A Little Bit About Yo Hitoto

In the previous post, pallet's chingu toppoki-san used a song called "Hanamizuki (Dogwood)" by singer-songwriter Yo Hitoto.

I would like to share a bit on the artist and this song.

Yo Hitoto is a Japanese artist whose father is Taiwanese and mother Japanese.

She lost her father at a very young age, and her mother also died when she was in highschool (both from cancer).

In her official site, she writes about what it means for her to sing:

The theme of my song is facing the live and the death.
I’m not assure what I can do while I’m alive
Yet
We’ll have to face the end of our life after all, so
I suppose the most important thing is to seize the moment

At my mother’s dying breath
In the hospital, she murmured wanting to see a musical！！！

Incredibly, she became high-spirited when she came home after the opera
Since then, I believe that music owns magic power
I begin wanting to sing the songs that’ll make people brace up
For the other one whom someone likes a lot

I knew the musical treatment and then know the art treatment
While going into the spot of western medical treatment

I want to know much more
I believe there’s more I can do
But I feel it’s not enough with my personal power
So I carve my intentions here

If my music partner play with me with the same intentions
Even influence the partners on the backstage
I have a feeling that I can approach to my dream
Taking the chance while the one you love is still alive
I keep thinking till now
Don’t be spare to say Thank you I’m sorry

On your way
If you come across to my words and my music I feel especially well-being
To say thanks to you

I keep singing

Yo Hitoto

我的歌的主題是面對生與死
雖然我沒有把握在世時能做什麼
可是
因為人生總有結束的一天 所以
我認為應該要珍惜當下

母親臨終時
在醫院裡 ??著想去看歌舞劇
！！！難以置信 ?看完回來 變得精神奕奕
從此 我相信 音樂擁有神奇的能量
而我開始想唱歌, 要唱的是讓人精神好起來的歌
, 為了 某人很喜歡的?一個人

我認識音樂療法, 之後進入西方醫療現場才知道藝術療法

我有更多想知道的事
我相信我有更多能做的事
可是我覺得只靠我個人的能力 還是不?
所以把我的想法刻在這裡

如果 我的音樂夥伴用同樣的心意 和我演出
甚至感染到後臺的夥伴們
我有預感我能靠近我的夢想
趁?所愛的人還活著時
直到現在 我還一直在思考
不要捨不得? 謝謝? 對不起

在?的路途中
如果?遇到我的言語和音樂 我感到格外的幸福
為了跟??聲謝謝

我繼續唱著歌

一青窈

(both English and Mandarin versions taken from her official site)

And about the song "Hanamizuki":

(taken from an interview when she was promoting the song.
translated by flowerbossa)

I wrote the lyrics to this song after the 911 terrorist attacks.
I asked myself if there wasn't a way we could exchange feelings of tenderness towards each other.
I thought about “peace” surrounding me, and it was lying around everywhere.
For instance, the dogwood plaza I spent time in with my friends on the way back from school.
After Japan gave cherry blossom trees to the U.S. in 1912, the mayor of Tokyo (Yukio Ozaki) was given dogwood in return. Now, cherry blossoms bloom along the shore of the Potomac River, and dogwood trees flower in the gardens of Japanese homes and the Imperial palace.I think the cultural exchange Ozaki sought to attain was more than successful.

It think it is beautiful that mutual feelings for each other still have a shape and can acutally be seen, blooming as flower.

I wrote the song “Hanamizuki (Dogwood)” hoping that the relationship between someone special to me and his/her special someone will last at 100 years.