Asakura Saya (朝倉さや in Japanese) is a folk singer proudly hailing from the northern Japanese prefecture of Yamagata. She grew to fame by covering popular songs in the Yamagata dialect. Her big glasses, flowing clothes and bubbly personality give her kindergarten teacher vibes in the best way! Her vibe fit perfectly with the Fuji Rock Gypsy Avalon stage to create the pinnacle of a calming experience. Combined with the humming of nature, it was a very aesthetically satisfying performance.

The star of her show was the vocals. She began the set acappella using her unique singing style that combined modern techniques with old time Japanese style. Namely her strong vibrato gave her songs a very emotional feel to them. Another stylistic choice she made was the transition from her chest to her head voice. Her break was very prominent, yet very clean. The notes don’t falter at all. She also made great use of dynamic variability. It was really beautiful how she created a push and pull with every phrase she sang.

Audience members greatly enjoyed the dance demo she gave for one of the songs of her set! Truly just like your favorite teacher, she thoroughly showed us the catchy moves with a beaming smile on her face. Everyone had a great time dancing along and it was a very cute moment.

In general her music has a warm feeling about it with themes of home and love. One song talks about how her hometown and the city she currently lives in (Tokyo) are all under the same great blue sky. To an audience full of people who no doubt live and work in bustling cities, her message was really impactful.

Her most recent album was released with the goal of making listeners feel happy to be alive. People like her certainly make the world seem brighter and more inviting.