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The self-proclaimed queen of Japanese hip-hop Awich has stories to tell, from discovering rap as a rebellious teenager in Okinawa to losing her husband to gun violence in America.
Now drawing crowds at festivals and Tokyo’s most famous live venue, she wants to inspire fans to “embrace their stories — because that’s what gave me strength to face the world.”
The 35-year-old, whose stage name stands for “Asian wish child,” has been rapping since her school days and started out at underground clubs in Japan’s southernmost region.
But 2022 has been something of a breakthrough year, from the release of her first major-label album “Queendom,” to Vogue shoots and a performance at Tokyo’s famed Budokan.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time, in and out of music, and there were times I felt like I just wanted to give up,” she told AFP. “I couldn’t say I was the queen, or anything close to that, for a long time.”
“So for me to have this chance and opportunity right now, and for people to be able to be so connected to my music, my songs and words… it’s just amazing,” she said.
Her album’s title track deals with moving to Atlanta aged 19, her husband’s death and bringing up their daughter in Japan.
“The whole song is just my life, compressed into a couple of minutes,” she said. “So it’s an emotional up-and-down, like a rollercoaster for me, every time I perform.”
On stage, she’s composed but brimming with joyful swagger, her sleek long ponytail swinging behind her as she brags about the “different energy” she brings to Japan’s music scene.
