～Onlyyoujin～

Jin Akanishi is a Japanese pop-star 
who recently finished his new U.S. debut album, 
“Japonicana,” as a solo artist. 
He was a member of KAT-TUN, a Japanese boy band 
until he decided to leave the group and pursue his own music. 
His two U.S. singles, “Test Drive feat. Jason Derulo” 
and “Sun Burns Sown,” both hit the #1 spot 
on the iTunes dance chart on the day of release. 
“Japonicana” will be released on March 6th and then 
Jin will embark on his North American tour stopping in five cities: 
Los Angeles, Vancouver, Honolulu, New York City 
and San Francisco. I had the opportunity to catch Jin 
during his busy schedule to do a short interview.

Disclaimer: The following is a summary of the interview 
and not a word for word transcription of the conversation.

FA: Since your new album consists of different genres, 
how would you describe your style of music?

Jin:  It’s a bit of pop, dance and a little bit of hip-hop. 
I just want to do everything.

FA: What can we expect from you as you 
start out your career in the U.S?

Jin:  Right now, I’m just really focused on promoting 
and rehearsing for the upcoming album and the tour.

FA: What can people expect from your new album?

Jin:  People can expect dance music. 
It’s just a lot of energy and fun.

FA: Why did you decide to branch over to the 
United States and become a solo artist?

Jin: Hmm, my mom loves American music 
and she played it every day when I was growing up. 
So I guess you can say America shared its music 
when I was growing up and now I wanna share my music.

FA: What advice would you give to other aspiring artists?

Jin: Just to never give up—Work hard and believe in yourself.

FA:  Are you excited to kick off your “Japonicana” Tour?

Jin:  Yeah!

FA: Does the word “Japonicana” have a special meaning?

Jin: I mean I made that up. It combines the words Japan and America. 
You know in Spanish, they use ‘a’ to stand for female and ‘o’ for male—
like ‘amiga’ and ‘amigo’. So the album is a girl.  
Plus, I wanted it to be international.

 
“Japonicana” will be released on iTunes and in stores on March 6th. 
Don’t forget to get your tickets if you haven’t already for his North American tour.

=============================