Keiko Matsui Expressing New CD Euphoria

What a way to open a CD. It was Grand, Graceful with a Power Punch...totally grabbed my attention. Dare I say... Wow! Your music is powerful in that it does what I believe should be the intent of any true artist...it takes you places.

- Ahlia Love

SJM: "What's in a name?" they say... well Keiko, meaning "happy and blessed child" (in Japanese) is what I hear when I listen to your music. As a child did you imagine yourself becoming, someone with the potential of earning a living by using a gift that would ultimately become a blessing making so many people happy?

KEIKO: Not at all. I didn't really aim to become a professional musician because I was a very active child. I was into studying, sports...many things. But besides that I was taking piano lessons and I started composing...like a diary little small songs. But somehow when I was in Junior High School, I had an opportunity to compose for a movie soundtrack in Japan. So along with several compositions the Director chose my melody as a theme song and I had the great opportunity to record with an Orchestra and that was the first time I found my interest for composing.

SJM: During your creative process do you capture experiences that you found breathtaking and use your piano to create the canvas that allows listeners to visualize your experience?

KEIKO: Yes, somehow during my life the piano became the way that I started expressing myself. When I receive or catch melodies I don't actually play the piano. Sometimes I sit in front of the piano or I'm dreaming or working something in my country (Tokyo) when it comes to me I start playing the piano, improvising on the piano feels great and phrases come to me when I am capturing the material for a new album. At the beginning of the process however, I start with a white canvas, 100% blank.

SJM: When your touring what stands out as one of your favorite venues to perform and why?