WASHINGTON (Kyodo) On the eve of his performance in Washington, popular African-American "enka" singer Jero said Friday he is eager to make the traditional Japanese ballads popular in the United States.
"I sure wish to promote the genre of enka to a lot of people," he said at a news conference before his performance Saturday at the opening ceremony of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in the U.S. capital.
"I hope the people will feel the charm in enka and its melodies, although there is a difference in language," the 27-year-old crooner said in fluent Japanese.