NEW SINGLE: Jun Parker 'All Because of the Moon’ 月が大きい夜は' feat. Carlinhos
Japanese Australian City Pop artist Jun Parker teams up with Chilean funk-connoisseur Carlinhos on latest single ‘All Because of the Moon’ 月が大きい夜は
Japanese retro sentimentalism meets Chilean funk, Jun Parker’s latest single ‘All Because of the Moon/月が大きい夜は’, out Friday 9 June via Santiago-based Chilean record label Sello Casa Robot. Teaming up with Carlinhos on production and keyboards, Japan-born, Australian-grown singer songwriter Jun brings together the East and West through his interpretation of retro Tokyo sounds and City Pop. Jun is set to celebrate this release with shows across Victoria in Portland, Warrnambool, Mt Gambier, Hamilton, Port Fairy and Naarm/Melbourne.
As a featured artist for ‘Tanzaku CD Day 2023’ an event that celebrates and promotes the 35th anniversary of the birth of “Tanzaku CD”, the retro-fashioned 8cm single CD, a format popular in Japan until the end of the last millennium, more than 50 "Tanzaku CDs" including new and old retro-flavoured works will be released. The nostalgic sound of ‘All Because of the Moon’/月が大きい夜は’ will be hitting the shelves of all major record stores in Japan on Wednesday 7 July.
Written in Japanese while reflecting the Australian landscapes Jun imbues a global take on the genre through intercontinental collaborations as he unwinds and reshapes City Pop in a brand-new way. “Carlinhos we were able to rework the song into an even-more quintessentially City Pop song. And here we are, writing Japanese Neo City Pop songs from rural Australia, and produced in South America, I hope this offering does the genre justice and this global take on the genre stimulates a new movement that brings more listeners to appreciate not just the music but a chance to foster new connections between Japan, Australia and the rest of the world” says Jun. Soaked in rhythmic guitar riffs and synth sounds, the track adorns the grooves with a touch of melancholy in a thematic concept Jun labels #FunkyNostalgia encompassing the love story of a woman and the hidden chaos of the moon.
“The moon is a motif and a mildly ominous entity that engenders a mysterious conflicting mismatch in emotions and stirs up that inner hidden chaos in us with a disharmonious union of thrill and trepidation is very much almost a cliché in songwriting. And it is precisely this sense of cliché in this that I find stimulates our inner ‘nostalgia’ centre. The narrator of the song is a man, who is viewing a woman with long black hair. Further afield is the moon it is an oversized moon that she is gazing towards pensively. The Japanese title to the song ‘月が大きい夜は‘ states this fact explicitly, as it translates to English as ‘On a Night with the Big Moon’.” - Jun Parker
“Since we started working together with Jun, we shared a common love for 70s and 80s pop, funk, and R&B music. My experience playing funk and jazz allowed me to propose ideas to Jun for rewriting the song. I proposed to bring influences from the music of Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, James Ingram, David Foster, and Luis Miguel, along with the sound of Japanese artists belonging to the city pop genre. With these influences in mind, I did a reharmonization of the song, using the original melody as a foundation and writing arrangements that would allow Jun to shine with his voice and give the music the same nostalgic spirit that the lyrics convey.” - Carlinhos
Jun has been featured in music festivals across the states in Australia and Japan. His debut single, ‘Embracement’ released in 2022 has received widespread global radio including appearances in Japan, and recent singles saw him collaborate with a retro-styled animator for a music video, Japanese synth-pop maestro Seiki Sato, and creating a track for Melbourne Japanese Summer Festival.
Dive into this world of funky nostalgia and City Pop with Jun Parker’s latest single ‘All Because of the Moon’/月が大きい夜は and live shows this June.
Jun Parker feat. Carlinhos - ‘All Because of the Moon’/月が大きい夜は out Friday 9 June via Sello Casa Robot
+ Tanzaku CD Day 2023 release in Japan on Wednesday 7 July
UPCOMING SHOWS:
Friday 9 June
Metro Bakery, Mount Gambier, SA
7 pm
Saturday 10 June
Cafe Bahloo, Portland, VIC
7 pm
Sunday 11 June
Frolic Lane, Warrnambool, VIC
Set time: 2 pm
Sunday 16 July
Leaps and Bounds Festival - Fitzroy Townhall
Flight: the next generation of artist
Event: 3 - 9 pm
Tickets