Music

Billboard Japan’s Women in Music initiative launched in 2022 to celebrate artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work, in the same spirit as Billboard’s annual Women in Music honors since 2007. This interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry is one of the highlights of Japan’s WIM project.

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Keropons, the duo consisting of Yuko Masuda (Kero) and Akiko Hirata (Pon), are the next featured guests. Probably known best for their kids’ tune “Ebikanics,” Keropons is hugely popular with children and parents in Japan. The duo’s catchy melodies and lyrics, impossible to forget once you’ve heard them, have provided fun times for many families over the years.

The unit was also tapped as the first act for the KIDS MUSIC PARK music project launched by Universal Music Japan in collaboration with major Japanese publisher Kodansha. The two women spoke with writer Rio Hirai on behalf of Billboard Japan for the latest installment of the WIM interview series and shared their views on creating an environment that makes it easier for women to work, based on their experience interacting with parents and children all over Japan throughout their careers. 

You two were chosen as the first act for the music project KIDS MUSIC PARK, a collaboration between Universal Music and Kodansha’s online media “with class mama.” You wrote a new song called “Chu-zaburo” based on the honest voices of moms and dads all over the country for this project. How did you feel when you were asked to take part in it?

Akiko Hirata (Pon): We were so happy. It was exciting because there were parts that were similar to the family concerts we’d been doing up until now, and the person at Universal Music who started the project is also a mom raising kids, which I thought was great. The project was a new endeavor in that we spoke directly with mom influencers and wrote the song with them after hearing what they had to say. 

There must be many moms out there who have been helped by your music. Have you ever discovered something new or had fresh insights from the feedback and comments from your listeners?

Yuko Masuda (Kero): Yes, a lot. This time, Pon wrote the lyrics first, and then we worked on the music. We asked the moms to listen to the lyrics and when we asked how their kids react to music, one of them said, “My child laughs when I shake my hips!” Other moms followed suit, like, “Mine does, too!” so we went, “Well then, let’s shake our hips in this song.” That’s what the production process was like. A mother who was facing difficulties raising her child mentioned that she felt too self-conscious to give hugs or kisses, so we incorporated hugs and blowing kisses into the choreography. Everyone can do these naturally when they’re part of a song. It’s interesting how people gradually get used to it as they do it while laughing.

You’ve also performed it live after it was released digitally in December. How was the reaction to it?

Pon: It’s been really fun. I was wondering if people would hug, but everyone seems to enjoy it more than I expected. The kids hug each other, of course, and parents hug their kids, and also adults at training sessions for nursery school teachers did it, too. Everyone gets all excited when the hugging part comes.

You’re also a mother of two kids, Pon. How have you managed to balance work and parenting?

Pon: I had twins and went back to work four months after they were born. At first, I was really keen to do everything myself without relying on anyone else, but in reality, all sorts of unexpected things kept happening.

What happened?

Pon: First of all, I got sick soon after becoming pregnant and was bedridden for almost a year. I’d actually planned on working right before my due date, but suddenly wasn’t able to work at all. Our work schedule is decided a year in advance. We had a packed schedule of concerts lined up but I couldn’t move, so I ended up having to rely on a lot of people for help.

I told everyone around me that I wouldn’t trouble anyone but ended up inconveniencing my company, and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to raise my kids properly. Becoming a mom was supposed to be a happy occasion, but my worries became bigger than the joy and I just kept crying in bed.

How did you manage to lift your spirits from there?

Pon: I thought, “I can’t take any more time off,” and resumed work four months after my kids were born. We moved to Nagano later on, but raising twins was hard. Even though I sought help from my mother, my ex-husband, my neighbors, and anyone else I could think of, it still wasn’t enough. In the end, I used the Family Support Center run by the local government. It’s a system where registered people in the community look after people’s kids.

But my job often required me to stay overnight and I had to go work almost every weekend, and this system didn’t cover overnight care. I was at a complete loss when one of the support staff said to me, “It’s not allowed under the current system, but I know you need assistance,” called a few people to help, and they started providing overnight care.

You started your activities in 2004, and I imagine you still have many opportunities to speak with moms and dads. Do you sense any changes in society or the times?

Pon: Yes, I do. There are more young female artists, singers like us, who are also working while raising children. I think it’s easier now for people like them to say, “I’m going to take a break to have a baby, but I’ll be back,” and everyone accepts that. That atmosphere is different from what it used to be like.

It might still be like the old days in some ways, but it has changed a lot.

Pon: That’s so true. Now, taking maternity leave has become the norm, and the pandemic led to a trend of people being encouraged to take it easy and rest, which is also a big change. In the past, as a duo, we worried that if one of us took time off, the work wouldn’t get done. But now we have more young people working in our field and the way of thinking in society as a whole is becoming more flexible, which is great.

Have you ever felt that being a woman has impacted your career, not just in terms of motherhood?

Kero: I’ve come this far without really having to be aware of being a woman, and never faced any major obstacles in that sense. There are lots of women in music colleges, and also a lot of women in the field of childcare.

Pon: Shortly after having kids, a man in the same industry said to me, “It must be hard for you to work in this kind of job when you have a baby.” I was surprised by his tone, which was like, “It’s not my problem because I’m a man.” It makes me feel uncomfortable when people talk about childcare like it’s something only women do. I was too taken aback to respond at the time, but I told Kero about it right away.

The way people think about gender roles is gradually changing, though, isn’t it?

Kero: I think so. At our concerts in the past, there’d be guys who were like, “Daddy just brought the kids” and dozing off, but now the fathers are enjoying the shows together with their children. We see more men come with babies in their arms, bringing their kids along. Times have really changed.

In the entertainment industry, working hours are irregular and often involve working on Saturdays and Sundays. What kind of changes do you think are needed to make it easier for women to work?

Pon: What I noticed through experiencing motherhood is that the systems in place in Japan aren’t keeping up with reality. Government workers think that women who raise children work from 9 to 5, but there are also irregular jobs like in the entertainment industry, and jobs that require working at night or staying overnight. I felt that there still aren’t many systems in place that are in line with that reality.

When you’re young, you tend to think that you have to work hard to not cause trouble for other people. But as you get older and gain more experience, you start to think that it’s OK to ask for help. Can you give some advice to people who might be trying too hard, on how they can make things a little easier?

Pon: If you have someone you can talk to about how you feel, that alone can make a difference. It can be your friend, your partner, or someone you’re connected to through social media. The important thing is not to keep everything bottled up inside.

When I was living in Nagano, I was at a loss about how to balance work and childcare after my divorce, and really struggled with the question of whether I should move back to Tokyo or stay in Nagano. I didn’t know if I could continue my career and felt like I was up against a wall. I was at my wit’s end, so I called a professor from when I was studying childcare who’d been very helpful to me in the past. I was crying, saying, “I don’t know what to do anymore.” Then that professor said to me, “Have you discussed that with your kids?”

What? Your kids?

Pon: Yes, my kids were in third grade at the time. So I said, “They’re still so young, I can’t ask them for advice,” but she was like, “What are you talking about? You’re family, right? They might say something insightful, even if they’re kids.” So I went home and spoke to them during dinner. “Mommy’s really worried. Should we go back to Tokyo, or stay here in Nagano? Should I quit my job and do something else? What do you think?” Then, after thinking about it for a while, my kids said, “We’ve gotten used to living here, so we think you should stay and keep doing what you do.” They both agreed.

So your kids’ words led to a big decision in your life.

Pon: Right. That’s why it’s really important to talk things over. If you just ask without assuming that no one will understand or some specific person won’t understand, you might get an unexpected answer that opens up a new path.

—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan