Rachelle Cano

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Do you listen to American music, and who are some of your favorite composers, and groups?

Yes! Of course, I love American music. There are too many to recite here, but let’s say I listen to American pop artists like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, and Bruno Mars who all inspire me to write high energy and melodic pop songs that I think the Japanese audience enjoys as well.

For composing soundtracks for TV, I was very influenced by the music of the "Dragon Quest" TV game.

Do you have any aspirations to write music ...

With the producer’s special approval, I was allowed into the private recording session for a new pop song written by Masanori Takumi, a well-known songwriter, and music composer for Japanese Anime and Manga series including Koi Kaze, Genshiken, and Claymore. He is now creating music in both Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Since his success in composing for television shows and film, Masanori has also seamlessly crossed over into the J-Pop genre writing songs and having several hits with musical artists in Japan such as Exile, AAA, and KARA, the all girl vocal group who made it to the #1 ...

Ms. Megumi Sasano, native of Izumisano, near Osaka, Japan, and now a newfound treasure to the entertainment industry of Los Angeles, has received her first anime credit for the iconic manga series Zetman. The first episode of the season aired in April 2012. Megumi shares screen credit with one other composer, Gabriele Roberto, with whom the labor of scoring has been divided. In addition to Zetman, she has been working with Ilsley music on some major features, one of which is an Ethan Hawke film to be released in October.

Her expedient lunge into the realm of Anime comes as ...

The children of Japanese-Americans who emigrated to the United States generations ago commonly acquire knowledge of their cultural heritage through second-hand sources. Unfortunately, as time passes special meanings can be diluted, forgotten, or even lost.

For those who attended the concert held in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the Japanese American National Museum on August 13, 2011, savoring the flavor and sounds of Japanese culture became a first-hand experience through the authentic performance by Yoko Fujimoto of Japan. Singing since childhood, Fujimoto cannot remember a time when she did not sing. She took to the stage and lit up the ...