LIFE IN JAPAN Paula Terry
Occupation:
Singer and recording artist
Time in Japan:
Six years
Where are you
from? Sydney, Australia.
What brought you to Japan?
When I was in Sydney I had friends who lived here and at that time I had the travel itch.
When I was a child I lived in France for four years, so at that stage of my life, back in
Sydney, I felt I wanted to travel again. Also I didn' know anything about Japan. I met
these girls who'd had working holidays in Japan. They'd worked in clubs and they'd come up
to me and say, "Well, you're a singer, they have foreign singers in these clubs. You
could get a visa and make money. Why not work in Japan?" So I went out and took the
risk and I've been here ever since.
How long have you been singing?
Well, my mother's an opera singer and my brother's a classical guitarist, so I'm from a
musical family. I loved singing from being a little girl but really only started to learn
it when I was 16 and my mother sent me to an opera singing teacher. I love opera, but it
wasn't for me. When I was 20 I decided to study jazz singing. I really love funky jazz
music.
Where do you sing?
I've got a permanent booking at the Intercontinental Hotel on Tokyo Bay on Thursdays and
Fridays from 7:30pm till 11pm. I sing accompanied by a pianist, Midori Matsutakin. It's
great. We play everything. Then, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I play in Ginza at a
piano bar, which is a totally different style, a slightly older audience.
What sort of things do you sing?
My repertoire goes from the '30s to the '90s. I have to keep up with the times. Recently,
everywhere I worked, people were requesting the song from Titanic, so I had to buy the CD
and learn it. I also sing The Carpenters, but I don't try to imitate the originals, I try
to sing them in a different style to keep myself interested. I also love singing standard
jazz tunes, like "Summertime". You can do that in any number of styles.
Are you planning to stay?
Yes, I am. I've just finished recording my first CD, which comes out on September 23. It's
called Just Breakaway, so I'm going to wait around and see how well that does. I'm very
pleased with it. If it goes well, I'll stay longer and do another CD.
What do you like about Japan most?
Anything is possible in Japan. It's an incredible place.
What do you dislike about Japan most?
Waking up with a bit of a hangover or having a bad hair day, and not being able to blend
into the background. I just can't seem to be inconspicuous. It may be half paranoia, but I
often feel that people are staring at me.
Do you organize your CDs alphabetically?
Definitely not. I favor total disorder. They're all in piles on the floor. I have a drawer
full of CDs I don't play that often, but the ones I like best are in the piles.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen or experienced in Japan?
A lot of weird things have happened to me here, but one thing in particular comes to mind.
I was told this story by a friend who worked in a hostess club where I was singing. The
hostesses were all blonde gaijin and they said that there was one man who used to come in
and beg them to sell a piece of their pubic hair for JY10,000 per piece. So, these girls
would go into the toilets, pluck a hair out of their heads and rub it until it went curly
and looked authentic. Then they'd come back and sell it.
If you could take one thing back from Japan to your native country, what would it be?
There are so many things I'd love to take. But I think it would be musical equipment,
because it's so expensive in Australia, and we're over two years behind the stuff they've
got here.
Do you have a favorite place to eat or drink in Tokyo?
I've got so many, but for eating it would have to be the Salty Box Grill in Nishi-Azabu.
It's great food, great service, it's like a home away from home. I love Japanese food,
too, but I know I can go into Salty Box by myself and enjoy it. As for drinking, I'm not
really a Roppongi girl, it doesn't suit me. I go out in Shinjuku 2-chome to a karaoke bar
with my friends. It's called the Fuji Bar and it's a great atmosphere, very warm. I can go
out there on my own as well and feel safe.
You have to spend the rest of your life trapped on the Yamanote line. You're allowed to
take one book, one CD and one luxury item. What would they be?
I'd like to record a CD of my favorite songs, from Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen Macrae, right
up to the '90s, the Brand New Heavies. The book would be The Vocal Real Book which has
1000 jazz tunes in it. I'd take the book with me and study the tunes. The luxury would
have to be some gym equipment. I'm addicted to working out. It's my way of dealing with
life in the city.
Paula Terry's début CD, Just Breakaway, is released on September 23 on Alpha Records. A
public launch party will be held on September 22 at the Zinc Bar in Shinjuku (3352-6297).
All are welcome.
LIFE IN JAPAN: