two m-flo articles

[nmskalmn]

Excerpt:

"I'm Korean, raised in Japan. I've had a lot of discrimination in my life. I wasn't able to get a job when I was 16 because I was Korean. But I'm more like, you've got to move on. You've got to take things in a positive light and make it right. Because there's always like a good aspect of any situation."

In a sense, m-flo's "loves" series is a perfect example of how he looks to make the best out of adversity. The series in which Taku and Verbal collaborate with J-pop singers was partly inspired by Pharrell's Neptunes work with various vocalists and has spawned hits like "Miss You" and "Let Go" to rival the success of their earlier hits like "Come Again." But the main factor for taking this direction was the shock departure of singer Lisa from the original lineup in 2002.

With hindsight, a devil's advocate might suggest it was the best thing that ever happened to them. After all, being able to draw from the whole range of J-pop vocal talent arguably helped freshen up their sound and give them a new lease of life.

Verbal thinks otherwise.

"Lisa's leaving was shocking for us," he recalls. "I didn't think she'd leave especially when we were selling like a million records at the time."

Read it: M-flo loves...?


Excerpt:

-- The band's name, according to one account, was originally "Meteorite Flow," but that's a bit of tongue-twister in Japan, so the name was shortened to m-flo.

-- Verbal's real name is Ryu Yong Gi. He is of Korean descent and was born in Tokyo on Aug. 21, 1975. Unusually for a J-pop artist, Verbal studied at the Jesuit-operated Boston College in Massachusetts. He graduated with a degree in business and philosophy.

-- Taku's full name is Taku Takahashi, and he was born in Kanagawa Prefecture on March 29, 1974.

-- Taku and Verbal met when they were students at St. Mary's International School in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. They graduated in 1993.

-- In 1998 Verbal and Taku formed m-flo in Tokyo together with Japanese-Colombian female vocalist Lisa, who had been the vocalist for the group Ram Jam World.

Read it: The juice on J-pop: m-flo