Billboard Japan spoke with Awich for the latest installment of its Women in Music interview series. The initiative launched in 2022 to celebrate artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and entertainment and inspired other women through their work, following the footsteps of Billboard’s annual Women in Music honors. This series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry is one of the highlights of Japan‘s WIM project.
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The interview with Japan’s rap queen marks the occasion of the one-night-only special live event Women in Music – EQUAL STAGE, presented by Billboard Japan and Spotify on June 9. Born and raised in Okinawa, she moved to the U.S. where she started a family, then lost her husband. Through all of it, she has pushed to the very front of Japan’s hip-hop scene. She spoke candidly about balancing motherhood and a career, her identity as an Okinawan woman, and the environment for women in the music industry.
It’s been about six months since the release of Okinawan Wuman. Has anything shifted for you since then?
