Meet the Japanese Queen

Fake Out / Japanese Queen / Game In Rio

I’m not a dancehall or baile funk expert. I’m not even sure I know what exactly dancehall is besides something Sean Paul seems to do very well. Furthermore, I don’t even really like dancehall. I guess I’m just not sophisticated enough to appreciate the inner workings of a Jamaican accent. Or any foreign accent. Because when M.I.A. or Sean Paul open their mouths, I’m aware somewhere in the back of my mind that this is English, but as information travels along the nerve endings my brain just short circuits and fails to descramble what it is they’re saying. “Oh ahn the way they dance come on wanna be keepin’ you on, I got the right temperature hot fish you from the start awwww lawd, gonna be the papa you can be the mom uh-oh, fight me lenin faught me naughty! Hey! All mah girls! All mah girls! Baby girl!“

Which is why, perhaps, it’s so strange that I am really digging Tigarah. Once a political science major in her native Japan, she decided to take some time off to visit South America, where she perfected the style of, um…her particular style. Which is dancehall. Ish. Well, all that matters is that it’s good, nay, exceptionally good.

The first song I heard was the French remix of “Japanese Queen” and it immediately struck me as ridiculously catchy and radio-friendly. And unlike Sean Paul’s garble, my ears are perfectly capable of handling something when I know it’s not a language I understand. Except the French. I took four years of it in high school and I refuse to submit until I translate every single word they rap. And believe it or not, the original “Japanese Queen” is even better. It’s loud, in your face, funk-tastic music.

So far, she’s only released a short EP of songs, but you’re free to sample the disc on her official web site, along with dozens of remixes just as catchy as the originals. It’s not to be taken seriously and I think that’s what drew me to her music in the first place. I suggest you have fun with this one.

♫ Official Site