ERIKA

"Erika’s voice is filled with sentiment and warmth.

She integrates both passion and gentle emotion into her lyrics"

- DR. Lonnie Smith

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"HER SINGING IS HEARTFELT AND HONEST. SHE SINGS WITH DEPTH AND PASSION. WHAT A JOY TO HEAR HER." Sheila Jordan



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A journey of love gives birth to “Obsession.”



Erika Matsuo’s debut album, OBSESSION, takes listeners on a journey of love that travels between jazz and Brazilian Popular Music (Musica Popular Brasileira or MPB), culminating with her original compositions. A special treat for world music lovers as well as jazz fans, with classics by the likes of Billy Strayhorn and Cole Porter, OBSESSION also includes interpretations of tracks from Brazilian greats Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque and Djavan in Portuguese, and two of her original tracks in Japanese. Whether or not one understands the lyrics, through Erika’s delivery nothing is lost in translation.



A native of Japan, Erika’s love for music surfaced at an early age when she began to study classical piano in her pre-teenage years. By the time she reached her late teens, her all-girl rock group, Tear Drops, had won first prize in one of Japan’s most respected teen music competitions, the Yamaha Teen Music Festival. Through a chance meeting with Quasimode pianist Yusuke Hirado, Erika was invited to New York to tour as the lead vocalist of his jazz group.



After relocating to New York City, she immersed herself in the city’s jazz scene, exploring the genre’s wide spectrum of colors with everything from straight-ahead to Brazilian jazz. Along the way, she had the opportunity to study under and perform with notable musicians the likes of Sheila Jordan, and at such distinguished venues as BB Kings, Sweet Rhythm and S.O.B.’s. The contribution these combined experiences have made to her artistry is evident in the accolades she continues to gain back home in Japan where she tours regularly. In March of 2007, Erika won first prize in the Asakusa Jazz Contest, Japan’s number one jazz contest. Later that year, featured in Coca Cola’s So-Ken-Bi Cha TV commercial, her voice became one of the most recognized in the nation.



Supported by a dynamite team of musicians, with OBSESSION Erika delivers interpretations of jazz classics and MPB hits with an innocence and range of emotion that is engaging. From the excitement and anticipation of being with the object of one’s affection expressed in the Van Morrison’s classic, “Moondance,” to the saudade* (or setsunai**) found in Milton Nascimento’s “Bridges/ Travessia,” as stated by legendary jazzman and Hammond B3 organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, “Erika’s voice is filled with sentiment and warmth… integrating both passion and gentle emotion into her lyrics.”



*Saudade – a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost.

**Setsunai – The Japanese equivalent of Saudade.