Tokiko Kato (81), who has been a singer for 60 years, appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on April Getsuku. She talked about what led to her debut as a singer and her thoughts on singing.
It was her father who inspired Kato to become a singer. While she was a student at Tokyo University, her father entered her into a chanson competition without her permission. "He invited me as a reward, saying, 'If you win, you can go to France.' There's no way someone who doesn't even sing can win, but in my youthful naivety, I thought, 'Maybe I should give it a try,'" she recalls.
In the first competition, she sang in French and came in fourth. At that time, the judges told her, "Your face is still that of a baby. Even if you sing Edith Piaf with that baby face, it won't move a man's heart." She also revealed, "They said that my song choice was bad and asked me to come back next year."
She then studied chanson, and a year later she decided to become a singer, entered a competition and won. However, for some reason, her debut was a mood song. Just as she was feeling a bit uneasy and wondering "Why did I have to sing such a boring song...?", a female director approached her and said, "You should write your own song."
"(The director) said, 'Honey, write it here,' and handed me a pencil and a notebook. That moment was so intense I remember it. That's how destiny is decided in such casual moments."
Kato now feels truly glad that she has been singing for the past 60 years.
"I have connected in my heart with the many people who may be listening to my songs somewhere. When so much is happening, people often say, 'I don't have time to sing,' but it's really the songs that matter."
