LA singer-songwriter Wallice has dived deep into her own unexplored heritage with her new single, ‘Japan’.
It follows several previous 2022 releases; the LA singer-songwriter’s second EP, ‘90s American Superstar’ – which Dork’s 4-star review described as “a compelling tale as old as time, that still feels as fresh as the spring daisies” – and a recent collaboration with Dirty Hit labelmate Oscar Lang on ‘I’ve Never Been To LA’.
The new track serves as a departure from Wallice’s grungy alt-rock stylings with a more sentimental approach, focusing on reconnecting with her Father’s homeland and her heritage in general. As such, it also arrives with a version of the track sung in Japanese.
“My father was born and raised in Tokyo and lived there until he was 27, and my mother lived there for a couple of years in the 90s, so Japanese culture has heavily influenced my identity,” she explains. “I don’t know my father’s family in Japan at all. I only met them once when I was little at my grandfather’s funeral, and since then my grandmother has passed. Recently my mother moved across the country from California to Georgia which has left me without that familial sense of home. This song explores where home is and why I am so drawn to Japan.”
‘Japan’ is accompanied by a hazy visual, filmed entirely on Super8 film by Wallice during her first visit back to the titular country – as she declares, “this video is really special. It is my first time back in Japan after covid, so almost four years. I absolutely love Japan- it’s my favourite place in the world. I feel like over covid and just growing up, I have lost touch with my culture. I don’t stay for weekends at my dad’s house like I did when I was little, which means I don’t actively listen to or speak Japanese anymore.”
“I feel like I have lost a lot of my comprehension of the Japanese language, so it was nice to go back and after a few days realise a lot was coming back to me,” she adds. “I have family from Japan, but it’s still such a place of wonder and unknown, and I hope this video can capture Japan’s beauty and mystique.”
You can listen to ‘Japan’ here, and watch the official music video below:
Wallice has several US shows across the remainder of the year – tickets are available here, with the full dates as below:
November
30 Chicago, chubas Tavern
December
2 Brooklyn, Brooklyn Made
6 Los Angeles, Lodge Room
8 San Francisco, Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop
