We recently spoke with rising artist Mulasaki Ima, and what started as a simple interview quickly turned into a deeper look at her music, her mindset, and what’s driving her right now. From “Mental Rental” to her connection with New York, there’s more going on here than you might expect. We also want to give a big thank you to Ken Issacs and Kenji Yoshiba of Sony Music Entertainment Japan for giving us the opportunity.
GetSelious: Hello Everyone, this is GetSelious and William Kok of The Outerhaven, and today we are joined by Singer and Songwriter, Mulasaki Ima.
William Kok: Mulaski-san, please go ahead.
Mulasaki Imai: Hello, I am Mulaski Ima. Pleased to meet you.
William Kok: Pleased to meet you as well. And thank you for taking the time to meet with us.
Mulasaki Ima: To you as well! Thank you for taking the time as well.
GetSelious: To those who aren’t familiar with you, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself?
Mulasaki Ima: I’m Mulsaki Ima. Singer, Producer, Arranger, Songwriter, and I’m 23 years old. It is nice to meet you.
William Kok & GetSelious: It is nice to meet you.
GetSelious: Is this your first time here in New York? And how are you enjoying yourself in the city?
Mulasaki Ima: This is my first time here in New York. But my father is a street musician, and he played the Djembe Drum and performed a lot when he was younger here in New York. So, I heard a lot of stories about New York, so I was very excited to come here. And even though this is my first time, I don’t know if it is the different cultures present, but I feel very comfortable being here.
William Kok: So, hearing your father’s stories and origins about New York, it gave you a connection here. I’m happy to hear.
Mulasaki Ima: Thank you.
William Kok: So, there is a reason why you are here in New York. You are currently working on the music video “NEW WALK” the ED for the upcoming anime Eren the Southpaw. The show features Yamagishi Eren, an artist who lives in New York who tackles the many struggles of being an artist. What do you want the fans and listeners to take away from “NEW WALK” ?
Mulasaki Ima: So “New Walk” is almost like a new challenge in Japanese. I feel that in New York, time moves very fast. I feel that New Yorkers don’t focus on the past. That they always live in the moment. Look forward. With “New Walk”, I want to focus on the idea of letting go of the past and emphasize moving forward. Which is what I want the listeners to take away and understand.
William Kok: Very true. New Yorkers always live so quickly that life passes by.
GetSelious: True. A couple of years ago, when I was still in college, there used to be a burger joint in this area. Now, it’s no longer there, but everyone keeps walking past the location. It’s pretty sad to see.
Mulasaki Ima: Eh? Wow. That is sad to hear.
William Kok: From your recent release of “Metal Rental” from the ED for Yuusha no Kuzu (Scum of the Brave), the song’s lyrics reflect states of mind. What goes through your mind when creating songs with themes like this?
Mulasaki Ima: So, I saw on Japanese X (Formerly Twitter), there was a trending topic of people wanting to buy something in their hearts, a void, per se. I feel that this was not a healthy mentality to have. That it connects to the idea of renting or borrowing a state of mind, hence the title of Mental Rental. I get my ideas and process from social media and translate them into music.
GetSelious: Just hopefully none of the memes get in there, too. We have too many people saying Six-Seven. (Roku Nana)
Mulasaki Ima: I understand that one!
GetSelious: Since your debut in 2023, you have made a presence in the music world. How do you feel as a musician now vs back then?
Mulasaki Ima: Hmm… Back when I first debuted, I approached music like fantasy/fiction. I would put my ideas and beliefs into that world and make my creation. Now growing as an artist, I want to express directly with my words and writing my own music. To make that connection between my words/beliefs and my listeners.
GetSelious: That’s cool. The idea of how to make connections. You see artists imbue and make their connections present and resonate with their listeners. It’s always great to see.
Mulasaki Ima: Thank you very much.
GetSelious: Hope this isn’t too personal. But when you’re not making music, what do you like to do in your downtime?
Mulasaki Ima: I love cats! And going to Cat Cafes. On my Instagram, my liked reels are all cats. I just enjoy them.
William Kok: Is there a particular breed you like?
Mulasaki Ima: Particularly, I love a Japanese Cat! Not a breed, but the kinds of cats you can discern that are aesthetically Japanese.
GetSelious: The final thing I want to say as we close this interview is, is there anything you would like to say to your fans? Do you have upcoming projects that you can share?
Mulasaki Ima: I want to meet my international fans and do live performances all over the world. It is my hope that I can do a live show, like here in New York, or go on tour and meet my fans! So, hopefully I can do that!
GetSelious: Definitely! I hope we can get a concert soon.
William Kok: I would love to see you perform at Madison Square Garden or Rockerfellar Center. So, I hope that happens!
Mulasaki Ima: Thank you very much!
GetSelious: With that, this is Get Selious and William Kok of The Outerhaven, with Mulasaki Ima, and we will see you in the next one!
Follow Mulaski Ima on her socials on Instagram –@mulasakiima, check her YouTube Channel, Spotify, and check out “NEW WALK” and Eren the Southpaw (Hidarikiki no Eren) that is airing now.
