Yukari Miyake

Yukari Miyake (三宅 由佳莉, Miyake Yukari; born December 14, 1986) is a Japanese petty officer of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and vocalist of the Tokyo SDF Band. The first and only official vocalist for the Music Corp to join the JMSDF,[1] Miyake has released a number of CDs she sang with the SDF Band. [2]

Yukari Miyake
三宅 由佳莉
Yukari Miyake (November 2013)
Background information
Born (1986-12-14) December 14, 1986
Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
GenresClassical music
Occupation(s)Non-commissioned officer at JMSDF

Early life

Yukari Miyake was born in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture in Japan on December 14, 1986.[3][4] During her childhood, she used to sing with her grandmother and sang in a juvenile singing troop.[5] A musical performed by Takarazuka Revue, an all-female troupe, attracted her interest in musicals. As Miyake could not visit the theatre very often, she watched videos lent from her piano teacher. She recalls that the musicals by Shiki Theatre Company and Toho were her favorites.[6]

An admirer of musicals during her youth, Miyake graduated from Okayama Joto High School (in Japanese) in Okayama which offers music course[7] and continued vocal education at the College of Art of Nihon University.[4][6][8] She had the ambition to become an actress in musicals,[6] and to sing one day on the stage.[4] After graduation, she was employed by a department store,[6] which had no connection to music.[4] As she thought her ambition would fade forever when she would start working at her new office in April, Kaoru Watanabe, a professor of hers[9] advised her to join the JMSDF, where she could have the chance to be a member of the military music band.[4] Miyake applied to be the first Music Corp vocalist position the JMSDF has ever offered, after an interview with an officer at a recruiting fair before joining the retail store. Following her enlistment in April 2009,[4][8][10] Miyake underwent a five-month long basic training including running and firing a heavy rifle. Even the boat training on sea water caused her waist skin to peel off. She admitted that she had not thought the basic training would be so hard, although she performed karate sport in the college to develop physical strength.[4][9]

One day, upon her commanding officer's request, Miyake sang "Tsubasa o Kudasai" ("Give Me Wings") in front of her fellow trainees. The audience, which did not pay attention in the beginning, were later much touched and thanked her. She stated that "it was the first time that I was thanked for singing a song". Miyake so understood "what it means to sing for people as a member of the SDF".[4]

The first three years were frustrating for Miyake. She had studied classical music, and thought she could continue to work in that genre. However, the demands of the band meant that she could not sing Japanese popular songs in classical style.[6]

Musical career
Japanese female military singers with Yukari Miyake (right) at JSDF Marching Festival 2017 (Budokan)

By July 2013, Miyake uploaded the song "Inori" ("A Prayer") in piano version to YouTube, which was composed in honor of the relatives of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami victims. News programs featured the song.[6][8] By the end of August that year, she released her debut CD titled, "Inori — Mirai e no Utagoe" ("A Prayer — Songs for the Future") accompanied by the Tokyo Self Defense Force Band. Already in early September 2013, the album reached top of the classical music section of the Oricon charts.[4]

Miyake, a Petty officer third class in charge of personnel,[4][6] is the first singer employed by the 230,000-personnel strong SDF and the only soprano singer of the Tokyo SDF Band. She is nicknamed "Diva of the JMSDF Band".[6][8] She appears in about 120 concerts a year.[6]

Miyake wrote the lyrics of one song in her second album.[6] By the end of October 2017, Miyake released her fifth album titled "Sing Japan: Kokoro no Uta" ("Songs of the Heart") featuring 14 popular songs. She finds it challenging to perform popular songs because she would better sing them in a classical way. This was the case as she sang "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" ("Like the Flow of the River"), a famous song by Japan's iconic singer Hibari Misora.[6]

Discography
  • Miyake, Yukari (August 28, 2013). "A Prayer", JMSDF Tokyo Band with Yukari Miyake ("A Prayer", Kaijo jiei-tai Tokyo ongaku-tai, Miyake Yukari) (CD) (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. ASIN B00EFF1AIC.
  • Miyake, Yukari (2013). Beyond the Sea (CD) (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan.
  • Miyake, Yukari (March 4, 2015). Hope — Songs For Tomorrow (Kibou) (CD) (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan.
  • "Sound up! Brass band heroes", JMDFS Tokyo Music Band with Yukari Miyake ("Hibike! Buraban hiiroozu", Kaijo jiei-tai Tokyo ongaku-tai, Miyake Yukari). March 30, 2016. ASIN B019QW8N3S.
  • Miyake, Yukari (June 1, 2016). "The Best —Deep Blue Spirits"; JMSDF with Yukari Miyake (Kaijo jiei-tai Tokyo ongaku-tai, Miyake Yukari) (CD) (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan.
  • Miyake, Yukari (2017). Sing Japan (CD) (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan.

References
  1. "Interview with Yukari Miyake, the Maritime SDF Diva: Jiji.com (Kaijo jieitai no uathime : Miyake Yukari-san intabyu : Jiji dotto comu)". www.jiji.com (in Japanese). Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  2. 海上自衛隊の歌姫・三宅由佳莉さんインタビュー：時事ドットコム Interview with Maritime Self-Defense Force Diva, Yukari Miyake: Current affairs dot com
  3. "海上自衛隊の歌姫、三宅由佳莉がＣＤ発売" (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun Digital. July 15, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2020. "Yukari Miyake, the Diva of JMSDF, releases a CD."
  4. Otomitsu, Kanami (October 19, 2013). "National Going it alone: CD by SDF's sole vocalist tops classical charts". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  5. "The Diva of MSDF hits the top of CD cart ("Kaiji no utahime" CD 1-i kiroku)". www.chugoku-np.co.jp (in Japanese). Chugoku Shinbun. November 9, 2013. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2020. Stayed two weeks on the top of CD chart after its release on August 28 2013. (「海自の歌姫」ＣＤ１位記録)
  6. "Singing in The Service of Japan: Classically Trained 'MSDF Diva' Yukari Miyake Sails to The Pop Side of Nation's Musical History". Japan Gate. November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  7. Guide to Music Major (PDF) (in Japanese). Okayama, Okayama: Okayama Joto High School. 2019. pp. 1–4.
  8. "Yukari Miyake". Sync Music Japan. January 1, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  9. "Interview with Miyake Yuari : Alumni of Judo Club newsletter, Art Major, Nihon University (Nihondaigaku geijutugakubu goojuuryuu karatedo-bu OB-kai)". nugk.web.fc2.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2020.(三宅由佳莉インタビュー：日本大学芸術学部剛柔流空手道部 OB会)
  10. "Person of the day : Yukari Miyake (26 yrs) a JMSDF officer about to debut on a music CD says "music as a media to find JMSDF closer to you" ([Kyo no hito] Miyake Yukari-san (26 yrs) CD debut-suru Jieikan "Ongaku wo toshite kaiji ni shitashimi kanjite")". Sankei Newspaper online. Sankei Shinbun. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2020. (【きょうの人】三宅由佳莉さん（２６）ＣＤデビューする自衛官　「音楽を通し海自に親しみ感じて」)
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