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「1」

NANO has a message for fans – they are never alone. Human vulnerabilities – questions of self-worth and belonging, inner emotional battles – can be brutally painful when suffered in solitude. NANO’s songs are seemingly written to provide an antidote to the aching torments of existential loneliness.

NANO describes childhood memories of insecurities and periods of self-doubt. NANO talks about how music helped overcome the frailties of youth. NANO’s message is that one can triumph over the many challenges that fate presents. NANO wants to bring that message to the world through music.

「2」

Read NANO’s own soul-baring words to understand the depth of the emotions involved:

“All throughout my childhood, I had difficulties accepting who I was and was always comparing myself to those around me, and thus feeling inferior to everyone and thinking I had nowhere to belong.

I put a label on my own self and blamed the world outside for it.

But blaming the world for my own insecurities was the reason why I was in so much pain, and the reason why I was so alone.

I needed a way to face these insecurities and to overcome them, which is why I started writing and singing.

And slowly, I started feeling stronger enough to connect with the outer world again, with people, and realized that there were so many people who were struggling with themselves on the inside, just like me. In fact, perhaps in more pain and needed much more help than me.

That realization changed my outlook and motivated me to raise my voice, to venture out of my shell, and to reach for you.”

「3」

There aren’t many other rock musicians who expose themselves with such raw emotional honesty. NANO sees no need for labels but recognizes that labels can also bring a sense of community to others searching for answers. And that message of hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel is backed by NANO’s in person interactions with fans. NANO’s two-day residency at the anime exposition Matsuricon in August 2023 in Columbus, Ohio provided concrete examples of the integrity of NANO’s personal commitment to every single fan.

Organizers of anime festivals undoubtedly know that when they engage NANO, they will get a performer who puts on an unforgettable rock show. But they should also know that they are getting a performer who is fully committed to ensuring that each fan has a meaningful and rewarding experience.

Matsuricon featured a handful of live music performances in the main hall. NANO’s performance on Saturday afternoon was significantly more professional and more exciting than those of the – admittedly charming – YouTube personalities who sang goofy pirate chanties or covers of anime theme songs.

「4」

The affection between NANO and the fans who were at Matsuricon was evident throughout the event. Several indicated that they were attending Matsuricon for the sole purpose of seeing NANO. The age range at NANO’s concert was at least five decades. The average age of NANO’s audience seemed to be 21 to 25 years old. But there were many elementary school age kids in the audience and older fans who had grown up listening to the Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

Clov4r (Instagram: @clov4r.official), an aspiring singer/songwriter from Southern Indiana, was one of the younger attendees. Clov4r, dressed as Nana Komatsu from the manga Nana, was extraordinarily engaging and charming. She provided many insights into NANO’s impact on fans at Matsuricon. Clov4r said, “When I saw that she was coming to Matsuricon, I was so excited to get a chance to see a Japanese musician live! We rarely get such musical guests in the Midwest, so it was a unique opportunity. Up until the con, I would say I was a very casual listener of NANO since I had only really heard two of her songs. However, since seeing her at the convention, I have become a true fan.”

「5」

NANO can manipulate a truly sensational voice to indicate despair, hope, longing, joy, and myriad other emotions. NANO has a seemingly inexhaustible number of tricks that bring a broad palette of colors to the lyrics. These include fraught hard stops, unexpected crescendos, erotic gasps for air, heart-rending gulps, unbridled shouts of joy and more. These riveting and charged moments emerge organically from NANO’s personal engagement with the lyrics. There is no way that such moments can be plotted out and planned. The ardent shadings of meaning are even evident on NANO’s live streams on social media when a fan’s request results in a spontaneous acapella version of “Magenta” or “Nevereverland.”

There are literally dozens of great women vocalists from Japan. Virtually all of them bring high levels of fiery conviction. But there is no one quite like NANO. The color of NANO’s passionate and electrifying voice is somewhat akin to burnished bronze. The timbre – or perceived sound quality – of NANO’s voice has a warmth that enhances its ability to deliver an expansive range of raw emotion.  Listen to any song from any album and you will hear moments of staggering revelation. It is truly remarkable that NANO brings these moments to live performances, as was evident throughout the Matsuricon concert.

「6」

Two and a half hours before NANO’s scheduled 3:00 pm performance, people started to line up for the show. A young man from Pittsburgh spoke of the impact NANO had on him when he first heard NANO’s “No Pain, No Game” at 11 or 12 years old. “When you feel you’ve reached the last dead end/What will you do to save yourself from fate?” were words that, in his own words, changed his life.

These types of experiences were particularly moving, as several young people spoke of their personal struggles at difficult times in their lives and how NANO’s songs helped give them the resolve to keep fighting.

NANO’s concert on Saturday afternoon was the highlight of the weekend. No matter how well-recorded, mastered and mixed a studio recording is, there is something special about a live performance. The artist can’t hide. Fans are literally a few feet away. And live performances can vary significantly from studio recordings in ways that are surprising and enchanting. At Matsuricon, NANO displayed thrilling flashes of vocal grit that are usually absent from studio recordings. The 2013 live album Remember Your Color documents some of these spectacular moments of vocal sandpaper.

「7」

Clov4r shared her impressions of the concert. “NANO’s concert was amazing. Her live vocals are truly impressive, and she has a massive stage presence. She was very fun to listen to and watch! I was also impressed by the candor with which she spoke to her audience at the concert. She explained the meaning of every song and had many heartwarming and inspiring messages for her listeners. She encouraged the audience to be free with their expressions of enjoying the music, allowing them to cheer, dance, shout, etc. with a smile on her face.”

“Massive stage presence” is an apt description of NANO’s performance. Because NANO was accompanied by taped backing tracks, it was truly a solo performance. It can’t be easy to perform without a live band, especially when the sound check was “rough,” according to NANO’s own description. But NANO, alone on stage, was every bit the swaggering rock star. NANO strutted, posed, and preened. “Do you want a rock show? I’m going to give you a rock show.”

「8」

NANO was personable and engaging during the MC sections of the show. Four fans joined NANO on stage to provide comic dance accompaniment for the last song. Fans even got a bonus encore, with opening act Brandon McInnis joining NANO.

Clov4r referred to the impact NANO had on her. “I discovered NANO on Pandora a few years back. The first song I heard from her was “Kaleidoscope.”  As an aspiring musician, I am always listening for songs I want to cover or songs that inspire me, and I remember loving the sound and also the message of this song. Finding a “strength to light the way” was an idea that had really stuck with me. I had also heard her song “No Pain, No Game” which was another instant favorite.”

「9」

Going into Matsuricon, the expectation was that NANO would perform a set on Saturday and a Q&A at some point. Most fans would have been happy with just that. Instead, NANO appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies on Friday and Sunday, performed the incendiary concert on Saturday, followed by a formal autograph session.

Then, on Sunday, NANO did a full hour Q&A with fans. After the Q&A, NANO emceed an auction giveaway of setlists and posters at the FakeStar (NANO’s US management) booth in the main exhibition hall. NANO then held a supplementary autograph session, followed by individual photo opportunities. Many people at the Q&A and in the autograph line on Sunday had never heard of NANO before randomly attending the concert on Saturday. They had been easily converted into avid fans.

「10」

NANO did all of this on US Eastern Daylight Time. NANO had arrived in Columbus on Thursday afternoon. Veterans of international travel know that the five-hour time difference between New York City and London can be a challenge. It isn’t unheard of for businesspeople to fall asleep and almost hit the deck in the middle of a conversation while actually standing up, as RaijinRock learned many years ago in Cairo, Egypt. NANO performed the Matsuricon duties with a thirteen-hour time difference between Tokyo and Columbus. Yikes!

That means that NANO’s performance on Saturday afternoon was at the Tokyo equivalent of 4:00 a.m. NANO was undoubtedly energized by the adrenaline of a live performance. Nonetheless, it must have been absolutely exhausting. And, if one keeps up with NANO’s social media, one knows that NANO got through the entire weekend while subsisting on nothing more than far-too-sweet American yogurt (yes, it is a national disgrace) for four days.

「11」

The Q&A with NANO on Sunday was particularly instructive. NANO was asked about the perspectives and subject matter presented in lyrics that NANO has written. For example, there was a question regarding the relationship between the character presented in songs and NANO’s own identity. NANO’s response was along the lines of, “I have to put myself into the lyrics, because I think I owe emotional honesty to my fans.” That is a true example of artistic integrity.

Surprisingly, NANO has no formal voice training. One of the early challenges NANO faced was building up vocal stamina for live performances, saying that it was initially a struggle to just get through four songs. It took determination and hard work to achieve performance stamina. NANO referred several times to the importance of dedication and personal commitment. For example, NANO learned to sing Japanese songs as a child by using romaji (NANO was born and raised in New York City). While NANO is fully fluent in Japanese and reads and writes kanji, NANO said that English remains “the language of my heart.”

「12」

During the Q&A, NANO told a funny story about opening Twitter recently and being surprised to see the 10^th Anniversary Logo “X” at the top of the page. “Did they personalize the home page?” NANO asked, before discovering that the owner of Twitter had changed the name of the site to X, using a font just like NANO’s. “Now every time I wear my 10^th anniversary shirt with the X on the back, I feel like I’m advertising for him.”

「13」

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Q&A with NANO was how NANO turned the questions into a true dialogue with the audience. When asked, “what artists would you like to work with?” NANO immediately asked the audience, “who do you think I should work with?” Similarly, when asked “what are your most underrated songs?” NANO asked, “what do you think are my underrated songs?” NANO was not avoiding the questions, because a personal response was always forthcoming. Instead, NANO was demonstrating a desire for constant learning and growth.

Clov4r noticed this as well, saying “This manner continued into her Q&A the next day where she showed such kind consideration and a genuine interest in having an exchange with the attendees. She didn’t seem to only want to talk about herself. She answered the questions, but also asked her fans questions. She turned the Q&A session into a conversation.”

Clov4r added, “I also appreciated that she asked the attendees what they liked to listen to and which of her songs they’d like to see performed at her next performance. Amazingly, after getting this feedback, I noticed that her discord created a ‘your dream setlist’ channel, where fans could continue this conversation and give suggestions of songs they would like to see her perform. To me, this shows a high level of interest in her audience and again a genuine desire to engage them. I was very impressed by this.”

「14」

NANO’s engagement with the fans never seemed forced or fake. Everyone in the autograph lines on Saturday and Sunday wanted to say something personal to NANO. NANO spent time with each person, looking them in the eyes and responding with genuine interest. Impressively, NANO remembered individuals from earlier interactions.

Clov4r noticed this as well, saying, “After the Q&A, I attended her meet and greet and got a photo with her. She thanked me for coming to the Q&A and encouraged me again to continue making music, which was incredibly kind. I now have this photo in my home-recording space to remind me of her advice to keep going.”

「15」

The impact of NANO’s interactions was well described by Clov4r, “Personally, I was of course impressed by the responses she gave me as an aspiring singer. I asked her questions about improving my Japanese when singing and how to get my music out there more. And she responded in constructive ways by talking about listening carefully to the language in the songs I am learning and using streaming platforms more. But she also responded in very personally encouraging ways, by telling me to become comfortable with my unique voice and way of doing things, and to keep putting my music and content out there even if the viewing/streaming numbers are low. She said to just keep doing it and not to give up, because you never know what will be the one thing that takes off. These responses coming from a professional had a big impact on me.”

「16」

Most Japanese rock stars are cyphers to their most devoted fans. Their social media posts are often fully dedicated to publicizing concerts and hawking t-shirts and promotional goods. NANO breaks this mold to smithereens. Engaging with fans, trying to learn from them, sharing personal struggles, expressing support, NANO is truly unique.

In the summer of 2023, NANO performed at anime conventions in Dallas, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, Columbus. NANO will soon be performing at a convention in the Philippines and another one, with live band, in Kassel, Germany. Obviously, NANO’s message of hope and empowerment has a universal appeal. NANO will undoubtedly continue to engage with and inspire young people, especially students and aspiring musicians.

「17」

There may be no other rock artist who engages with fans on such an intensely personal level as NANO. NANO’s repeated cries of “I love you; I love you; I love you” at the conclusion of the 2013 live album Remember Your Color are breathtaking. But those cries of love are genuine, as is evident from NANO’s commitment to fans ten years later.

Clov4r summed up NANO’s impact in a way that speaks to the power of NANO’s message: “In conclusion, I went to Matsuricon knowing the bare minimum about NANO, but I left with a deep appreciation for her as an artist and a person. I hope others will discover and enjoy the music and messages she has to offer, and I’m looking forward to covering some of her songs in the future!”

Many thanks to Clov4r for providing her insights into NANO’s appearances at Matsuricon. Please follow Clov4r on Instagram @clov4r.official.

For the Japanese version of this article, please click on “Japanese” at the top of the page.

ページトップの「日本語」をクリックすると、本記事の日本語版を閲覧できます。