“I believe that all cultures in depth are connected and we as humans share the essential part of it. For me all the songs I sing no matter what language it is, I sing it from this essence. I like to mix regional songs of different places together, blending the stories and making us see that we are all connected.”

Mio Matsuda: The Mantras of World Music

Mio Matsuda is a singer with no boundaries, fusing all the cultures and histories in the world that she experienced in artistic and harmonious way in her voice. She started her career as a fado singer in Portugal. She then found herself recording her debut album “Atlantica” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this album she sang songs off the sea in Portugal, Cabo Verde and Brazil, expressing diversity and richness of music in these regions and tell the story of the Atlantic Ocean. She continued recording many albums with remarkable musicians including Hugo Fattoruso, traveled through South America and Europe, singing in many styles of music. Mio speaks six languages and sings in more. She is recently learning Persian classical music from Mahsa Azimi. Mio is also a researcher of lost Japanese folklore including songs of crypto-Christian songs and songs of Japanese immigrant in Brazil. Her albums “Creole Japan” and “Songs of Oita” are the fruit of her work and was well-received by the music community. Japanese singer travels the world learning the rhythms of various cultures. Two award-winning TV documentaries were made about her field worksong search.                       (Mio Matsuda / Photo © by Jinn Yagi)

As for her connection with Greece, she learned Greek at the age of 16 and was fascinated by the country’s music, history and culture. In 2016 she recorded her album “Ela” in Athens and Lisbon, singing three songs in Greek integrating beautiful fragments of Mediterranean voyage. In 2022 she sang “Arnisi” by Mikis Theodorakis for European Union’s anniversary in Japan. She has sung in Greece, including Lefkada Island where Lafcadio Hearn, who inspired her deeply, was born. In May 2025, she will release a CD book with prominent Buddhist scholar Dr. Musashi Tachikawa, singing ancient Buddhist mantras in Sanskrit. Mio will be in Greece in May for a concert with Vasillis Lekkas, tribute to Lefkada Hearn. The program includes songs related to Yakumo Koizumi (1850 – 1904), creole songs from Martinique and Japanese lullabies.

Interview by Michael Limnios          Special Thanks: Mio Matsuda & Takis Efstathiou

How has the music and world culture influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

Since I was a child I was interested in diverse cultures of the world, especially Mediterranean. Since my father is a scholar who lived in Italy taught me Italian and Italian culture and filled me with a Mediterranean atmosphere. My mother is a Homer lover and she was always talking about Iliad and Odyssey. So in our conversations over my father's Italian cuisine, always transcended time and space.  I had many international friends and they showed me their music. To tell you about my connection with Greece, when I was in high school, I had a Greek friend called Dimitris (my mom's colleague) who taught me Greek and bought me Haris Alexiou's CD. I was fascinated by her voice and the deep history in her melodies and lyrics. So she is my first Diva.

I am a person who needs real experience not only reading or watching. I have met many wonderful friends, musicians and artists who showed me their culture and music that all these experiences made part of me. All the music and world culture I have met have enriched my life. I feel that I have many homes and families in the world.

How do you describe your sound and music philosophy? Where does your creative drive come from?

To describe myself I use "Em Todo o CANTO" in portuguese. "Canto" is my favorite word that refer to "singing" and also "place". So I live in all the songs and places. 

My creative drive comes from very deep, it is a drive to sing, hear my voice in harmony with the beauty of the world. So, I always want to learn, to reach higher dimensions artistically and spiritually.

”The sound of Sanskrit language is very musical and keeps the ancient vibration itself. So the mantras which are poems to divinities are already musical. I imaged each divinity to whom each mantra is sung, and composed melodies inspired by the elements I felt from each one.” (Mio Matsuda / Photo © by Jinn Yagi)

How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

To prepare for my recording, I sing as much as I can before and make it sound natural. To become unconscious to sing. In March, I recorded Buddhist mantras in sanskrit. The recording took place in MIHO MUSEUM with the Gandhara Buddha statue of the 2nd century. Before that day I made a routine to sing as a ritual for 4 months in front of my father's altar, almost as a ritual.

For performances, I try to relax myself. I think the energy flows when we are relaxed and take a deep breath. The most important thing for me is concentration. Even I'm cooking or watching TV series my mind is concentrated to upcoming performances and recordings. Of course all this is my hope that I would like to be, in fact always distraction comes in the way! 

Are there any similarities between the various genres of folk and traditional forms around the world? Why do you think that the Ethnic/World music continues to generate such a devoted following?

I believe that all cultures in depth are connected and we as humans share the essential part of it. For me all the songs I sing no matter what language it is, I sing it from this essence. I like to mix regional songs of different places together, blending the stories and making us see that we are all connected. I think we humans seek these essential roots, and music transcends limits. We can feel we are part of a far away community through music. That's why world music continues to be popular. 

Currently you’ve one release with Sanskrit Buddhism mantras. What are the lines that connect the sound/vibes of mantras and music? 

The sound of Sanskrit language is very musical and keeps the ancient vibration itself. So the mantras which are poems to divinities are already musical. I imaged each divinity to whom each mantra is sung, and composed melodies inspired by the elements I felt from each one.                                                         (Mio Matsuda / Photo © by Gak Yamada)

”My creative drive comes from very deep, it is a drive to sing, hear my voice in harmony with the beauty of the world. So, I always want to learn, to reach higher dimensions artistically and spiritually.”

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the Buddhism?

Buddhism is in a simple word of mine, an action to reach a higher and deeper dimension, overcoming the limits of egoism. We humans tend to be "myself" and compete with this "myself". Buddhism, which teaches to vanish this egocentrism, helps us profoundly to feel peace within. 

To tell you my personal story, my father passed away 2 years ago and the sudden farewell terribly affected me. To overcome the death of a beloved person, Buddhist philosophy and singing mantras such as "Heart Sutra" helped me deeply so that I could feel that death is not the end and peace within makes peace. 

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I miss the real singers. I hope humans will continue to utter voices and sing, not AI or vocaloid. I fear humans will forget their voices and get used to robots' sound. 

But I am sure we will continue going back to our roots from time to time.  

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I have many highlights, I mention 3.

1st, my encounter with Fado and the voice of Amalia Rodrigues when I was 18.  

2nd, When I went to study multiculturalism in UBC Vancouver, Canada, I decided to be a singer after I learned songs from my friend from Cree Nations playing their family drum when I was 20. 

3rd. After all my musical journeys I decided to research Japanese folklore and made my CD Book Creole Nippon. I found my repertories in Japanese that are connected to different parts of the world and truly hybrid and rich in stories. 

”Music directly affects people's hearts and minds. A song can change one's life. A revolution has occurred associated with a song. A song can tie people together and make them believe that they are united. A nation has an anthem, (well, I was never fond of the idea of Nation though).” (Mio Matsuda, multitalented singer born in the prefecture of Akita Japan, in a community of artists / Photo © by Tomoaki Akasaka)

What is the status of female artists/musicians in the music? What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

I think the status of female artists is still not equal, femininity is taken as sexism. But also I believe that the old idea is no longer mainstream and we artists stand up with our personalities as human beings. For 1 year and a half I have been learning Persian classic music from a wonderful musician/artist Mahsa Azimi who lives in Teheran. I met her in Japan and I'm fascinated by her musicality and the deep Persian music. Even though she is not allowed to sing in public, she is a great musician, singer and painter and teacher. Being an artist is already a victory. I learn a lot from her and the fact that there is no limit to learning.

What is the impact of music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

Music directly affects people's hearts and minds. A song can change one's life. A revolution has occurred associated with a song. A song can tie people together and make them believe that they are united. A nation has an anthem, (well, I was never fond of the idea of Nation though).

In my albums like "Creole Japan" I recorded many types of songs such as hidden christians and emigrants, which give people a different perspective of Japan. Songs show us the feelings and visions of someone from different parts of the world that you might identify yourself with. So, I could say my repertories are not to tie people as a group, but to undo the stereotypes and illusions of one homogenous group. I would rather wish that my music deeply affects someone's heart and feel that we share the same roots no matter what language we speak and to what nation we belong. I want my music to transcend all these boundaries.

Mio Matsuda - Home

(Mio Matsuda / Photo © by Jinn Yagi)