ルワンダ出身のR&Bシンガー、コルネーユが歌う「上を向いて歩こう」は、私たちが知っている「上を・・」と全く異なる雰囲気がする歌です。
彼の柔らかな歌声とR&B風のアレンジのおかげで、とても癒される
心が穏やかな気持ちになる歌に聞こえるので、不思議です。
彼は、1994年のルワンダ内戦で家族を失い、カナダに移住。
2年前に結婚しましたが、「ルワンダは、もう自分を癒しては
くれない。僕のhomeではない。僕のhome は家族であり、それは
世界のどこへ行こうが変わらない」と。
彼の歌声には、彼の悲惨な経験から来ているのでしょう。
「上を向いて歩こう」の寄せる彼の思いを、画家であり歌手でもある
リエ・フーがインタビューします。
The late Sakamoto Kyu's famous song, 上を向いて歩こう.
The English name for this global hit? Sukiyaki!
From Rwanda, R&B singer Corneille. Last year he made his international debut. His faithful translation of the famous phrase?
"I hold my head up high."
And here to find out about his world of song is Singer Rie fu.
Last July Rie graduated from a London arts college where she studied oil painting. Her experience living outside Japan led her to create soft, gentle songs and pictures about family love.
Rie fu (Rf): In this album you've covered a Japanese song: Lonely Nights. Why did you come up with that song?
Corneille (C): I'm so glad that I actually touched that song. Keeping your head high is a way to sort of avoid the pain, in a way.
Rf: Right.
C: And it could be lost love, it could be any kind of loss where you can hide behind your pride to sort of keep your head up high. That's kind of our way to deal with pain sometimes, is to stand straight and let the pride take over.
Corneille felt a connection with this song, maybe because of something in his past.
In 1994, he lost his home and family in the Rwandan civil war. Completely alone, he later debuted as a singer in Canada. Two years ago he got married and started a new life.
Rf: What is...well, in your songs, like specifically in your lyrics...is the idea of home?
C: Rwanda is not my home anymore because it doesn't give me comfort. And so now what I understand is that my home is the person that I chose...the life partner that I've chosen and the family that I will build with her -- wherever we go, whatever part of the world we end up at, that's my home. I have a hard time just limiting that sense of home to a community or a physical place.
Rf: So it's not like your past but your future.
C: Exactly. Because the past is past and gone. So it wouldn't be very smart to dwell on it. The future matters way more. The present and the future.
New encounters await anyone who can walk with head held high.