EMERGENCY TIARA; A UTOPIAN VISION

WORDS SONIA AKTHER - PHOTOGRAPHY MEGAN KELLYTHORN - FASHION HANNAH FRY - MUA MEENA BHELLA

The Kingdom of Emergency Tiara is the utopian vision of Tokyo-born Juri Jinnai. Drawing influences from '60s French Pop and Jazz, this uniquely talented artist creates in her music a melodious escape from the pressures of everyday life. Accompanied by her band, the Sass Boys, and beloved backing singers #girlsquad, this quirky and colorful ensemble is full of all the depths of their egalitarian Queen. Blending sounds of a bygone an era with contemporary Japanese pop-rock, Unsophisticated Circus is an album that offers its listeners an express-ticket to a happier, sunnier place; one where genres and decades mix freely, and individuality is celebrated to the sounds of sweet music.

Sonia Akther: Could you tell me about the Kingdom of Emergency Tiara and what it means to you? Emergency Tiara: Well, the Kingdom of Emergency Tiara is for when everybody has those daily work stresses and those daily life stresses...and the world is pretty fucked up, so I want everyone to have a moment when you're really stressed, to take a moment and put a little Emergency Tiara on, so you can remember how special and valuable and amazing you are in your own unique way.

S.A: Congratulations on the release of your latest album; where did the name 'Unsophisticated Circus' come from? E.T: It is very much a similar concept, it is the Kingdom in some ways. I love people who are different and unique and embracing who they truly are. I think this is what makes the world a better place. So the unsophisticated circus is a place full of unique people who are being who they are. It is one of the Emergency Tiara theme songs.

S.A: Your songs have influences of doo-wop to French pop, what inspired your 22-year-old self to move from Tokyo to Boston to study music? E.T: My main inspiration was my mum who told me when she was my age that she wanted to live abroad but her own mother wouldn't let her so she wanted to make her dreams come true through me. So I was very excited when she told me I could choose a school wherever I wanted and there was only one place I wanted to go and that was Berklee College of Music. So that's how that happened, I moved to study music at Berkley and studied a lot of contemporaries and a lot of jazz while I was there.

S.A: Do you have any siblings? What was growing up in Tokyo like for you? E.T: I have a younger brother who acts more like an older brother, we have very different personalities and a lot of similarities too but he's probably more conservative than me in terms of life choices. He got married when he was 22, he has 2 kids, so yeah.. he used to play music..he still plays music- he loves karaoke because that's a big thing in Japan. It's a musical family for just a hobby. We all love singing, karaoke has been our family thing since I was very little.

S.A: Alongside millennial references to Ray-Bans and Beliebers, your music has a distinctively vintage sound. How do you describe your unique blend? E.T: I can't put words to it but I've always had a love of doo-wops and honky-tonks, all those places music originally came from, where people were playing live instruments together and creating something together as a group of people rather than sitting in a bedroom making everything on their own - which is also amazing but I personally love the collaboration side of music. Me and my amazing producer Dave Cole, we've been working together now for 7 years and we both just pitched in what we thought would be great and what we liked and over time it became what it is now.

Emergency Tiara wears glasses AJ MORGAN; gloves & earrings SOPHIE CULL-CANDY; dress POPPY SIMONE

S.A: We have recently been through the Fashion Week season and I know fashion plays a big part for you; are there any new designers you are particularly excited about atm? E.T: I had the opportunity to perform at the Malan Breton's Fashion Show at London Fashion Week and his collection was very elegant but also very eclectic, he has some elegant styles to some edgy to some modern to some classical, and it was really really inspiring to see his vision in the reality.

S.A: How would you describe your style? E.T: I love Twiggy. I love the late 60s. London in the late 60s is my biggest inspiration but also, I think my Japanese blood has a little of the fascination for the futuristic, quirky, colorful fashion also so I think the combination of the two plus a hint of elegance is what I'm trying.

S.A: How has this evolved for you over time? E.T: Well, it's definitely, definitely evolving. I think it's becoming truer to myself than just Twiggy and the 60s. In the beginning, I was just miniskirts and a turtle neck, I still like to dress like that, but now I add a bit more of my own twist.

S.A: Is a dose of fashion a form of an emergency Tiara for you? E.T: Yes, yes! Because in my daily life I wear a lot of black and white and I like that also, but when I perform on the stage, I like to put on those colorful outfits that are matching with my girls and the Sass Boys who are the band. So yeh, I think there's a nice energy-shift element to it for me.

S.A: It is clear from songs on the album like 'Do Not Disturb' that you are passionate about Female Empowerment. What is the message you would like to deliver to young women today? E.T: I have this funny story; I was just in Japan and it is a beautiful country with a beautiful culture but also a little bit old fashioned and still a bit misogynistic with a very old-fashioned image of a woman...a very solid concrete idea of how a woman should be. This elderly Japanese man looked at me and said: "that's a woman? Hell no!" And I was like, "Woah" and I think I'm a very feminine woman actually, I just happen to have buzzed hair. I am grateful for everything my parents have given me, and whoever created me, so I want every woman to embrace who they are and not just follow what people tell them how a woman should be. And I want that message to be delivered to everyone.

Emergency Tiara wears two-piece POPPY SIMONE; earrings LIARS & LOVERS

S.A: How do you see this journey coming along with age? E.T: I love it, I really love it. I think the older I get, I just stop giving fucks about what people think of me, especially appearance-wise. I still want to be polite respectful and kind to other people so if people think I'm being bitchy, I want to hear that and I want people to let me know but when it comes to my appearance, I do whatever I wanna do!

S.A: Do we all need Emergency Tiaras now more than ever? E.T: I think so. I think everyone can find some use for an Emergency Tiara in their lives to bring a little happiness every day.

S.A: Are you excited about your tour with Belinda Carlisle? E.T: Very, very excited. Excited to have the opportunity to tour with this amazing singer who also has positive messages and I'm very excited to meet her this is the biggest opportunity we have ever got so I'm a little overwhelmed and nervous but more excited than anything else!

S.A: What can we look forward to from Emergency Tiara in the future? E.T: We're just gonna keep going with what we do and hopefully we get to meet more people and connect and we find a way to enjoy our lives together and make this fucked up the place a little bit better a bit by bit.