“I strive to be a bridge that leads one culture to another”: Meet THE CHARM PARK!

THE CHARM PARK talks about working with Rei Yasuda, his collaborations with Ohashi Trio, Japanese music recommendations, geographic differences between listening habits, and more.

For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “THE CHARM PARK is ___” or “THE CHARM PARK’s music is ___”? 

To be honest, I really can’t objectively describe my music to anyone who has never heard my music. However, having a bit of a complex background (born in Korea, raised in Los Angeles, [and] currently residing in Japan), I think it’s safe to say that my music portrays my background by being somewhere between East Asian and American music. I would like to think that I am the gray between the black and white, and I strive to be a bridge that leads one culture to another.

Did anything specific inspire your stage name, and did you consider any other names before “THE CHARM PARK”? 

I always loved bands, and I didn’t want people to know THE CHARM PARK was a one-man operation, so I just stuck “THE” in front of my name. I did start this project with the same name, but as one word, “theCharmPark.” I decided to change it when some platforms wouldn’t let me capitalize the letters in between, and it looked terrible without it!

Did you always intend to be a producer and a musician, or did one interest form before the other? 

During my high school years, when I would try and picture myself in the future, music was the only thing that I could imagine myself doing until I was old and/or retired. That being said, I never thought I would be in Japan, [let alone] singing and producing [for] other artists along with my own music. I’ve always imagined myself [as] a guitarist in a band, or a session guitarist for other artists, but life rarely goes the way you plan. 

What led to your decision to move to Japan? 

After college, I spent about two years back home and started writing songs for my demo portfolio. I was recording guitars for K-pop artists at the time, but I still couldn’t decide if I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. As the songs piled up, I started to send the demos to a few labels my favorite musicians were signed to, and the person that replied the fastest - after two days, to be exact - was [someone] from Sony Music Japan. One thing led to another, [and I ended up] in Japan for almost fourteen years, a country I barely spoke the language of and [in which I] had only a handful of acquaintances.

What was the transition like for you when you first moved to Japan? Was there a sense of culture shock when you got there? 

Anyone who appreciates Japanese culture will be in awe when they first come to Japan. Everything I experienced was surreal, and the first few years I felt like I was living in a strange but beautiful dream. Being raised in the suburbs in California, Tokyo was like Opposite Land for me. A lot of walking, public transportation, cars in the opposite lanes, no tips…! Japan has become more of a home than a destination for me, since I [have now] lived more than a third of my life here.

Have you noticed any major differences between how people make or listen to music in Japan compared to people in the United States? 

I can only speak in general, since everyone listens to music with their own preferences, but a lot of people that I know in Japan will listen to the lyrics of a song more keenly than my friends back in the States. Even when working on a song here in Japan, the engineer or the director will purposely make the vocals way louder than the whole band, just so that people will be able to hear the lyrics clearly. That being said, I also have many friends in Japan who listen to mostly English songs and don’t know what they’re singing. So I guess it differs from person to person.

If someone told you they had not listened to much Japanese music before, which artists would you recommend they start with? 

I would definitely recommend artists depending on what kind of music the person prefers. As for me, I love guitar solos and fast music, so X-JAPAN and SIAM SHADE were my gateways into Japanese music. If you love meticulously-sculpted J-pop masterpieces, I would recommend Matsutoya Yumi and Yamashita Tatsuro. I would recommend Quruli or Sheena Ringo to people who prefer a bit more interesting music, and if I had to pick one artist that’s defining Japanese music now, it would probably be YOASOBI. 

How did you end up making a collaboration album with Ohashi Trio? 

I first discovered Ohashi Trio’s music back in 2008, when I was back in California making my demos. I didn’t understand most of the lyrics, but the music and his tone were very captivating. He was probably the artist I listened to the most in those years. In 2016, I became friends with Kamiya Junpei, who plays drums for countless artists. Through him, I found out Ohashi’s band needed a new guitarist, and they offered [for] me to play, which I accepted wholeheartedly. After a few years of touring, recording, [and] writing with Ohashi, we started touring as a duo, and that naturally inspired us to make an album.

Which song on Trio & Charm… 

… is your personal favorite, and why?

I’m sure my answer will change every time [I’m] asked, but my favorite at the moment is “Mr. Ghost.” We recently sang it at a live event, and I have good memories of it.

… was the fastest and/or the easiest to make, and why?

Writing “The Yonder” was very natural for me, so that was very easy and enjoyable to make. This traditional acoustic song was what Ohashi and I were trying to pursue, and I felt like all we had to do was be ourselves.

… was the most challenging to make, and why? 

Surprisingly, our self-covers, “Dear Sunshine,” and “timemachine,” were very challenging to make. We didn’t want to change the essences of the songs, but we didn’t want them to be carbon copies of the originals either. I think we found a good balance for both, though.

… would be the best choice for a future music video, and why?

I really haven’t thought that hard about it, but I would love to see what kind of visuals someone could make with our rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Every rendition of this song has a BIG musical climax and catharsis at the end. I really wanted a version where the music itself is very calm and steady until the very end, but nevertheless, there is a turbulence within. Also, Paul Simon is the best!

What is the story behind you and Rei Yasuda collaborating? 

Rei Yasuda is an FM radio DJ [on a show] I had the privilege of being a guest on, and during those encounters, we would always talk afterwards about making something together. After a few years, Rei’s label asked me to write and produce a few of her new projects, and I was delighted. Rei Yasuda is an awesome artist and a monster singer! I just had a blast writing and producing those songs with her.

Besides Rei Yasuda and Ohashi Trio, what are some of your other most memorable collaborations? 

2023 was a year of collaborations for me. Great artists like Ai Higuchi, Anly, Miyuna, Hakubi, haju:harmonics, and MORISAKI WIN released music I was a part of, and I’m also grateful that artists outside of Japan, such as STAMP from Thailand and Alex Siegel from the States, reached out to me to collaborate. Just the fact that other musicians want to make something together because of the music I make is something that I can and will never forget.

What are your short-term and long-term career goals?

[In the] short term, I have to find time to make more music. [In the] long term, I want to be able to make music without any worries.

Lastly, is there anything else you want to say about yourself or your music?

Thank you to everyone who [has] listened to anything I [have] ever made or been a part of. Also, thank you for this interview. It’s been a while since I was able to reflect on myself. I had fun.

Check out Trio & Charm here!

Answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Photo courtesy of THE CHARM PARK.