I mention all this because Asuca titled her event “Song of the Earth,” and she had arranged for her friends to serve a healthy, vegan lunch before the show. Even though the neighborhood seemed ultra-modern and somewhat sterile, it was a place where people were thinking about the relationship to the environment in new ways. So, maybe this was a fitting location for her event. 

I have known Asuca since presenting her at CRS in NYC in 2011 and then again in 2012 and 2019. She had burst onto the scene and into the Japanese Top 40 in 2003 as a petite 13-year-old with a surprisingly big, mature voice. More reminiscent of American soul singers than the typical young J-pop stars, Asuca scored hits with “ake-kaze” or “Tomorrow’s Wind” (明日風) off her debut album, “Saku” (咲) and “Chiisaki Mono” or “Make a Wish” (小さきもの), which appeared on the “Pokémon the Movie: Jirachi: Wish Maker” soundtrack. Successful in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, as well as Japan, she recorded a series of successful follow-up records and appeared on various other TV and film soundtracks. When we met, she was, at 22, already a veteran of the recording industry, but now without label representation and in search of fresh inspiration and a path forward as an adult seeking to make her own choices.

The following year, she married Satoshi Ishii, who had won the gold medal in Olympic Judo at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. They had a child and moved to Europe, but their time there, far from her family and friends, was turbulent, and they divorced in 2016. 

“I started being a single mother when my child was 1 year old. At first, I was abroad with no family, so it was almost like a panic at the beginning. (laughs) Without any time to immerse myself in the loving days, every day, I carried my big son in a baby carrier to the point of developing a chronic condition in my lower back.”

When she returned to NYC in 2019, she was a single mother, living at home with her son back in Osaka and again searching for her path forward. Motherhood had forced her to reflect on what kind of world she wanted for her child and how our choices, individually and collectively, shape it. She became passionate about environmental causes and healthy, sustainable living. Little by little, she was determined to resume her musical career in a way that would bring attention to environmental issues and make a positive impact.

“I loved children so much that I wanted to become a kindergarten teacher from a young age, but I think the pressure of being responsible for and raising my own child, my own life, was tremendous. When my child was around 5 years old, I lost the balance between being myself at work, being a mother, and being an ordinary person, so I emigrated abroad for a short while. It may have allowed me to completely break free. It was a precious time when I could firmly believe that ‘it’s okay for me to be myself.’ An angry mother, a laughing mother, a kind mother, a panicked mother. My child loves me altogether. He gives me unsparing love and teaches me about wonderful emotions, scenery, and the wonderfulness of the ordinary.”

In 2021, she asked me to write a song for her. I told her I had never written a song before and didn’t know if I could do that, certainly not one worthy of a famous singer like her! But she believed I knew her well enough to write something that spoke to her. And so I tried.

I read several of her recent blog posts using computer translation and wrote down words that popped out for me. Arranging them into phrases and rhyming, I somehow quickly shaped them into verses and chorus about the interconnectedness of motherhood and Mother Nature. Asuca liked it so much that she soon composed music for it and recorded it, singing in English and collaborating with pianist Akira Matsumura, and released a single as “MothersWork” with a percentage of proceeds going to the NGO African Women Rising.

Mother’s work is never done.
She plants her seeds
And one by one
she works her magic.

I don’t know whether she planted the seed in me or I in her. The song seemed to sprout of its own accord. Asuca says, “It was a gift that came naturally, and a form of healing for myself. I think the project came full circle with the donation proposal. I still have a warm connection with the Woman Rising organization.” She had her first original song to express this new stage of her life and career, and I accomplished something I never expected I could or would ever do. It was healing for both of us.

We stayed in touch, periodically discussing how musicians can use their platforms to make the world a better place. She told me, “From the time I made my debut, for some reason, there were many songs themed around the natural environment, the earth, and the planet. I also had opportunities to plant seeds, create gardens, and engage with nature. As an adult, if I have the opportunity to make my own choices, I feel that I want to convey a message about the earth, love, and peace once again.”

I asked her what she wanted to do next. She responded that she wanted to continue down this path. “I do want to shape my own unique worldview into a single form. However, I intend to continue releasing good songs and projects regardless of genre.” In the summer, Asuca presented her second Song of the Earth concert. 

On November 2, she’ll take a bigger step. The Konica Minolta Planetaria TOKYO will present “Asuka Hayashi Inner Light of Us and Star – Inner Light and Star,” Asuca’s first ever planetarium concert. Attendees will be able to listen to Asuca’s voice, accompanied only by pianist Yusho Kiyono, echoing under the starry sky while they meditate on the light that we all share.  

From being a child star and touring internationally away from her family to marrying and becoming a mother and then unexpectedly a single mother all alone in Europe, to healing and rediscovering herself in the light and love of her young son, Asuca has been through a lot and accomplished a lot. And yet she’s still young and, her feet firmly planted on the ground, reaching for the stars. With her big voice and big heart, I look forward to seeing how she shares her light in the days and years to come.

You can follow Asuca at:
https://www.instagram.com/asuca_hayashi_info/