Japanese soprano Seia Lee has been singing opera since the tender age of four years old. Ten years ago while travelling the world she started a luxury travel service agency called Jetsetter Co Ltd taking care of a select few Japanese high-end travelers, and now that that business is almost running itself she’s found the time to return to the stage.  Lee was in Bali recently on holidays with her husband enjoying the Bali high season and within a hectic schedule FRV Travel had the chance for a quick meet and greet at Anantara’s SOS rooftop bar.

FRV: What is more important to you, the singing or the travel business?
Seia Lee: Now, it is the singing because I started Jetsetter ten years ago and now I have many staff to run the business which gives me more time to focus on the music.

FRV: Did your passion in music start when you were young?
SL: Yes, my mother was an opera singer and I was born into music. My mother sings opera every day. But by the time I was sixteen I was fed up with classical music, I wasn’t allowed to listen to other styles of music, so by the time I was a teenager I quit everything. I started playing piano at three-years-old and it was so strict that I wasn’t allowed to have a meal before practice etc. It was very stringent and as a teenager I had had enough and then I began to travel a lot in my late teens. I saw a lot of the big cities like Paris, Milan and New York and travelled extensively. By the time I was in my mid-twenties I suddenly felt I wanted to sing again and I asked my mother again to teach me.

FRV: So this was your mid-twenties, when did you start singing professionally?
SL: That wasn’t until I was about 35 years old. Until that point I was learning opera with many different teachers all over the world. An interesting thing about opera is that you can’t find many very young opera singers. The voice muscle is very fragile and you can’t train it when very young. So it was better for me to start training when I was older.

FRV: It’s already a few years since you became a professional opera singer. Where have you been performing since then?
SL: I have been performing mainly in Japan over the past two years, in places like the Hakuju Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, The Star Festival Recital sponsored by Gorakadan and the “Grace Note 2010” YAMAHA Hall in Ginza.

FRV: And where is the music taking you now?
SL: Classical music is well-appreciated in Japan but it is only four small islands. I want to perform all over Asia and the world but I’ve found classical music isn’t popular with everyone and I want to develop a modern style of music. Something easy to listen to and easy to understand. The singing method is still opera but I want a mix of music, something like jazz or bossa nova and using modern instruments like drums and guitar. A modern touch to the classics.

FRV: You are going into the recording studio soon. Is that the style of music you will be producing?
SL: Yes, I will be going into the studio in October in Paris to record an album of these tracks. I have already selected the songs which are a mix of popular classics and we hope to have it out early next year. We will then be touring the whole of Asia to promote this album, including Indonesia.

FRV: So how about Jetsetter, how did that come about?
SL: I travel a lot and I couldn’t find a travel agency in Japan to suit my needs so I created it for myself. For example I would use my American Express card with a travel agency but they couldn’t understand what I was talking about. I would want to go to Sardinia and want to know what are the best hotels for example but they wouldn’t know.  So I made a team for me and my family to facilitate my travels. I started a magazine style portal with a blog and then later people I knew wanted to join with my team for us to help with their travels. We now have a select membership of approximately 100 clients who we help to plan their trips overseas from Japan. The cost of joining and the yearly fee is not inexpensive. You see it’s not for everyone but what we offer is a very special, personal service that takes care of their every wish while abroad.  One of the problems that Japanese have while travelling is that they don’t speak foreign languages very well so we are just a phone call away or on the ground every time there is a query or a problem. We plan everything they require for them while they are away and if they don’t know what they want to do we will find them the most interesting things while there.

FRV: And now you have a team running that business for you which allows you time to concentrate on your music?
SL: That is true. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to perform my music again.

Seia Lee, who is managed by Frederique Nurel, will present two special performances of modern classic music in both Jakarta and Bali in the coming months. Check the websites: www.jetsetter.ne.jp and www.jetsetterjapan.com

No related posts.