song on Kevin So’s album A Brighter Day.
That was all Kevin’s project. The last 4
years or so in New York has really been
about a lot of us Asian American musicians
coming together, and that song was a real
blessing. It documents that. Vu is like my
brother, and Kevin is like this older mentor
kind of figure to us, so that whole A
Brighter Day album experience was a real joy
because that came about from us being
together at the right place and right time
and really building something special.
JiZO:
By the time you were 18, you were selected
as one of the “25 Best Emerging Artists
Under the Age of 25” by New World Theater’s
Intersection Conference in 2002. What was
going through your mind when you heard the
news?
TN: I
didn’t really believe it. I kept it somewhat
of a secret till last year or so when I was
like, damn, I’m almost 25, I got to use this
title while I can! As an artist, I’ve been
blessed in many ways because a lot of older
heads have been looking out for me,
believing in me, and that was really another
one of those instances.
JiZO: What
kind of things do you do to prepare yourself
before a show?
TN: That’s
a secret. Ha! Well, different shows entail
for different things, but for the most part,
and maybe it’s because of my background as
an athlete, but I try to stay as physically
in top shape as I can. I hit the gym, the
park, and run, run, run. Lots of
calisthenics and cardio. I’m all about
building stamina and strength, and for the
whole 360 – mind, body and spirit. It’s
ironic and rather obvious, but I just
realized that the more in shape you are, the
lower your blood pressure, and, hence, the
lower your stress. The more relaxed yet
strong you are, the more you can give the
most of you on stage.
JiZO: What
is your favorite quote that you live by and
why?
TN: That
changes all the time depending on the
moment, but right now, it’d be “keep the
faith.” I have a friend on the hospital bed
right now, who went through a near death
experience being hit head-on by a speeding
and intoxicated BMW, so keeping the faith is
all I’ve been trying to do. He’s improving
every week, so I believe it!
JiZO:
We all know about the big tragedy that
happened on September 11, 2001 to the World
Trade Center in NYC. Explain exactly what
you were doing before, during and after the
attack happened. What are your thoughts
about it?
TN: I was
going to NYU at the time, and I was late for
class, so I got off the subway and from
Washington Square Park I saw one of the
buildings on fire, and I’m like, WTF? I go
to class, and they give me the down low. I
rush home to see if my mother and brother
are okay, which thankfully they were, and
then I grab my bike and meet up with some
friends to see if they’re okay. Then, me and
my homey Victor take our bikes down to
ground zero area to try and help. When we
were down there, there were many others
trying to help, too. Another smaller
building by the Trade Center fell down while
we were there, so they were like, “We’re
only going to take construction workers and
people who can translate.” Things kept
falling though. That whole day or morning
felt like that whole area was going to
collapse, which for the most part it did.
They weren’t taking too many civilians in
who wanted to help, so Victor and I just
went back uptown. I then went trying to look
for my NYU friends who were in dorms down
there and had no where to go.
My
thoughts? It was a tragedy. One of my
neighbors worked at one of the top levels of
the Trade Center. She went away to Florida
while 9/11 happened, and when she came back,
all her co-workers died. She was so crushed.
I’ll always remember her face when she got
back and was dealing with all the loss.
What makes
the tragedy worse is that we had to have the
worst president ever to lead the nation
during this time. I know we have a lot of
issues as a nation and world to deal with
like global warming, poverty and education,
but I hope we put a clamp on Al-Qaeda and
those guys. Suicide terrorists are created
out of situations of extreme, extreme
despair, and that’s what this planet doesn’t
need.
JiZO: Who
are your Asian American heroes (if any...)?
Past or present?
TN: Past:
Bruce Lee, Chris Iijima, James Shigeta.
Present: Friend and actress Esther Chae, Ron
Domingo, writer Ed Lin, poet Fay Chiang,
singer/storyteller Charlie Chin. I’ve got a
lot of older Asian American mentors who
inspire me all the time. They may not be
sitting on Leno’s couch, but they’re doing
amazing things.
JiZO: Do
you consider yourself as "the" or "one" of
the pioneers of Asian American Soul Music?
TN:
Certainly not “the,” but yes, one of the
pioneers. We have a lot of work to do. Lots
of music to make and bridge to cross over.
Pop fluff will come and go, but it’s music
from the soul that will last the test of
time. The latter is what we need more of.
JiZO:
Will you be touring the US anytime soon and
if so, will you (hopefully!!!) drop by
Dallas as one of your tour locations?
TN: I’ve
been working on a couple songs with Magnetic
North, and we’ll be touring later in ’08 and
’09 together, so I sure hope we hit Texas
and Dallas!
JiZO:
Thanks Taiyo Na! We wish you the best man!
Keep in touch bro!
TN: Yes. Likewise!
Taiyo
Na, a 25-year old renaissance man of word,
sound and action, released his first
full-length solo album Love Is Growth in
March of 2008 through Issilah Productions.
Influenced as much by Curtis Mayfield as it
is Nas, Ben Harper or Chris Iijima, Love Is
Growth is a blend of gritty New York hip-hop
and classic American soul. Featuring
collaborations with singers Vudoo Soul,
Conchita Campos and Emily C. Chang,
rapper/producer Koba, jazz violinist Jason
Kao Hwang, guitarists Minimum Tek of
Outernational and Mark Concerto of P.I.C.
and more, the album is composed, arranged
and produced entirely by Taiyo. Socially
conscious, often funky and always personal,
the album showcases the artist’s urgency,
scope and depth through songs such as the
champion’s anthem title track, the pulsating
introduction “One More Time” and the
ethereal rock-soul ballad “Take My Breath
Away.”
Born and raised throughout New York City,
Taiyo first started writing rhymes at age 13
with the encouragement of high school and
neighborhood friends. This passion for
language, heart and rhythm led to an early
journey into spoken word poetry, performing
nationally with the New York-based feedback
poets’ collective (2000-2003) which featured
acclaimed poets Beau Sia and Ishle Park. By
the time he was 18 years old, he had shared
stages with Maya Angelou, Jessica Hagedorn
and Janice Mirikitani, and was selected as
one of the “25 Best Emerging Artists Under
the Age of 25” by New World Theater’s
Intersection Conference in 2002.
Increasingly driven by melody and groove, in
the next few years Taiyo found himself
building a name as an emcee, singer and
songwriter within New York City’s
independent music scene. Having performed
for festival crowds of over 10, 000 to
intimate venues throughout the East Coast,
notable accomplishments include a guest
performance for Helen Zia’s Asian American
Renaissance Conference, a featured night at
Lincoln Center, two appearances on Kevin
So’s celebrated album A Brighter Day, and an
opening performance for 9-time Grammy
Award-winning Eddie Palmieri.
Like the Latin American soul music of
Palmieri and La Lupe generations before,
Taiyo Na’s Love Is Growth marks the
emergence of an Asian American soul music,
most notably in songs such as “Lovely To Me
(Immigrant Mother)” and “Kasama.” It is a
distinct American music—African and European
in its roots—and now Asian in its
perspective. In an American pop culture that
often doesn’t see Asian people as performing
artists, time will only tell if the
mainstream is ready for more diversity. Two
things, however, are for certain: Taiyo
represents an entire movement of young Asian
American musicians creating a voice all
their own, and Love Is Growth is the latest
charge forward.
