Giving songs wings
The name Utabane joins two Japanese words: uta, song, and hane, wing. We want to give little songs wings, so they can fly from our studio into playrooms, car rides and bedtimes all over Japan.
We started Utabane after seeing so much success with Toddler Tunes, our English-language children's music. Families everywhere welcomed those songs into their days, and we wanted to make the same kind of music for children in Japan, starting with the songs their parents and grandparents grew up singing.
Utabane is produced by Oscar Lindstein (oscar@lindstein.se), a music producer from Stockholm, Sweden, and sung by Yoko Hiramatsu.
Yoko is a Japanese songwriter and singer, and a topliner: a specialist in writing melodies. She has written songs for J-pop artists such as KAT-TUN, SixTONES, TAEMIN and Hey! Say! JUMP. After several years based in Sweden, she now works from Japan, so she knows both of the musical worlds that Utabane brings together.
We listen closely to children, parents and preschool teachers, and aim for the fine line between simplicity and musical depth. Children's songs get played on repeat, and kids love recognising a melody, so we make recordings that both children and grown-ups can enjoy for the hundredth time.
Say hello
Suggestions, song requests or feedback of any kind are always welcome: