Hong Kong is a place brimming with talented and intriguing people. In our 27 Questions column, we get up close and personal with notable personalities, learning about their whims and aversions, pivotal life moments, and hopes and dreams — all in roughly the same duration of a casual speed date. For our latest segment of 27 Questions, we speak to Japanese hip-hop artist Awich as she makes a stop in the city ahead of her performance at Coachella with 88rising Futures.
Awich is short for “Asian wish child,” which is the literal meaning of the Japanese characters in her given name. She’s the only female rapper from the hip-hop crew Yentown and the founder of Habush, a traditional Okinawan alcohol distilled with the venom of a pit viper. Seamlessly transitioning between Okinawan, English, and Japanese, her music touches audiences at home and well beyond, paving the way for future generations. Having caught one of her performances last year when she arrived in the city with fellow Japanese rapper JP The Wavy, we were excited to meet with Awich again as she continues her ascension to global superstardom.
Captivating audiences with her fierce lyricism and magnetic stage presence, Awich delivers an original sound rooted in her life experiences — from her upbringing in Okinawa, surrounded by its dozens of military bases to experiencing love and loss in Atlanta. Music has helped Awich realise her purpose, and as she openly shares her story, she inspires countless others along the way.
Head below for the full 27 Questions interview with Awich.
Name: Awich (born Akiko Urasaki)
Age: 37
Neighbourhood: Okinawa, Japan
Occupation: Music Artist
1. What is your life motto?
Know yourself.
2. What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten in Hong Kong?
Cart Noodles, it was good.
3. Who is your role model?
Tupac, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and a lot of legends in Okinawa.
4. What was your first job?
Designing flyers. A drawing for my friend’s party.
5. An item you can’t travel without?
Supplements. Vitamin C and things like that.
6. Which artists influenced your music the most?
Tupac.
7. What is one movie everyone should see?
Brother (2000 film).
8. What’s your favourite song to perform?
“Queendom.” It’s my life story all in one song so the emotion comes out of my heart when I sing that.
9. Coffee or tea?
Tea, I can’t drink coffee. It’s too bitter (laughs).
10. Where do you go when you want to be alone?
In my bedroom, or when I’m in Okinawa I go to the jungle. My favourite waterfall is in the city of Nago in Okinawa. I go there and just look at the waterfall.
11. What is home to you?
Okinawa.
12. Do you have any favourite tattoos?
Not yet but maybe when I get older there’s an Okinawan tradition for women to get hand tattoos — a design on the hands. I see all the grandmas and our elders who’ve already passed away have all these tattoos on their hands with the wrinkled skin. So when my hands get all wrinkled up, maybe I’ll get it.
13. What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would start an organisation for kids — Asian kids to get in the habit of knowing themselves, verbalising how they feel, making romantic stories about their lives, developing artistic skills, and things like that.
14. Most memorable moment with your daughter?
This is going to make me very emotional but the most memorable thing that me and my daughter had was when her father passed away, his wish was to scatter his ashes into the ocean. I was going to do it in New York because that’s where he grew up, but when I was going to do it in New York everything was just so busy and when I looked at my daughter, she didn’t know what was going on. So I thought maybe this is not the way and I took the ashes back to Okinawa where I grew up — to a spot that I thought was heaven to me when I was a child.
It was a remote island where no one lived. We went there and spent a whole day. I explained to my daughter what we were doing and we scattered the ashes in the ocean. We’re going to return Daddy’s energy into everything that surrounds us. Become the wind, become the water, become the sand, the sun, the clouds, your skin, your hair, your heart, and your energy. She remembers it to this day. We remember it to this day. So we feel at home everywhere we go because his energy is everywhere protecting us. That’s a beautiful visual memory that we share together.
15. If you could do it all over again, what is one thing you would do differently?
I wish I didn’t quit music when I had my daughter. I kept on writing and that helped me but I wish I didn’t feel like I had to quit pursuing my dream when I had my daughter.
16. What energises you most about your work?
The shows. Being live is definitely one of them — to feel the feedback from the audience. Feeling like I’m figuring out myself or feeling like I’m figuring out what it means to be human is what excites me.
17. If you were a TV show or cartoon character, who would you be and why?
Probably nobody knows this TV show but there’s this one show back in the day in Japan that portrayed Okinawa in ancient times, kingdom times. The main character’s name is Neon, who was born a girl but disguised herself as a guy to get into a royal government job and change the dynamic of the Ryukyu dynasty. I’m definitely her, and the name of the show is The Tempest (NHK Drama).
18. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night, definitely. This is one of my problems. I want to be a morning person. I want to sleep at night and wake up in the morning, very simple things (laughs).
19. What is your drink of choice?
Habush!
20. Best way to enjoy Habush?
Put it in the freezer, make it freezing cold, put it in a little shot glass, cheers, and take it to the head.
21. Leather or denim?
Denim.
22. What’s a must-visit spot in Okinawa?
Depends on what you want to do but if you want to be like me go to the beach or the jungle and see the waterfall.
23. Have you learned any Cantonese phrases on your stop here?
多謝 (dōjeh, Thank you).
24. What’s a song you’ve had on repeat?
I’m listening to a lot of Jay-Z right now because I’m re-reading Jay-Z’s Decoded, the book.
25. Favourite snacks? What do you buy at the konbini?
Potato Chips because I like salty snacks not like candy, sugary snacks. I think Japanese potato chips are bomb. I like the spicy ones like wasabi.
26. What’s something your fans don’t know about you?
I am so bad at tying shoes.
27. Message for your fans in HK?
Hong Kong, thank you for always welcoming me with a warm heart. Last time I was here we had so much fun at the show. This time you’re doing it big with ComplexCon. I’m finding out all the great artists in Hong Kong so I can’t wait to meet them, link up with them, and learn about the culture and what’s going on in the streets. Thank you for having me, can’t wait to see you again, and see you soon!
Images/Video: Ryan Putranto
Text/Interviewer: Aaron Chow
Special Thanks: Sony Music Entertainment, Sean L
