Not many artists in any music genre are great enough or lucky enough to be known around the world, but jazz artists tend to be well received. If an artist is willing to work hard, tour hard, and be creative, they can achieve world renown in the jazz field. Kei Kobayashi is one such artist, and one who’s musical talent and beautiful voice helped him become an international success, however a big part of that success is his English ability. Being able to sing in English helps to break into the English music scene, which is arguably the best way to become known around the world. English music is undoubtedly the most popular and listened to music worldwide.
Originally trained in classical ballet and later performing in musicals, ‘Kei’ released his first mini-album at the age of 17 and full albums every year precedent right up to 20. By this point he was quite well known across Japan. You can listen to short clips of many of his songs and find out about albums and live tour dates from the EMI website
EMI Japan: Kei Kobayashi (Website is in Japanese)
The album Misty K released in 2001 at the age of 22 strikes as his best album, full of smoothly sung jazz standards, such as It don’t mean a thing and S’Wonderful plus some of his original songs. Although hard to find these days- this is sure to be a classic some day. the Best of Kei Kobayashi is another CD worth getting, as it covers his (still blossoming) career from 18 years old up to today. Check out his gorgeous voice and clean & clear English pronunciation!
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