It was something I wanted to do, you know, since I was, you know, 5 years old. And I never thought I would have the opportunity—you know, because in the United States the word enka is not even, you know, known. So, you know, that childhood dream of mine, you know, always stuck with me and, you know, whenever I was able to speak Japanese and became confident in speaking Japanese, that was a big turning point for me. You know, when I first came to Japan, when I was 15, and then again as an exchange student in college. That—you know, I said well at least I need to at least try to, you know…you know pursue my dream, because, you know, that always stuck with me and its something I knew I wouldn’t be able to do in the U.S. So I went to Japan in 2003 and, you know, worked and, you know, did music part-time…and you know did things on my own and things just, you know, grew from there…and you know…took, you know, small steps here and there, and you know, here I am, you know.
Date: March 30, 2010
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura
Contributed by: Interview by Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum. Courtesy of Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
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