Seemingly overnight, the coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it. But despite the pressure to #stayhome, people are finding creative ways to spice up life in the “New Normal”.
When Yuki Takeda learned about singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino’s “Dancing on the Inside” collaborative project, he felt he could realize the song title’s potential by making the tune more danceable. He did just that by creating a samba version in a single day. Not only is Yuki well-versed in various music genres, he also happens to be a world champion whistler.
Yuki spoke from his home in a town in the Philippines famed for its hot springs. The town has been in lockdown for 62 days as of May 15.
–What have you been up to recently?
I offer online lessons on English pronunciation and whistling, and in the meantime, I record music performance videos. I feel I’ve actually become busier than before—now that people are at home with more time on their hands, there’s a bigger demand for what I do.
I live in a rural town and there aren’t people who play the kind of music I’m interested in, so I’ve always wanted to collaborate online. I uploaded my first collaborative performance video in mid-January. Immediately afterwards, lockdowns began all around the world. People who saw my videos contacted me to say, “Hey, let’s do a musical collaboration.” Actually, I’ve been getting so many requests, it’s an effort to keep up! Normally, we decide on a song, one of us records first, the other person records over the first person, and then I edit and mix the music before uploading.
–What’s the best part about online collaboration?
I used to think that if you want to perform with someone who lives abroad, you have to go there. But actually, combining recordings works too. So the best part is that it lets you perform with people in unexpected ways. 90% of my collaborations are with people I’ve never met in person, and most of them are Venezuelan.
I’ve been into Venezuelan music for 10 years now, and I have a lot of Venezuelan followers on Instagram. With the 2015 crisis, there are Venezuelans everywhere in the world, from US and Chile to Germany and France. They feel nostalgic about their home country and support non-Venezuelans playing their music. But nobody plays Venezuelan music in the Philippines, and there are only so many instruments you can play on your own. So I collaborate with people who play the guitar, who sing, who play the flute, and so on.
–What do you enjoy doing most these days?
I’m really enjoying giving lessons on English pronunciation. I’m getting more students, so I make more discoveries, like finding out what words trip people up. I can use that discovery to improve my next lesson, so my students are getting better and better. I figured a lot of people are at home now, so I offered lessons on social media and got a big response. It made me think that I’m not the only one who feels how we spend our time these few months directly relates to life after coronavirus–whether you spend these months watching Netflix, or whether you work to gain a new skill.
I’m hoping to summarize my music in a portfolio, and also get better at shooting and editing videos. I’m also working on creating textbooks for English pronunciation lessons.
Everyone’s looking for entertainment or something cheerful these days, so I want to provide that whenever I can.
