MASUMI – Running For Life, For Time Is Running Out

These days nothing in life comes easy
In a daze, in a maze, everything gets hazy then leaves you dizzy
Heart as heavy as the gravity, epiphany needed for a bright dazzle
What used to be gloom and grey shall bloom with warm and beautiful colors

MASUMI, Japanese singer-songwriter, left Tokyo for Los Angeles to run after her dreams and ambitions.

Solo with her guitar, she doesn’t fear transcending cultural borders. Indeed, along the soulful music she creates, she’s unveiling a smooth folk sound, with subtle flavors from her Japanese origin, as you can hear at the end of the chorus in her single titled Run, Baby, Run. The tune that marks a new step in Masumi’s career, an artist usually that usually provides stripped-down acoustic music.

The production makes it sound more Pop, however remains loyal to her artistry.

This song connects with two life-changing events from Masumi’s personal story. Indeed, back in 2011, MASUMI survived to the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake in her home country of Japan, under the 9.0 magnitude tremors while trapped in an underground café in Tokyo.

Since then, she measured the price to feel alive and dedicated her following days for her music career.

The second awakening came after a dark time in her life, illustrated in the video, aimed to inspire people to rise again.

You can feel it in the roar of her voice as she sings out loud “Run”, a load of emotions crying for hope and freedom, doubt free, depression free, relieved.

The impact of the drums emphasize the empowering idea of breaking free from dark throughts such as “gravity pulls me down right when I hit the ground”

Speaking about the song, she explains: ‘In 2016, I received a life changing offer to be managed by a prestigious management team in Tokyo, Japan. I decided to walk away from this career-defining moment and chose to remain in the States to explore possibilities that were more aligned with the artist I wanted to grow into.

But that brought a long depression and self doubt. I was confused if I made the right choice. A stranger popped in my life during that time and left me a message to “live with urgency” because “time is running out”. It was my 2nd awakening since the earthquake’.

Directed by film-maker Loic Zimmermann (Ghost in the Shell, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harry Potter, True Grit..), the music video brought the song to life in a powerful way. ‘I had a vivid vision in my head, how I wanted the Astronaut to portray the stranger I met who breathed motivation back into me.’

Run Baby, Run touches on the duality of life, empowering people to use their strength to rise above fear and give hope to those going through dark times.

Following her true path and passion for music, MASUMI moved to Los Angeles and attended the Los Angeles Music Academy.

Since graduating, she has worked with top industry veterans: Singer and vocal coach Dorian Holley (Michael Jackson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), Grammy-Award Winning Producer/Engineer J.J Blair (Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash and The Who), Warner Brothers songwriter/producer Ichiro Suezawa (Michelle Branch, Bruno Mars, Beyonce), multi-platinum award-winning songwriter/producer Nash Overstreet (Hot Chelle Rae) and Grammy-nominated producer Tristan Boston.

MASUMI has also appeared in music videos for major artists such as Justin Timberlake, Bishop Briggs and Youtube star Shae-lee Shackleford (SketchShe.)

MASUMI’s goal and mission also led her to work with not-for-profit organizations GenNext x College Music (NAAM Show), Women’s Rights at CSDI, Optimist Youth Home Organization dedicating her time as a musician for causes that inspire the youth around the world.