If you haven’t already immersed yourself in Satsuki’s new single Sister Song, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it now. The track is a dreamy slice of shoegaze-pop that showcases the Osaka-based artist’s raw songwriting style.
So, fresh off the single’s release, we caught up with the artist herself to chat all about it, the influence of punk music, and what the future holds.
Hot off the release of her latest single Sister Song, we caught up with Osaka-based artist Satsuki for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
SATSUKI: Well, currently a typhoon is passing by Japan at the moment so I’m sitting at home responding to these questions… but music-wise, I’m based in Osaka so doing quite a few gigs here and there, busking and lots of writing.
HAPPY: We’ve been loving Sister Song! How does it feel having the track out there in the world?
SATSUKI: Thank you! I’ve had a lot of great responses and I’ve had a few people from the past hit me up on Facebook or Instagram letting me know that they’re loving the track. So it’s good to know that other people (other than my family and close friends) think it’s a good song too haha.
HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the song?
SATSUKI: Sister Song is definitely a song about the closeness and friendship between my sister and I but it’s also about the frustrations with breakups, unrequited love and wondering what the heck we’re doing with our lives and if everything’s going to work out or not.
HAPPY: Lyrically, the song is inspired a lot by punk music, right? Could you tell us a bit about this influence?
SATSUKI: What I love about punk music, particularly pop-punk and emo, since that’s what I grew up listening to, is that it’s always honest and very raw. There’s always a sense of despair, rebellion, arrogance. It’s usually never wrapped up in pretty metaphors or imagery, it’s straight to the point. Of course, that’s a very general definition of that genre but it’s definitely what I’ve always loved about it. I don’t think I want my lyrics too open to interpretation, I think I want the listeners to know exactly what I’m singing about.
HAPPY: The new single sees a pretty significant change in direction from Roseville Girls. Did you consciously take things in a new direction? Or was it a natural change?
SATSUKI: I don’t think it was a conscious decision, I think I’ve always found it difficult to stick to one genre of music because I listen to so many types of genres, much like everyone else. Roseville Girls was an angry, sarcastic response to a break-up and the end product very clearly reflects that. I find lyrics very important so whatever type of music perfectly encapsulates what I want to say, I’ll go with that.
HAPPY: Were there any particular artists that you were listening to while writing/recording the track?
SATSUKI: I worked on this song with my two friends/musos/producers Luke Gerber and Oscar Sharah who produced my last two singles too. These guys are great, I give them an idea of what I want my track to sound like and they’ve always been able to reproduce it in their own way. We’ve always had a love for Paramore but we also took some influence from Aussie artists like Ruby Fields and Last Dinosaurs.
HAPPY: What’s next for Satsuki? Any other plans in the works?
SATSUKI: Definitely an EP for sure. I’ve put out three singles and was trying to work out what type of musician I am, but I think I’m ready for something more.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
SATSUKI: Cheers! Chat soon ;)
Sister Song is available now. Listen above.
