ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rei - Singer-songwriter
Born in Japan's Hyogo prefecture, Rei spent her childhood years in New York and now sings her unique, self-penned lyrics in both Japanese and English.

Why you should listen
Having started classical guitar at the age of four, Rei became fascinated with blues music at 5. She primarily uses an acoustic guitar in her performances, but simulates electric sounds with effects and audio feedback, allowing her to perform a wide range of music genres.

Rei has also garnered appraise for her performances at major music events such as Japan's FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, Peter Barakan's Live Magic in Tokyo, Java Jazz Indonesia, and most recently Les Eurockeennes 2017 at Belfort, etc. Stateside, she played at SXSW 2016 and a showcase at San Francisco's iconic Amoeba Music. She has released 5 mini-albums to date, her first of which was produced by Ryosuke Nagaoka from PETROLZ. All releases featured her self-illustrated or designed covers and visuals. Her latest release, "FLY," with four new songs and a music film, was released in February 2018.
More profile about the speaker
Rei | Speaker | TED.com
TED Salon Brightline Initiative

Rei: "my mama" / "BLACK BANANA"

Filmed:
499,185 views

Singer-songwriter Rei brings her mix of indie rock and blues to the TED stage in a performance of two songs, "my mama" and "BLACK BANANA."
- Singer-songwriter
Born in Japan's Hyogo prefecture, Rei spent her childhood years in New York and now sings her unique, self-penned lyrics in both Japanese and English. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
(Guitar music starts)
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I've been looking
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01:33
Several days now
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01:35
Where did they go?
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01:37
Where did they go?
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01:40
My mama told me long ago
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01:46
I've lost so many precious things, I know
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They won't be back
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Where did they go?
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01:54
My mama told me long ago
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Ain't nobody's ever gonna tell me
to abandon my old friend
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02:03
Happy days, walking on the shore
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02:07
Happy days, walking on the shore
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02:10
Happy days, walking on the shore
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02:15
Ain't nobody's ever gonna tell me
to abandon my good memories at all
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I've seen so many pretty things
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They don't mean a thing now
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Listen to the song
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My mama told me long ago
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Ain't nobody's ever gonna tell me
to doubt my good old days
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03:04
Happy days, walking on the shore
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03:08
Happy days, walking on the shore
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03:11
Happy days, walking on the shore
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03:17
Ain't nobody's ever gonna tell me
to abandon my good memories at all
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Abandon my good memories at all
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Abandon my good memories at all
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03:48
(Music ends)
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03:49
(Applause)
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03:51
Thank you.
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03:52
(Applause)
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Thank you for giving me the opportunity
to perform tonight at TED New York.
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I've been a dedicated TED fan and viewer,
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and also, I actually used to live
in Manhattan when I was younger,
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so New York is like a second home to me,
and it's great to be back.
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04:18
The song I just performed
was called "my mama,"
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and the next song I'm going to perform
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is another original song of mine
called "BLACK BANANA."
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This song I wrote about the importance
of being patient with your dreams.
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Because I think commitment
will always be rewarded.
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Just like fruit ripens
when the time is right.
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So it's my interpretation
of building the future.
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04:49
(Guitar music starts)
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Clap your hands.
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One!
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Two!
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One, two, one, two, three, four.
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05:57
Sitting here, killing time,
I've been doing it all day
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06:01
I've been always smart
when it comes to gettin' away
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Got a soda pop fizzin' hard
in my empty brain
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When the time is right I'll move
alright so don't get too uptight
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06:12
Silly girls in bathing suits
cleaning cars on Sundays
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They're living a lie
don't make as fool of yourself too soon
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Lining my bananas
on the window sill to ripen
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When the time is right I'll move
alright so don't get too uptight
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Bananananana sekasanaide
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Bananananana-ri yuki makase
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Bananananana wagamamana mi ga jukusu made
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06:38
Black Banana Black Banana
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Banananananana
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06:48
Remember last December
when we went to get some pizza
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06:52
Was a brat, was running fast
to get home by my curfew
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06:55
Silly me, tripping quick,
I was almost killed by a honker
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When the time is right I'll move
alright so don't get too uptight
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07:03
Bananananana isoganaide
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Bananananana-ri yuki makase
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07:10
Bananananana mō ato
chotto dake jukusu made
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07:13
Black Banana Black Banana
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07:15
Banananananana
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Bananananana Don't push me baby
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Bananananana All I want is leeway
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07:45
Bananananana You gotta be patient
for the fruit to ripen
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07:49
Black Banana Black Banana
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Banananana
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Bananananana isoganaide
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Banananananano yori nari
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Bananananana wagamamana mi ga jukusu made
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Black Banana Black Banana
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Bananananana
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Bananananana
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Banananananana
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08:14
(Music ends)
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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08:21
(Guitar music)
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08:29
(Music ends)
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08:30
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rei - Singer-songwriter
Born in Japan's Hyogo prefecture, Rei spent her childhood years in New York and now sings her unique, self-penned lyrics in both Japanese and English.

Why you should listen
Having started classical guitar at the age of four, Rei became fascinated with blues music at 5. She primarily uses an acoustic guitar in her performances, but simulates electric sounds with effects and audio feedback, allowing her to perform a wide range of music genres.

Rei has also garnered appraise for her performances at major music events such as Japan's FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, Peter Barakan's Live Magic in Tokyo, Java Jazz Indonesia, and most recently Les Eurockeennes 2017 at Belfort, etc. Stateside, she played at SXSW 2016 and a showcase at San Francisco's iconic Amoeba Music. She has released 5 mini-albums to date, her first of which was produced by Ryosuke Nagaoka from PETROLZ. All releases featured her self-illustrated or designed covers and visuals. Her latest release, "FLY," with four new songs and a music film, was released in February 2018.
More profile about the speaker
Rei | Speaker | TED.com