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Mari Iijima (飯島 真理) J-Pop Exchange Exclusive Interview

Mari Iijima
J-Pop Exchange
Exclusive Radio Interview

Click Here to Listen to the Full Interview


Questions:

What was the transition of moving to the United States like for you? — And what are your impressions of the United States?

 

Do you feel that living in the United States has influenced you as a musician?

 

Would you mind sharing with us what it was like growing up in Japan?

 

Did your interest in music begin in your childhood?  How did you become interested in music?

 

And what led you to want to pursue a career in music?  How did it begin?

 

Can you give us some insight into your songwriting process?

 

Who are your musical influences?

 

What music do you like to listen to?

 

I understand that you voiced the role of Lynn Minmay in the original Japanese version of Super Dimension Fortress Macross which aired in 1982 and you recently voiced the same character in the English dubbed version.  That in itself is very interesting, but what makes it even more fascinating is that you are reportedly the only person to have accomplished this, providing the voice for both the original Japanese version and the English language version.    Please tell us more about this experience and how it came about.  What was it like revisiting the character two decades later?

 

How did the creative process of voicing Lynn Minmay in the Japanese production versus voicing the character in the English language version compare?

 

Please tell us about your latest album Echo, how it came about,--your inspirations and ideas behind the album.

 

How can fans contact you to learn more about your music?

 

In conclusion, is there anything else you’d like to mention that we haven’t discussed thus far?