Amazingly Old School…

Jerome Charles White, Jr. does not speak Mandarin but I want to share his amazing story.

In February of 2008, Mr. White made his debut as Japan’s first African-American Enka singer. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1981, White actively began singing Enka at the age of six and continued to study the Japanese language throughout high school and university. After graduating in Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh he moved to Japan where he worked as both an English teacher and computer engineer.

White was introduced to Enka by his grandmother, originally from Yokohama, Japan. Enka music is a combination of Jazz, Blues and traditional Japanese music. It is especially popular with the postwar generation in Japan. To this generation, Enka songs bring back some of the nostalgia of the “good old days” as well as memories of hardship and poverty.

His stage name is “Jero” and in 2009 he was named Best New Artist at the 50th Annual Japan Record Awards – the Japanese equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

Enka, a product of the late 1940s, is often viewed today by the music industry as commercially obsolete. Jero’s success is attributed to his “crossover” ability. His fanbase is not limited to older women of his grandmother’s generation 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. 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. Enka singers traditionally wear a kimono in their performances but Jero stood strong in his desire to maintain the hip hop image and it seems to be one of the many factors that contribute to his great popularity.

Add to the discussion if there are any other African American artists emerging in Asia – we’d love to hear about them.