Today we’d like to introduce you to Manan.
Manan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a Japanese RnB artist, born in Japan. My artistic process began as a child, music has always been a part of me because of the numerous musical activities that my mother put me through. I had always been in choirs, musical theatre, dance lessons and piano/guitar lessons. I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Ella Fitzegerald, Billie Holliday, Lauryn Hill and Diana Ross. Most of my musical influences are due to my mother who was heavily into Jazz, Old School R&B, Funk music, and she would travel to bring me out to shows and collect vinyl records with her.
I began taking vocal lessons when I was 15 years old, as I realized singing was the one thing I truly enjoyed out of everything else I’ve been a part of and since then started participating in Summer Camps and programs run by different musical institutions/organizations. By the time I was a senior in High-school, I realized this was all I had so I decided to pursue a career in music.
I had attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I majored in Music Business Management and Performance Studies, with a minor in Africana Studies. As far as my musical journey, it had significantly developed at a deeper level during this time in college. I had taken many ensembles in different genres and was exposed to a lot of great music I was never familiar with growing up. I was part of the Gospel Choir throughout my time in college and had the honor to meet Larry Watson who I consider to be my mentor.
Since my relocation to Atlanta in 2018, I have been going back and forth between LA to see my vocal coach while also collaborating with other artists, producers and musicians.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, not at all. My biggest struggle was to overcome a life-long identity crisis, which I still kind of deal with to this day. Growing up I just remember being a very unhappy child. As a child, I had been placed in many different communities with conflicting cultures. I spent most of my time in an International School in Japan where many students from all over the world temporarily attend due to their parent’s relocation. Being brought up in a relatively diverse environment, I’ve always wanted what others had and constantly lived under fear as I was ashamed and insecure about my identity. I always felt I was never Japanese enough or American enough and could not find a place for me wherever I was. This created a strong sense of rootlessness and restlessness, where home is “everywhere and nowhere.” But due to this upbringing, I feel like this is how I’ve developed my passion and love for music since I had spent a lot of time alone, listening to music as it was the only thing that I could feel connected to, so I can’t thank enough for these times.
In college, I had suffered a lot trying to define my sound. Being surrounded by many talented musicians, it was an overwhelming experience to be in a space where everybody was essentially working for the same thing. I was under so much pressure and anxiety as it almost felt like a 4-year long race. I felt very distant from everyone else who already could express themselves through their music as I was still in an early development phase of trying to figure out my sound. I had almost reached a point where music became a burden to me because of the difficult times both academically and personal life I was going through. It was a rough time as something I truly loved became a source of my pain and anxiety. Being so far away from my close family made things very hard for me too.
Please tell us about your art.
As a young female minority in the US, I strongly believe it is my role to reflect and change the trying times we face in society today. Despite the hard times I have gone through, it has allowed me to grow in many areas and slowly become the individual, woman I strive to be. I sincerely believe I overcame these hard times through god’s grace and unconditional support from my family, especially my mother and close friends.
Being a Japanese artist in this city is what makes me different and unique and I can say I am proud of the person I have become today. I want to use my experiences and attributions in the music industry to empower minorities that feel oppressed and become a role model I never had. I aspire to use my role as an artist to empower other individuals who go through similar struggles.
As far as my music, I have had the chance to work with many great musicians, producers, songwriters and engineers in Atlanta this past year. They have been helping me create the 90s RNB sound blended with a contemporary twist. We are finally in the process of releasing music next year. When I perform, I prefer to perform live with a band as it creates more authenticity and intimacy.
Moving forward with the new year, I have various projects coming up. My debut single will be released next year all streaming platforms so please be on the lookout! I will also be working on culturally unique projects where I will promote Japanese culture to the world through my work. In August 2020, I will be collaborating with Yumemi Hiraki, Japanese Conceptual Artist to activate an exhibition inspired by Wabi-Sabi Japanese aestheticism.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
First and foremost, I just love the energy and the creative individuals the city brings together. I am constantly encouraged by so many creative individuals I meet on the daily. I’m reminded every day that there is no success without consistent hard work and pushes me to work harder when I have people I can genuinely look up to very close. My association with Patchwerk Recording Studios and LVRN has allowed me to get my first step in the door and I am forever grateful for this. It is a rewarding experience to be able to witness many great projects that take place in this city with such a powerful influence in the culture and beyond.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s just always been a huge struggle for me to just be okay with who I am. However, Atlanta changed it all. Atlanta was the first place where I finally felt I could be the person who I was and came to the realization that I never had to fit in nowhere.
Atlanta is a significant place for me because Atlanta has become home, my safe place for me. I’ve had a lot of time to myself moving to a city where I had no friends no family no nothing. This has allowed me to explore the city on my own and observe my surroundings. Atlanta has allowed and given me space to finally become the person who I was.
My least favorite thing about this city is the traffic and bad driving habits people bring from all over the place. But I guess the hardest part for me now is to always have to stand up and look out for myself. A lot of people I’ve encountered here still have absurd stereotypes of my race and culture especially being in this industry where there isn’t much representation of my race so I’m always thrown away every time I have to explain what’s up. I truly hope more people understand or at least try and understand what it means to be a female immigrant minority in this city.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mananjasmine.com
- Email: manan.mgmt@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mananjasmine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Manan-100942731416653/?view_public_for=100942731416653
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mananjasmine
Image Credit:
@princeofthegram
Ox Productions
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