The Star Malaysia - Star2

Anna Tsuchiya

The Japanese rock star hopes to make a splash with her first performanc­e in Malaysia.

- By SETO KIT YAN entertainm­ent@thestar.com.my

QUEEN of J-rock Anna Tsuchiya is set to headline the very first Japan x Malaysia Friendship Concert 2017, which marks the special occasion of the 60th anniversar­y of business collaborat­ions between the two countries.

“I am so happy about this concert as I have wanted to do this for a long time. I am looking forward to playing in Malaysia and exploring the beautiful country,” she expressed with excitement in a recent Skype interview from Japan.

Born in Tokyo of Japanese and PolishAmer­ican parentage, Tsuchiya’s exotic looks led her to embark on a showbiz career starting with modelling at age 14, before going on to making music and acting in films.

The 33-year-old rocker now has 15 films and some 30 music releases.

Joining the award-winning rocker at the concert are fellow Japanese acts dance rock band An Cafe, electro/rap duo Charisma.com, girl group Juice=Juice and Tomomi Itano (formerly from mega girl group AKB48).

Malaysian artistes set to perform include Bunkface, Fazz, Joe Flizzow, Jaclyn Victor and Alvin Chong.

. ro e t ts re your urre t

I am planning for a concert tour titled Color. The title here refers to the varied characteri­stics of human personalit­ies. I want to express this diversity through music, so my team and I are now in the process of discussing how we can do that during the concert.

. ow re you your t ye ri elebr ti s owbi

Seeing that it is my 15th year in this business – and we are celebratin­g it with a live tour – I am trying to approach all those who have worked with me in the past so that we can collaborat­e again.

As for myself, skills-wise, I hope to be a little bit more expressive. I am hoping this will improve my performanc­e and my music.

The one thing that has not changed for me is that I have never lost the hunger or passion. But, of course it has been 15 years, so I have experience­d many things that will obviously affect my style.

I used to be more hard-headed and only wanted to do rock (genre). But, I have softened my stance and realised that it doesn’t always have to be rock. Now, I don’t mind trying out other genres, as long as I can do it my way.

3. It will be your first visit to l ysi . y e iti

l s ere

I really like oceans and beaches a lot. I have been doing some research, and I discovered that Malaysia has got so many beautiful beaches, nice architectu­re and delicious cuisine. Of course, I would like to experience all of them if I have the time.

I love diving as well, so it will be great if I can do that. I would like to request to do a TV show on diving destinatio­ns. I will bring along my bikini and shoot a music video (on the beaches of ) Malaysia.

But more than that, the most important thing is, I am looking forward to getting to know Malaysia.

I want to know what kind of expression or behaviour people have there, because I am working on the Color theme. If possible, I would like to incorporat­e it into the live tour that I am planning.

t . l e

t ysi o f ert your s e e t t

Most people know me best from Nana (Japanese manga series), so I will be performing songs from the animation series, which mostly have a heavy J-rock influence.

Because it is a live performanc­e, I hope the audience will be able to feel the energy. I want everyone to have fun.

ill you er i l ysi e t to your erfor e su s si i lo l fol so li e Rasa Sayang but oi it i your style . o si ele

Oh, I have heard that song before. Yes, I will definitely do that. And, I look forward to seeing everyone singing along.

The Japan x Malaysia Friendship Concert 2017 will be staged at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach, Subang Jaya on Sept 23 at 6pm. Tickets are priced at RM128, RM238, RM288, RM378 and RM428.Contact AirAsiaRed­Tix (airasiared­tix. com/support@airasiared­tix.com) or Toybox Projects Hotline (info@toyboxproj­ects.com/012 330 3108) for more info or to purchase tickets.

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