Mugi the Cat
Mugi the Cat (むぎ(猫)) is a Japanese singer-songwriter. His main instrument is the xylophone. Born in Tokyo, he now lives in Uruma City, Okinawa, Japan. History. Pre-music. The artist Mugi the Cat is based on a real cat that lived from 1997 to 2009. His owner, Yusaku, created Mugi in memory of that cat. As a reference, Mugi carries the sub-title "The Cat which came back from Heaven". In 2014, he made his first appearance in his current form. Initially, he had no plans to become a musician. He only wanted to go for  walks and say hello to people. But soon, he became popular on Twitter and was invited to events related to cats. To be more entertaining than just standing there, he started performing music, singing, talking and dancing. As a musician. After that, his music career started, with performances at all kinds of events and festivals, including those with an international audience. In 2017, he was the first cat to ever play at Fuji Rock Festival. Other festival appearances include Rising Sun Rock Festival, Wild Bunch Festival and Matsumoto Ringo Festival. 2017 Oct.: joined SPEEDSTAR MUSIC 2019 March: major debut album  on SPEEDSTAR RECORDS, "君に会いに" 2019 March: launch of official fanclub "Hachiware-Tengoku" 2019 June/July: first nation-wide tour in Japan 2019 April: started hosting the radio show "blanks", weekly on FM Okinawa Music. Creating music. Mugi writes and records his music at home, including playing the piano, the xylophone and the drums. The guitar parts are played by his friend Satoshi (新垣智), who can also frequently be seen in the short films used during the live shows. Mugi's music includes many different genres, like pop, rock, hip-hop, etc. Most songs are about a cat's view of  the world. All songs are suitable for children, but not made for children. The lyrics are simple at first glance but meaningful when looking deeper, and include many word-plays. Mugi is an advocate for kindness and peace, which is also reflected in his songs. The pose he often takes after finishing a song (see photo) is a tribute to the peace statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. Live performances. During the live performances, Mugi sings and plays the xylophone, sometimes also an Eisa drum. The rest of the music comes from the sound system. He uses a lot of home -made accessories to underline his songs, and is also dancing to most of the songs. During the break in case of long concerts, home-made short films are played. After many concerts, Mugi takes the time to say hello to his fans, have photos taken and give signatures. Coverage in print media. Discography. Albums. 『天国かもしれない』 （2017） 『君に会いに』 （2019、limited edition CD+DVD: VIZL-1547、regular edition CD: VICL-65132） EPs. 『ねっこほって e.p.』（2019、limited edition CD+DVD+plush-keyholder: VIZL-1666、regular edition CD: VICL-65266） 『窓辺の猫 e.p.』（2020、limited edition special packaging: VICL-65414、regular edition CD: VICL-65415） Guest appearance. Schroeder-Headz 『ゲスト・スイート』（2019、VICL-65267）「Surface」