Jero comes to Pitt, 82708.jpg on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Jerome Charles White Jr. (born September 4, 1981), better known by his stage name , is an American enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent who is the first black enka singer in
Jero: Japan's First African-American Enka Singer, February 12, 2009 He also studied Japanese for some time at the
Jero, Enka's First African-American Star, February 12, 2009 Jero majored in information science at University of Pittsburgh and graduated in 2003 and moved to Japan in the same year. Two months after arriving in Japan, he entered the NHK Nodo Jiman competition broadcast on TV. Jero first began pursuing his dream to become an Enka artist because of the influence of his Japanese grandmother Takiko, who had met his grandfather, an African-American serviceman, at a dance during World War II. They married, had a daughter, Harumi - now a department store sales clerk - and eventually moved to his grandfather's hometown, Pittsburgh. His parents divorced when he was young and he was reared amid a strong sense of Japanese culture.Festival Feature: A Japanese Idol From Pittsburgh
Washington Post, March 28, 2009 His grandmother, originally from Yokohama, Japan, first introduced Jero to Enka and it was under her guidance that he grew to love the genre as a child. Jero, who majored in information technology at the University of Pittsburgh, did not initially imagine himself in a career as an Enka singer.
Jero: Japan's First Black Enka Singer, February 12, 2009 Rather, after he permanently moved to Japan, his main forms of employment were as an English teacher at NOVA and as a computer engineer. He only began to actively work towards becoming an Enka singer because he had promised his grandmother that one day he would someday perform at the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen song show. As a result, he actively participated in numerous singing contests while he continued to work as a computer engineer and eventually achieved real success after only two months since he had arrived in Japan. His grandmother never was able to see her grandson achieve Enka fame, she died in 2005, three years before he became famous. His first single, , was released in Japan on February 20, 2008. It entered the Oricon charts at number 4. Umi Yuki, references the Sea of Japan, but Jero has admitted that the only ocean he has ever really seen was in California. From May 21, 2008, Jero appeared in a Japanese TV commercial for Kirin "Fire" coffee, the first time he had appeared in a TV commercial. In October 2008, he was interviewed on CNN International's '' TalkAsia''. He won Best New Artist Award in
US rapper Jerome White Junior aka Jero finds enka stardom in Japan, February 12, 2009 Jero's devotion to the memory of his grandmother and his image as a well-educated individual have helped him to win over the hearts of older fans, while younger fans are drawn to him and his music because of the way he has revitalized the genre by blending it with a dash of hip hop. From the start, Jero always wanted to keep his hip hop attire, but his record company was a bit hesitant at first. Most Enka singers wear a kimono in their performances, which Jero felt was inappropriate for him. After pleading with his management company, he was allowed to maintain the hip hop image and to great success as it is one of the many factors that contribute to his popularity.
Jero's Official Website
Jero's Official Page at Victor Entertainment
Jero's Official Blog
Jero's Former Official Blog
*
Jero - Video interview by the Japanese American National Museum, Discover Nikkei project
(March 30, 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jero 1981 births Living people Musicians from Pittsburgh 20th-century African-American male singers Japanese-language singers American musicians of Japanese descent Enka singers Japanese male singers University of Pittsburgh alumni American expatriates in Japan Singers from Pennsylvania 21st-century American singers 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers
Japanese music
In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the world ...
history. In 2018, Jero announced that he was taking an indefinite hiatus from his music career to focus on a career in computers.
Biography
Jero began singing Enka at the age of six and continued to study the Japanese language all throughout high school and college.Jero: Japan's First African-American Enka Singer, February 12, 2009 He also studied Japanese for some time at the
Kansai Gaidai University
, almost always abbreviated ''Kansai Gaidai'' (関西外大), is located in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. It is a private university focusing on foreign language studies. Kansai is the proper name of the large region where it is located, which inclu ...
school of foreign languages.Jero, Enka's First African-American Star, February 12, 2009 Jero majored in information science at University of Pittsburgh and graduated in 2003 and moved to Japan in the same year. Two months after arriving in Japan, he entered the NHK Nodo Jiman competition broadcast on TV. Jero first began pursuing his dream to become an Enka artist because of the influence of his Japanese grandmother Takiko, who had met his grandfather, an African-American serviceman, at a dance during World War II. They married, had a daughter, Harumi - now a department store sales clerk - and eventually moved to his grandfather's hometown, Pittsburgh. His parents divorced when he was young and he was reared amid a strong sense of Japanese culture.Festival Feature: A Japanese Idol From Pittsburgh
Washington Post, March 28, 2009 His grandmother, originally from Yokohama, Japan, first introduced Jero to Enka and it was under her guidance that he grew to love the genre as a child. Jero, who majored in information technology at the University of Pittsburgh, did not initially imagine himself in a career as an Enka singer.
Jero: Japan's First Black Enka Singer, February 12, 2009 Rather, after he permanently moved to Japan, his main forms of employment were as an English teacher at NOVA and as a computer engineer. He only began to actively work towards becoming an Enka singer because he had promised his grandmother that one day he would someday perform at the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen song show. As a result, he actively participated in numerous singing contests while he continued to work as a computer engineer and eventually achieved real success after only two months since he had arrived in Japan. His grandmother never was able to see her grandson achieve Enka fame, she died in 2005, three years before he became famous. His first single, , was released in Japan on February 20, 2008. It entered the Oricon charts at number 4. Umi Yuki, references the Sea of Japan, but Jero has admitted that the only ocean he has ever really seen was in California. From May 21, 2008, Jero appeared in a Japanese TV commercial for Kirin "Fire" coffee, the first time he had appeared in a TV commercial. In October 2008, he was interviewed on CNN International's '' TalkAsia''. He won Best New Artist Award in
50th Japan Record Awards
The 50th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2008, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.
Performers
*Wink
*Kome Kome Club
*Aki Yashiro
*Sh ...
on December 30, 2008.
Jero was selected to appear on the 59th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2008 from NHK Hall in Japan.
The music show on New Year's Eve is broadcast on both television and radio, and divides the most popular music artists of the year into competing te ...
, NHK New Year's Eve musical spectacular, on December 31, 2008. In his participation, he fulfilled a pledge he made to his dying grandmother to appear on the yearly competition. Jero appeared wearing a black and white shirt bearing the image of his grandmother. He also appeared on the following year's show.
Jero made his first major U.S. appearance on March 28, 2009 during the opening ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. Jero's first official U.S. appearance was a live concert to over 500 fans at the University of Pittsburgh, his alma mater, on August 27, 2008.
Jero completed his first official US concert tour by singing to a sold-out house at the Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to ...
in San Francisco on March 28, 2010 and at the Aratani Japan America Theatre in Los Angeles on March 31, 2010. In addition, he also appeared in the 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration of the Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles on March 30, 2010.
Appeal
African-American culture
African-American culture refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential on Ame ...
has been popular among a segment of young Japanese since the mid-1990s, so many are hoping that he will be able to spark interest in enka in the younger generation. He held a concert on February 20, 2008 in Shibuya, a popular hangout for young people.
Enka, a product of the late 1940s, is often viewed today by the music industry as commercially obsolete. However, there is hope for Enka yet as Jero's fanbase is not limited to older women who grew up with the genre but also a new and emerging younger fanbase who before would never have been thought of as potential fans for the genre.US rapper Jerome White Junior aka Jero finds enka stardom in Japan, February 12, 2009 Jero's devotion to the memory of his grandmother and his image as a well-educated individual have helped him to win over the hearts of older fans, while younger fans are drawn to him and his music because of the way he has revitalized the genre by blending it with a dash of hip hop. From the start, Jero always wanted to keep his hip hop attire, but his record company was a bit hesitant at first. Most Enka singers wear a kimono in their performances, which Jero felt was inappropriate for him. After pleading with his management company, he was allowed to maintain the hip hop image and to great success as it is one of the many factors that contribute to his popularity.
Discography
Singles
* "Umiyuki" (海雪) (2008.02.20) * "Eisa" (えいさ) (2009.01.28) * "Yancha michi" (やんちゃ道) (2009.04.15) * "Tsumeato" (爪跡) (2009.08.19) * "Usonaki" (嘘泣き) (2010.06.16) # Usonaki 泣き# Otokonaki 泣き# Shiki no uta 季の歌* "Tada...Namida" (ただ...涙) (2011.06.22) # Tada...Namida だ...涙# Kaenjyu 焔樹Digital Songs
* "Mezamashi yume ondo" (めざまし夢音頭) (2008.08.13) * "Shiren" (試練) (2008.12.03) * "Wakeari ressha" (訳あり列車) (2011.03.30)Albums
* ''Covers'' (カバーズ) (2008.06.25) # Hisame 雨# Kimi koishi 恋し# Yozura 空# Mizukigami 鏡# Honmoku meruhen 牧メルヘン# Pusanko e kaere 山港へ帰れ# Saraba koibito らば恋人* ''Covers'' (カバーズ) Special Edition (CD + DVD) (2008.06.25) * ''Yakusoku'' (約束) (2009.02.25) # Eisa いさ# Tokyo hyouryuu 京漂流# Aruzenchin touhikou ルゼンチン逃避行# Shiren 練# Hare butai れ舞台# Kyoko to takashi ョーコとタカシ# Rurou no machi 浪の街# Osaka jewel 阪ジュエル# Nanohana hatake de tsukamae te の花畑でつかまえて# Umiyuki 雪* ''Covers 2'' (カバーズ 2) (2009.09.23) # Matteiru onna っている女# Shishuuki 秋期# Aijin 人# Orizuru 鶴# Rashoumon 生門# Tasogare 昏# Yukiguni 國# Hajimeteno machide めての街で* ''Covers 3 - Roots of Jero'' (カバーズ 3) (2010.06.16) # Echigojishi no uta 後獅子の唄# Tsugaru heiya 軽平野# Amerika bashi メリカ橋# Chigiri り# Yozakura oshichi 桜お七# Tsugaru koionna 軽恋女# J * ''Best and Rare'' (ベスト＆レア) (2011.03.30) # Umiyuki 雪# Hisame 雨# Hare butai れ舞台# Yurakuchode arimasho 楽町で逢いましょう# Tsuemato 跡# Shiki no uta 季の歌# Shiren 練# Usonaki 泣き# Rurou no machi 浪の街# Hajimeteno machide めての街で# Eisa いさ# Mezamashi yume ondo ざまし夢音頭# Yancha michi んちゃ道# Wakeari ressha あり列車# Taitoru mitei イトル未定* ''Covers 4'' (カバーズ 4) (2011.06.22) # Soshite Kobe して神戸# Mado # Tasogaremai・rabu そがれマイ・ラブ# Nora ラ# Soemoncho blues 右衛門町ブルース# Itoshiki hibi しき日々# Katteni shiyagare 手にしやがれ# Sakurazaka 坂Movies
* ''Donju'' as Akira. (2009)Commercial tie-ins
* ''Hisame'' for ''Kirin Fire Cafe Zero'' (2008) * ''Shiren'' for ''Fushigi no Dungeon Furai no Shiren DS2-Sabaku no Majō'' (2008) * ''Hare Butai'' for ''Minna no Uta'' (2008) * ''Rurō no Machi'' for ''Donju'' (2009) * ''Yancha Michi'' for ''Crayon Shin-chan: Otakebe! Kasukabe Yasei Ōkoku'' (2009) * ''Kyoko to Takashi'' forHokkaidō Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
(2009)
* ''Shiki no uta'' for Toyo Suisan (2010)
References
External links
Jero's Official Website
Jero's Official Page at Victor Entertainment
Jero's Official Blog
Jero's Former Official Blog
*
Jero - Video interview by the Japanese American National Museum, Discover Nikkei project
(March 30, 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jero 1981 births Living people Musicians from Pittsburgh 20th-century African-American male singers Japanese-language singers American musicians of Japanese descent Enka singers Japanese male singers University of Pittsburgh alumni American expatriates in Japan Singers from Pennsylvania 21st-century American singers 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers