FEATURE ｜ REJAY “Back to You”

Text by Tomohiro Ogawa
Live Photo by Victor Nomoto

Nulbarich’s live performance “The Roller Skating Tour ’24 EXTRA” was held at Zepp Haneda on February 8th of this year. On this day, a singer-songwriter took the stage before Nulbarich, the lead performer. Her name is REJAY, and she appears wearing denim tops and bottoms, with a nervous look on her face. She had just made her debut on February 7th, the day before, with Nulbarich/JQ producing, and this Zepp Haneda was her first live performance.

I witnessed her performance with almost no prior knowledge, but the moment she started singing Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” a cappella, I was immediately drawn in by her presence and centripetal force. The song that immediately drew the noisy floor before the concert into his own world view clearly showed his talent, and although it was only two songs and the stage was only about 10 minutes long, there was great potential shining in it. Ta.

REJAY was born in Niseko, Hokkaido, and is 18 years old and has an Australian father and a Japanese mother. Due to the influence of her father, she grew up familiar with various music including The Beatles from an early age, and began writing and composing songs from an early age, and started uploading cover videos on YouTube. JQ, who will be producing her, caught the eye of the video. He recognized her talent at first sight and contacted her via direct message on social media.

Thus, REJAY started producing music under JQ, and made their debut with the digital single “Too Late” in February of this year. The single charted at number 16 on J-WAVE’s “TOKIO HOT 100” and was picked up on Spotify’s official playlist, attracting attention despite being a newcomer, and REJAY’s name spread among listeners who were quick to hear. It became.

Her singing voice is soft yet has a strong core, and the sound is lo-fi and warm. Although the tunes are diverse, there is a common thread that makes up REJAY’s music. Having grown up listening to Western music since childhood, she has a unique sense of melody and rhythm that makes you feel nostalgic, as if you’ve known her for a long time. For example, it’s as intimate as sitting on the couch in the living room and having a casual conversation with an old friend. Her touch, musical style, and appearance have led some to compare her to the bedroom pop diva Clairo. Personally, I feel that Billie Eilish’s atmosphere, which combines naivety and toughness, reminds me of Billie Eilish.

In any case, REJAY’s style seems very unique and fresh, as if they suddenly jumped out from a place completely disconnected from the Japanese music scene.

It’s already been 10 months since her debut. In the meantime, she released her EP “18” in March and the digital single “Mean to Be” in August. He has continued to be active. Their latest song “Back to You” was released on November 29th.

This song begins with an impressive guitar and vocals, and while it retains the lo-fi feel of her previous songs, it is a song that allows you to feel closer to her singing voice in a rarer sound image than ever before. It has become. Dead drums, soft bass, and guitar playing simple chords. The minimum necessary sound brings out the smooth and gentle vocals. The melody, which effectively incorporates husky high tones, is also very emotional.

If the previous songs were based on the vector of literally “producing” the artist called REJAY, this “Back to You” is rather simple and simple, as if REJAY is being exposed more and more. That’s why it’s a song that sticks in your ears. The lyrics, which are straight about a painful unrequited love, and the way she sings the words, layering them as if she were murmuring them, seem to reflect the life-size heart of the 18-year-old girl, and are very touching. Although he is still an unknown artist, listening to this song makes me feel like I can clearly see the image of REJAY as a person.

It’s been less than a year since her debut, and of course her career as an artist has just begun, so it’s hard to say how things will change from here. However, listening to the songs she has released so far, I think she is a singer-songwriter who grows by creating and singing songs. “Back to You” may be a turning point in the process of REJAY himself gradually coming to grips with what REJAY is and what its appeal is.