KUMI OKAMOTO IS IS A SINGER, SONGWRITER AND MUSICIAN. BORN IN JAPAN, NOW LIVING IN PARIS. KUMI IS AN EX-MEMBER OF CRAZY CURL, AND THE KONKI DUET BEFORE FORMING HER SOLO CAREER AS KUMISOLO.



DB
WE FIRST MET ON A SHOOT IN PARIS IN NOVEMBER 2013. THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN. THE IMAGE WAS USED FOR KUMIX ANTI DEPRIME TAPE HIVER 2014. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE PROCESS BEHIND MAKING MIX TAPES AND THE THOUGHTS BEHIND YOUR SELECTION PROCESSES?

KO
WHEN I MET YOU AT PALAIS DE TOKYO, THERE WAS AN EXHIBITION WITH FAKE SNOW INSIDE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING TO SHOOT IN THAT PLACE. THEN A FRIEND OF MINE WROTE ME AN EMAIL THAT SAID "HEY KUMI, DON'T YOU HAVE A MIX TAPE TO CHEER ME UP?", SO I MADE THIS MIX TAPE FOR HER. SO THIS IS VERY RANDOM, FROM BEYONCÉ TO MARTIN DENNY AND HIS TROPICAL ENSEMBLE.

DB
AMONGST OTHER MUSIC, I DISCOVERED YOU THROUGH COLETTE AND THEN SOUNDCLOUD. THESE FACILITIES HAVE MADE FINDING NEW MUSIC SUCH A PLEASURE AND A NEW SENSE OF DISCOVERY, AS WELL AS SHARING. HOW DO YOU EMBRACE SOMETHING SO FREE AND DEMOCRATIC LIKE SOUNDCLOUD, YET AT THE SAME TIME PLEASE RECORD COMPANIES?

KO
FOR ME, USING SOUNDCLOUD IS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AS AN INDEPENDENT MUSICIAN. SO I TRY TO UPLOAD ORIGINAL STUFF LIKE UNRELEASED TRACKS, SOUND DESIGN INSTRUMENTALS, AND ALSO COVERS. PEOPLE LIKE IT WHEN YOU POST REGULARLY BECAUSE THEY LIKE TO DISCOVER THINGS, THEN THEY BECOME MORE AND MORE FAITHFUL TO KUMISOLO AND THEY FINALLY TURN INTO KUMISOLO ADDICTS.

DB
THIS FREEDOM TO FIND NEW AND EXISTING MUSIC HAS OPENED UP SO MANY OTHER EXPERIENCES SUCH AS DISCOVERING ARTISTS LIKE LESCOP AND JOAKIM. WITH DIGITAL MEDIA THERE WAS A CONCERN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF PRINTED MATTER, YET THERE HAVE NEVER BEEN SO MANY MAGAZINES PUBLISHED AS THERE ARE CURRENTLY. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO MUSIC AND THE WAY WE DISCOVER AND EXPERIENCE IT?

KO
I THINK MUSICIANS LIKE ME ARE LUCKY TODAY, BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE AND MORE WAYS TO PROMOTE OURSELVES VIA THE INTERNET. FINALLY WE DON'T NEED A MAJOR LABEL EXCEPT FOR CALLING THE SERVICES OF FAMOUS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS TO CREATE THE SLEEVE, MAKE EXPENSIVE VIDEO CLIPS, ETC. LISTENERS AREN'T NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR EXPENSIVE VIDEO CLIPS, BUT RATHER ORIGINAL IDEAS, NEVER SEEN BEFORE CONCEPTS, THAT'S WHAT MATTERS TODAY.

DB
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE NAME KUMISOLO?

KO
BEFORE, I WAS PART OF A THREE-PIECE GIRLS BAND NAMED 'THE KONKI DUET'. THEN THEY PROPOSED ME TO MAKE A CONCERT AT THE ART SCHOOL, AND SINCE THE TWO OTHER GIRLS WEREN'T AVAILABLE, I CHOSE TO PLAY ON MY OWN BY CALLING MYSELF 'KONKI SOLO'. THEN LITTLE BY LITTLE I COMPOSED MORE SONGS ALONE, SO I LAUNCHED MY SOLO CAREER IN PARALLEL OF KONKI DUET AND FINALLY I DECIDED TO CALL MYSELF 'KUMISOLO'.

DB
WERE YOU MUSICALLY ACTIVE AS A CHILD? DID YOU PLAY IN A BAND AS A TEENAGER IN JAPAN? WERE YOU A CREATIVE CHILD?

KO
YES, WHEN I WAS 3 OR 4 YEARS OLD I COMPOSED A SONG ABOUT MOUNTAINS LIKE, "EVERYWHERE EVERYWHERE MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN". WHEN I WAS 17, I WAS PART OF A JAPANESE BAND AND WE WOULD COVER SONGS FROM THE SWEDISH BAND 'THE CARDIGANS'.

DB
AS A TEENAGER WHAT WERE YOU LISTENING TO?

KO
I LOVED THE INDEPENDENT SCENE NAMED "SHIBUYA KEI". BANDS LIKE 'PIZZICATO FIVE', 'CORNELIUS', 'KAHIMI KARIE'.

DB
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW?

KO
NOW I OFTEN LISTEN TO RAYMOND SCOTT'S SONGS FOR BABY.

DB
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME TO PARIS? DID YOU EVER DREAM OF LIVING A PARISIAN LIFESTYLE? DID YOU COME TO STUDY?

KO
ORIGINALLY, I CAME TO STUDY FRENCH BECAUSE I HAD BEEN STUDYING FOR 4 YEARS  AT UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN. BY THAT TIME, I  DISCOVERED THE MOVIES OF ERIC ROHMER SO I DECIDED I WANTED TO STUDY CINEMA IN PARIS.

DB

YOU HAVE A BABY NOW IN PARIS. DO YOU FEEL PARISIAN MORE THAN A TOKYOITE? HOW DO YOU FEEL ACCEPTED IN PARIS? DIANE PERNET SAYS THAT AFTER STAYING IN PARIS FOR 3 YEARS THEY ACCEPT YOU.

KO
I STILL REMAIN JAPANESE AND I AM PROUD TO LIVE IN PARIS, BUT IT IS TRUE THAT I HAVE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS AND NOW I KNOW PERFECTLY THE SUBWAY LINES, ON WHICH SIDE OF THE PLATFORM YOU HAVE TO BE ON TO MAKE A FASTER CONNECTION, ETC. NOW THAT I HAVE A BABY, I AM DISCOVERING ANOTHER SIDE OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, THE BUS, THAT I DIDN'T USED TO TAKE BEFORE.

DB
BEING A MOTHER, DO YOU THINK YOUR SONGS WILL TAKE ON A NEW LIFE, BRINGING IN THE EXPERIENCE OF PARENTHOOD?

KO
CERTAINLY, IN ALL CASES FOR THE LYRICS. I THINK IT WILL BE MORE CREDIBLE TO TALK ABOUT LOVE AS A GIRL LOOKING FOR HER SOUL MATE. HOWEVER I THINK THE NOTION OF LOVE ITSELF HAS CHANGED AND I WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO MY BABY GIRL WHEN I WILL SING.

DB
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR RECORDING CONTRACT WITH EMI AND HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO MAINTAIN ARTISTIC INTEGRITY?

KO
ONE DAY, SOMEONE CONTACTED ME BY EMAIL TO PROPOSE ME TO BE PRODUCED BY EMI. AT THE BEGINNING I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT, BUT HE WAS VERY ATTENTIVE. HE UNDERSTOOD MY UNIVERSE, SO HE LET ME TAKE THE ARTISTIC DECISIONS, FROM THE MUSIC TO THE SLEEVE DESIGN.

DB
DO YOU HAVE A FOLLOWING OUTSIDE PARIS? HOW IS KUMISOLO RECEIVED IN JAPAN?

KO
I AM NOT FAMOUS AT ALL IN JAPAN BUT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY SOMETIMES IN TOKYO A FEW YEARS AGO. I LIKED THE JAPANESE AUDIENCE EVEN IF I WAS A BIT RELUCTANT TO SING THE LYRICS IN JAPANESE THAT PEOPLE IN FRANCE DON'T UNDERSTAND OR SOMETIMES VERY LITTLE OF IT.

DB
YOUR AUDIENCE INCLUDES MY 4 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WHO LOVES YOUR MUSIC, AND IN PARTICULAR 'TRANSPORT COMMUNE'. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HOW THAT TRACK WAS CONCEIVED?

KO
THIS TITLE WAS COMPOSED ORIGINALLY FOR AN APPLE PIE RECIPE BECAUSE AN ILLUSTRATOR FRIEND ASKED ME TO SING A RECIPE SONG LIKE "FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT" BUT THIS PROJECT WASN'T CARRIED THROUGH, SO I PROPOSED TO A MUSICIAN FRIEND TO WRITE LYRICS FOR THIS COMPOSITION.

DB
YOU SPEAK FLUENT FRENCH. COULD YOU SPEAK FRENCH BEFORE COMING TO PARIS? HOW DID YOU LEARN?

KO

I STUDIED FOR 4 YEARS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF DOKKYO, NEAR TOKYO. I TRIED TO CHOOSE FRENCH TEACHERS ON PURPOSE TO IMPROVE MY CONVERSATION SKILLS. DESPITE THESE 4 YEARS, NOBODY REALLY UNDERSTOOD ME WHEN I FIRST LANDED IN PARIS BUT I HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE FRENCH FRIENDS WHO WOULD CORRECT ME LITTLE BY LITTLE AND IT EVEN CONTINUES TODAY.

DB

YOUR CREATIVE OUTPUT INVOLVES LOVE, TRAVEL AND FOOD. ARE YOU A GOOD COOK?

KO
I DON'T REALLY KNOW, BUT I LIKE TO COOK AND DISCOVER NEW RECIPES ALL THE TIME, AND SHARE MY DISHES WITH FRIENDS I LIKE AROUND THE TABLE.

DB
PLEASE CAN YOU EXPLAIN KUMISOLO DIY?

KO
IT'S A TV PROGRAM FOR THE FRENCH CABLE TV CANAL+ WHERE I DEMONSTRATE HOW TO CREATE DECORATION OBJECTS  LIKE A TIE AND DYE PILLOWCASE, A HOUSE-SHAPED TISSUE BOX, AN XYLOPHONE KEY-HOLDER TO HANG ON THE WALL.

DB
YOUR VIDEOS OFTEN FEATURE STOP-ANIMATION AESTHETICS. WHAT IS YOUR INTEREST IN ANIMATION AND HOW DID THIS COME INTO YOUR WORK?

KO
I LOVE THE STOP-MOTION ANIMATION TECHNIQUE AND I HAVE MADE THIS CHEAP VIDEO CLIP IN MY HOUSE WITH WHAT I COULD FIND AROUND ME, FOR EXAMPLE RAISINS, CAKES, BREAD. I WAS VERY ENTERTAINED TO SEE THAT I COULD MAKE OBJECTS MOVE LIKE THAT. IT'S MAGICAL!

DB
DO YOU MANAGE TO LIVE FROM YOUR MUSIC OR DO YOU DO OTHER THINGS? HOW DOES A MUSICIAN MAKE MONEY? DO YOU GET PAID AT THE END OF THE MONTH LIKE IN A NORMAL JOB? HOW DOES ONE GET PAID?

KO
I HAD A PART-TIME JOB AS A FASHION DEMONSTRATOR AT A.P.C. AND CARVEN BUT NOW I AM RECEIVING ORDERS OF SOUND DESIGN AND ORIGINAL MUSIC THAT ALLOWS ME TO EARN MONEY, WHICH IS VERY REWARDING AS A MUSICIAN. IT'S A DREAM JOB. I HOPE I CAN CONTINUE LIKE THAT.

DB
HAVE YOU PLAYED IN LONDON? WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LONDON?

KO
I ONCE PLAYED IN LONDON WITH 'THE KONKI DUET' AND WE SHARED THE BILL WITH BERTRAND BURGALAT. I LOVE LONDON. THERE ARE PLENTY OF VINTAGE SHOPS, RECORD STORES AND MOST OF ALL, IN TERMS OF FASHION, PEOPLE SEEM TO BE MORE FREE IN THE WAY THEY DRESS. LESS CONVENTIONAL THAN IN PARIS.

DB
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN PARIS?

KO
I LOVE MY NEIGHBOURHOOD WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF GUITAR SHOPS, ANTIQUE DEALERS, AND SMALL THEATRES. THERE ARE ALSO SEX SHOPS!

DB
PRINTEMPS OR GALLERIES LE FAYETTE?

KO
PRINTEMPS, BECAUSE I WORKED THERE AT THE CARVEN CORNER. PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE ARE VERY NICE.

DB
WHAT INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY AND HOW DID YOU LEARN THEM?

KO
I STARTED PIANO AT THE AGE OF 6 UNTIL I WAS 12 BY TAKING PRIVATE LESSONS IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD IN TOKYO. THE TEACHER WAS A BIT STRICT, AND I DIDN'T DARE TO TELL HIM THAT I WANTED TO GO TO THE TOILET SO I LEAKED A LITTLE ON THE CARPET DURING SOLFEGE...I ALSO STARTED THE TRUMPET IN PARALLEL WHEN I WAS 9 AT PRIMARY SCHOOL, AND I LOVED TO PLAY OUTSIDE AT THE HORNS PARADE DURING THE AZALEAS SEASON IN MAY IN TOKYO.

DB
DO YOU HAVE, OR HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MENTOR? IF SO, WHO IS/WAS THIS PERSON AND DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

KO
IN TOKYO I MET A GRAPHIC DESIGNER WHO HAD HIS OWN INDEPENDENT LABEL CALLED CHANNEL RECORDS. HE TAUGHT ME A LOT OF THINGS, HIS NOTION OF ART, DESIGN, ETC. HE TOLD ME TO NEVER BE LATE FOR PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS! IN PARIS, I MET A MUSICIAN WHO MADE ARRANGEMENTS ON MY SONGS. HIS HEAD IS A MUSICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA. HE LOVES EVERYTHING THAT IS JAPANESE. WE ARE ON THE SAME MUSICAL WAVELENGTH. HE OFTEN TOLD ME, "THEY ARE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS AN ARTIST, IT'S NOT YOU WHO'S LUCKY TO BE INVITED TO PERFORM".

DB
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?

KO
A BENETTON CARDIGAN THAT I FOUND IN A VINTAGE SHOP, A BLUE PRINTED SHIRT FROM A.P.C., A BLACK MINI-SKIRT FROM H&M, PRETTY GREEN, GREY AND BLACK STOCKINGS WHICH ARE A PRESENT FROM A JAPANESE FRIEND WHO IS A STOCKINGS STYLIST. SHE IS A KUMISOLO ADDICT AND SENT THESE TO ME FROM JAPAN. I'M LUCKY TO HAVE CREATIVE FANS.

DB
I AM INTERESTED IN PEOPLE'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR CLOTHES. IS THERE A GARMENT THAT YOU HAVE THAT CREATES A PARTICULAR FEELING WHEN YOU WEAR IT LIKE NO OTHER? PLEASE CAN YOU DESCRIBE THAT RELATIONSHIP?

KO
YES, AN OUTFIT MADE FROM A RODIER MUTARD TOP AND CARVEN BLACK LEATHER SHORTS THAT THESE BRANDS OFFERED ME AS SPONSORSHIP. I NEVER WEAR THEM IN THE EVERYDAY LIFE, BUT ONLY ON STAGE. WHEN I WEAR THEM, I TRANSFORM MYSELF INTO KUMISOLO.

DB
DIANE VREELAND ONCE SAID "WEAR YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL OUTFIT, WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT, RATHER THAN SAVING IT FOR BEST (LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO HIDE YOUR GOOD CLOTHES IN A DARK CLOSET)". WHAT IS YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL OUTFIT?

KO
I THINK IT'S THE ONE I'VE JUST DESCRIBED. I KEEP VERY GOOD MEMORIES OF MY KIMONO OUTFIT FOR HINA MATSURI WHEN I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD, BUT THAT WAS A RENTED OUTFIT.


DB
WHEN WE MET IN PARIS IN APRIL YOU MENTIONED YOUR LIKING TO A 50s GIVENCHY DRESS WORN BY AUDREY HEPBURN. CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR ASSOCIATION TO THIS GARMENT?


KO
IT SYMBOLISES THE PERFECT ELEGANCY AND FEMININITY TO ME.






© PpR JOURNAL 2025