It’s been a while since i returned to my roots, my core. It’s been a while since I listened to YUI. Like… actually listened properly. With my heart. I play her songs here and then, some songs still carry such a powerful magic to it. But I never had enough time to sit there and understand what she was trying to say in her music. What her music was really about.

Most of you know how much YUI means to me, I’ve talked about it on my youtube channel, you’ve read it in my blogs, tweets, and even in my story itself. Today I realized something more.

YUI is on a different level of any artist. It’s not about her skill in singing or guitar or anything. In fact, if I honestly compare her to many artists out there, she may pale in comparison in skill. Yet, it’s the magic in her music. It’s her love for the music. Why is she the one who i return to all the time, after months of listening to other artists, drifting from genre to genre, she is still at my heart. All throughout these past years where i listened to her, i’ve followed her life story. Watched her grow, watched her become successful, watched her music develop and change. I haven’t heard one of her oldest songs for a while. Upon watching the below video again, about her live in 2007, I’m brought back to my roots. The core of my dreams, my beliefs and my passion. It’s her music that is so pure, so innocent, so powerful in that way. It’s pure. It’s pure music. It’s all her dreams, all her feelings, every ounce of her passion brought out. It floors me. Completely floors me. It’s music at its simplest form. It’s not her technique nor beautiful voice. I remember when i first heard her song I was like, I don’t like her voice. It grew on me of course. But, her music is full of magic. The aura she has on that stage, when she sits down, lights a candle and just strums away on her guitar; simple chords. Nothing to it. It’s music at its purest form, the language of dreams and love.

I watched this video, hope you enjoy it and see the same things I do, even if you might not have followed YUI or like her music/voice etc:

YUI – 01 – It’s Happy Line 【LIVE at BUDOKAN 2007】

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQdmQ8hsgb0]

The lyrics to this song:

Who am I living for?
The cloudy days pass me by.
This weakness, this pain:

Do I feel all of it, or just a little?
I drowned myself in memories, but it didn’t help.
So I’ll start living for today.
But even if I’m a bit lost, yeah, yeah

Before dawn, the twinkling stars vanished.
I wonder: are they really gone?
Or will they be back tomorrow?

Tomorrow never knows
It’s Happy Line.

What should I believe in?
My life flies past me and I don’t even know it.
No matter what the night brings,
Please, don’t frown.

Everyone has happy faces and voices,
I wonder if I can see them.
But even if I can’t laugh, yeah, yeah.
I’ve found my courage at last.
I saw your red eyes and I tried to laugh.

Tomorrow never knows
It’s Happy Line.

I drowned myself in memories, but it didn’t help.
So I’ll start living for today.
But even if I’m a bit lost, yeah, yeah

Before dawn, the twinkling stars vanished.
I wonder: are they really gone?
Or will they be back tomorrow?

Tomorrow never knows
It’s Happy Line.

Her lyrics, her melodies, every one of her songs carries magic. Just read those lyrics. This is one of the first songs she ever wrote, the first song she took to the streets in street lives, pursuing her dreams of music, as a young 15 year old. It carries such power. even tho life seems hard, life seems uncertain, the future seems bleak, it’s about going for your dreams, living out your life to the fullest, no matter how lost we are, to continue to fight. Yes, her music combines all of that. We may be lost, but we need to keep going. Tomorrow will come. It’s always given me strength and hope to keep going on. It’s always fuelled my dreams and passions, letting me feel alive. Like a breath of fresh air. I hope you can see the same things perhaps

One more:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C991-jYoeHM]

Her music can make tears well up in her own as well as in our eyes. That’s the kind of soul in this. It’s such magic. Such a powerful experience. Whether or not you understand the language the power is still there, the raw emotion, the simplicity of music as a universal language. it’s just amazing