Photos Courtesy of Mary Frenzel

Occupation:
Professional Singer / Songwriter, bandleader & voice instructor

Time in Japan:
3 Years


Where are you from?
Boulder, Colorado, USA.

What brought you to Japan?
I was assigned here as an entertainer for the US Air Force.

How did you get started in the singing business?
I started singing harmonies with my mother at age eight, and then after taking piano and trumpet lessons, I wrote my first song at age ten on the piano. I have been singing professionally for five years and stared my singing career in Japan fronting a Glen Miller show, which toured across Japan’s civic centers. The receptions we received were amazing-I was spoiled with Japan’s great hospitality!

What’s it like to sing and write jingles for Japanese commercials?
I think the talent of ESP would be helpful in singing commercial jingles… The producers have a very specific idea of what sound they have in mind, and it’s your job to find out what that is, or you’ll be in their studio for days! As far as writing jingles, I recently sang a TV commercial for one of the cell phone companies. The recording session began at 11:30pm, and the background tracks had still not been finished. After about an hour the producer brought the lead sheet in and asked me to write lyrics. That was a surprise! So in a woozy midnight daze, I think I remember writing some rather interesting lyrics… I still have not heard the commercial, but I’d be really interested to know how it turned out!

You have a new music video out?
Yes! The video is for my original song, “Too Late,” featured in a commercial for TVK42’s Friday Night “Sony Music Access” non-stop music video program. It will air every Friday night in December between 11:30pm and 12:45am. Last year I got back into songwriting and I started “crashing concerts” by bringing my demo packet backstage to major concerts during sound checks so I could introduce myself to the artist’s manager. I did this at the Pet Shop Boys concert last May, and was offered a seat next to Tetsuo Yamazaki, program producer of the production department of TVK42. A few months after our introduction, he offered to produce and air this video. The video turned out wonderful, so now we are working on a three song CD to be given as a gift to the TV station’s listeners this Christmas.

In what genre would you place your music?
The music on this Christmas CD is leaning toward the dance genre, although I write songs in many different styles.

What do you hope to contribute to the music industry?
My goal is to write music that brings passion back into the lives of people who have lost sight of what really matters to them.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen or experienced in Japan?
This may not be the weirdest, but I remember when I first got here thinking how strange it was to be walking around in Shibuya and Roppongi and being bombarded with kanji porn advertisements and tissue dial-a-numbers at every corner. I wrote a silly song about this experience called “Wakarimasen” which will be released next year. The funny thing is that if I didn’t receive the kanji porn and elicit tissue like everyone else, I think I would feel very left out.

What’s your recipie for a happy and successful life in Japan?
Experience everything. Be spontaneous. Fear nothing. And surround yourself with caring, supportive and creative people. Contact Mary at maryfrenzl@hotmail.com or Freewave, Mary’s management company at freewave@hpo.net

Mary Frenzel spoke to Melanie C. Redmond.

Do you know someone who has an interesting life in Japan? Email us at maki@tokyoclassified.com