I recently learned about Okinawan singer Manami through a TV program and was very much attracted to the song playing in the background. Since the show was a regional program, and that her name in roman letters is a pretty common Japanese name, I thought it probably wouldn’t be easy to find out more about the song. But surprisingly, her website came up in the first few results just by searching for “Manami” in Google. And even more surprisingly, I managed to find almost all her songs on YouTube, which made it so much easier to find the song I wanted to listen.
Before you decide to not listen, you may like to know that she was selected among many other aspiring singers in a contest called “Star Baper Search” by Pharrell Williams, who has also produced for big names like Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce, Shakira, and Jennifer Lopez. He also belongs to supergroup V.A. Playaz together with the likes of Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo and a couple others.
Do give this song a listen. It’s one good R&B piece I’ve heard in a long time.
