Yoko's Mini Documentary on USN Report
Chino Nunez @ Lincoln Cener with Ray Sepulveda
Japanese Salsera: Born to sing salsa!
Hailing from Osaka, Japan, Yoko was born to sing salsa.
Yoko’s singing career began at the age of fifteen when she fronted a local rock band in Osaka. While attending the Kyoto University of Foreign Language, Yoko majored in Spanish language studies, which provided her with an excellent foundation in Spanish. Around the same time, Yoko discovered the music of salsa and she was immediately hooked. She wanted to learn more about the musical genre of salsa, but she was unsure if it even existed in Japan.
As a part-time job, Yoko started singing at local jazz clubs, and it didn't take long before her great talent was discovered In 1996 she was asked to join the salsa band ‘Conjunto Mamborama’ as a vocalist. They performed regularly at a salsa club in Osaka called Pata Pata De La Salsa. With her big voice and powerful lungs, singing in a large club like Pata Pata was a great opportunity for Yoko. At that point she completely abandoned her career as a jazz singer. Word of her talent got out among musicians in Japan, and she was invited to sing as the main vocalist for ‘Las Estrellas’, a salsa band formed by the former members of the famous Japanese salsa band "Orquesta De la Luz".
In 1997, she moved to the United States and started performing with local band and her own group. In 2004 she was invited to perform in Japan with Herman Olivera, a prestigious figure within the New York salsa scene who is currently the lead singer of the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra.
In 2006, Yoko found a great production team, who believe strongly in her talent and potential. Mr. Willie Ruiz, Yoko’s musical director, comments that, “if you don’t see her in person, you’d never know if it was a Japanese or an Hispanic woman singing."
After her debut with Chino Nunez and Friends at the New York Salsa Congress in 2006, she became a lead singer of the band and sang the duet "Hoy les cantamos" with international salsa star Ray Sepulveda on Chino's second album "Dr. Salsa". This became an international hit, topping the chart in Pamana. The song was also featured on XM Caliente in April 2008. Earlier that same year, riding the success of “Dr. Salsa,” Yoko toured Greece with Chino.
On October 25th 2008, Yoko's debut album entitled “Yoko, La Japonesa Salsera” was released at New York City’s prestigious SOBS, and was immediately greeted with critical acclaim and praise. Since the album's release, it has made several astounding achievements. Descarga.com, the largest resource for Salsa music online, chose “Yoko, La Japonesa Salsera” as one of its best albums of 2008. The album reached the number one slot several times on Latin Beat's New York Chart, and Yoko has also topped the internet radio charts, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a debut album.
In March 2009, Yoko, now Salsa’s hottest rising star, was the only female vocalist invited by Salsa legend Johnny Pacheco to perform at his 74th Birthday Celebration in Town Hall. The performance was a tribute to his legendary life in music. She shared the stage with one of Salsa’s biggest international stars, Andy Montañez from Puerto Rico as well.
In just three short years Yoko has become one of the most recognizable faces in the Salsa industry, and an iconic force in keeping the spirit of Salsa music alive!
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¡Yoko es de Osaka, Japón y nació para cantar salsa!
Inició su carrera artística s los quince años como vocalista en una banda de Rock en Osaka. Años más tarde se especializó en el estudio del idioma español en Kyoto University of Foreign Languages y durante esa época descubrió la salsa. Al principio cantaba en clubes de jazz en Osaka y fue en uno de estos, en 1996, donde se descubrió su talento, cuando la orquesta salsera “ Orquesta Mamborama” la invitó a formar parte como vocalista principal. Mamborama se presentaba con frecuencia en el famoso club Pata Pata de la Salsa, en Osaka; sin embargo, en aquel entonces la salsa aún no era muy popular en Japón.
En el ambiente musical de Japón se escuchaban rumores sobre esta nueva y energética voz salsera y no pasó mucho tiempo antes de que “La estrellas”, una orquesta salsera integrada por antiguos miembros de la famosa orquesta japonesa “Orquesta de la Luz”, invitaran a Yoko a formar parte de ellos como vocalista principal.
En 1997, Yoko se trasladó a Nueva York donde continuó cantando en varios clubes. En 2004 la invitaron a presentarse en Japón con Herman Olivera, una gran figura del ambiente salsero de Nueva York y actual vocalista principal de la orquesta de Eddie Palmieri.
Su gran debut tuvo lugar en el Congreso de la Salsa de Nueva York, en 2006, donde se presentó con la orquesta Chino Nuñez and Friends. Más tarde se convirtió en la vocalista principal y participó en la grabación del segundo álbum de Chino Nuñez, “Dr. Salsa”; en el cual canta a dúo con Ray Sepulveda “Hoy les cantamos”; aclamado tema internacional que se convirtió en el No.1 en Panamá y se escuchó en XM Caliente en abril de 2008.
En la Gran Manzana, donde tantos artistas y músicos talentosos compiten por el éxito, el camino ha sido arduo, pero Yoko ha logrado mantenerse a la cabeza de la competencia.
Como todo srtista, su sueño ha sido grabar su propio álbum, para así llevar su voz y su ritmo a todos los rincones del mundo. Esa oportunidad por fín se presentó en 2007 cuando Yoko encontró un excelente equipo de producción y puso en marcha la grabación de su primer disco como solista. El Sr. Willie Ruiz, su director musical, comenta que “si no la ves en persona nunca sabrías que es una japonesa y no una hispana quien canta”.
¡Yoko es de Osaka, Japón y nació para cantar salsa!
