interviews
- 11 AprIntroducing the Chloé Women in Tokyo
Chloé is in Tokyo to spotlight the city’s brightest female creatives.
HARUKA HIRATA
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Curious, honest, and sensitive
2. How long ago did you establish Big Love Records and what inspired you to do it?
We launched Big Love Records in 2008 to introduce the latest international underground/independent musicians and artists. Co-founder Naka wanted a fresh start for his former label/shop he ran for 15 years. We aim to build a diverse community supporting each other connected through music.
3. Who are some of your most important musical influences?
Co-founder/ business partner Naka.
4. What continues to enthrall you about vinyl records specifically?
You need to stand up to flip or skip. Heavy to carry. Hard to store. Expensive. They are unsurprisingly inconvenient. And so they are real. Overly convenient lose humanity. I love the intimacy between the musicians, the artists, the label people, the pressing plant, the record shop…everyone involved in a record. And I feel them in the air when I play it with a record player. A record makes your ordinary day a bit special, and that’s what we all need.
5. What does womanhood mean to you?
A label imposed by the social system.
Gender doesn’t matter. We should all value the “adulthood” quality by respecting each other. Any roles we assign to others are cheat tools only to skip the “understanding” procedure.
6. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
One of the most inspiring women to me is the Tsuzumi hand-drum player Sataro Tanaka IX who was admitted as the first female instrument performer in the male-only Kabuki theatre. Her endless effort of practice and passion changed history, and she has been training numbers of young players regardless of their gender.
7. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
We need more opportunities to listen to the voices facing challenges and inequalities only because they’re born as women.
Anybody with power should become their megaphone. Even if you feel powerless, let’s start from not doing the same thing as our neighbors, stop the labeling and start to learn.
MOMO OKABE
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Rebellious, free and transcendent.
2. What made you decide to become a photographer and how long have you been doing it?
Inspired by Nobuyoshi Araki's photographic book "Sentimental Journey/Winter Journey" I started when I was 17, so it has been more than 20 years now.
3. What continues to inspire you about being a photographer?
The memory of my childhood. It is also influenced by the work of Yumiko Oshima.
4. What does womanhood mean to you?
Toughness and strength.
5. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
Women who show how to live their lives without being bound by anything.
6. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
To not be afraid and believe in others and in oneself.
KOM_I
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Cat, Octopus, Sea cucumber.
2. What made you decide to become a musician and how long have you been doing it?
I wasn’t sure what I was doing early on in my career. After performing many times on stage, I fell in love with witnessing something even you didn’t expect happens during performance. And I've been doing it for 10 years now.
3. What continues to inspire you about being a musician?
Nature, creature, and tradition.
4. What does womanhood mean to you?
The strength of sharing fragility.
5. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
A few years ago, a close friend lost her partner and she was broken. But she opened up and asked her close friends for help. We visited her in turns for over a month until she felt better. I felt blessed to support her because she'd always cared for me. I’ve often witnessed women sharing their fragility – it is a great strategy for staying strong in the long run. I wish everyone used this simple magic!
6. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
Recognizing certain femininity within men can shake up our preconceived gender norms.
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Curious, honest, and sensitive
2. How long ago did you establish Big Love Records and what inspired you to do it?
We launched Big Love Records in 2008 to introduce the latest international underground/independent musicians and artists. Co-founder Naka wanted a fresh start for his former label/shop he ran for 15 years. We aim to build a diverse community supporting each other connected through music.
3. Who are some of your most important musical influences?
Co-founder/ business partner Naka.
4. What continues to enthrall you about vinyl records specifically?
You need to stand up to flip or skip. Heavy to carry. Hard to store. Expensive. They are unsurprisingly inconvenient. And so they are real. Overly convenient lose humanity. I love the intimacy between the musicians, the artists, the label people, the pressing plant, the record shop…everyone involved in a record. And I feel them in the air when I play it with a record player. A record makes your ordinary day a bit special, and that’s what we all need.
5. What does womanhood mean to you?
A label imposed by the social system.
Gender doesn’t matter. We should all value the “adulthood” quality by respecting each other. Any roles we assign to others are cheat tools only to skip the “understanding” procedure.
6. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
One of the most inspiring women to me is the Tsuzumi hand-drum player Sataro Tanaka IX who was admitted as the first female instrument performer in the male-only Kabuki theatre. Her endless effort of practice and passion changed history, and she has been training numbers of young players regardless of their gender.
7. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
We need more opportunities to listen to the voices facing challenges and inequalities only because they’re born as women.
Anybody with power should become their megaphone. Even if you feel powerless, let’s start from not doing the same thing as our neighbors, stop the labeling and start to learn.
MOMO OKABE
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Rebellious, free and transcendent.
2. What made you decide to become a photographer and how long have you been doing it?
Inspired by Nobuyoshi Araki's photographic book "Sentimental Journey/Winter Journey" I started when I was 17, so it has been more than 20 years now.
3. What continues to inspire you about being a photographer?
The memory of my childhood. It is also influenced by the work of Yumiko Oshima.
4. What does womanhood mean to you?
Toughness and strength.
5. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
Women who show how to live their lives without being bound by anything.
6. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
To not be afraid and believe in others and in oneself.
KOM_I
1. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Cat, Octopus, Sea cucumber.
2. What made you decide to become a musician and how long have you been doing it?
I wasn’t sure what I was doing early on in my career. After performing many times on stage, I fell in love with witnessing something even you didn’t expect happens during performance. And I've been doing it for 10 years now.
3. What continues to inspire you about being a musician?
Nature, creature, and tradition.
4. What does womanhood mean to you?
The strength of sharing fragility.
5. What are some of the best examples of women helping women you have witnessed?
A few years ago, a close friend lost her partner and she was broken. But she opened up and asked her close friends for help. We visited her in turns for over a month until she felt better. I felt blessed to support her because she'd always cared for me. I’ve often witnessed women sharing their fragility – it is a great strategy for staying strong in the long run. I wish everyone used this simple magic!
6. Name one thing we can do to empower women today.
Recognizing certain femininity within men can shake up our preconceived gender norms.
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