Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco speaks with legendary Japanese city-pop singer Penny Tohyama. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly.
For today's show, I speak with a very special guest, legendary Japanese city pop singer Penny Tohiyama.
I've been a fan for many years and we play some of her hits here at Monaco Radio.
Penny tells me about the renaissance of city pop and her music plans for 2024.
Have you heard City Pops, they call this?
Yeah, yeah, I think it's a city pop boom right now.
Like from the 80s.
The Japanese singers in the 80s music, it's kind of hit all over the world.
So probably that's why my music was recorded on 80s, so, you know, it's part of a city pop music.
So I guess that's why they start to get to know me again, you know.
How would you describe city pop for people that perhaps are not experts?
I can't explain because I've been singing pop songs all over, you know, all my life.
So they just put city in, you know, in the beginning.
So, you know, I mean, there's nothing changed, I think.
And you mentioned Columbia Records because when you go, I don't know, Tower Records in Tokyo, there's plenty, plenty of city pop compilations and your albums were there.
It's very interesting, right, because there's more attention to that sometimes than to the kind of the newer music as well.
I know.
Yeah.
I guess like I said before, it's because City Palm, it's a City pops boom.
So I guess my song is.