Midori Jaeger was born in Japan and moved to the UK when she was five. She returned to Tokyo aged sixteen before settling in London to study music full-time at the Royal Academy of Music two years later.
Although a self-confessed cello nerd, she began having doubts about where the intense classical training would lead: "I started feeling like, what's the point in me practising nine hours a day to just play this as well as someone else who can already do it? I kind of want to do something that only I could do.".
On this EP, the cello provides a constant pulse to the six short tunes but the sonic textures are expanded to embrace other acoustic instruments. To this she adds her beautifully soulful vocals which have a Sade-like smoothness.
The six one word titles are all written in lower case as if adding capital letters might be too emphatic. they are planted - safe - hunted - or - wait - lungs.
The final track was inspired by her Japanese grandmother who passed away after suffering from a lung condition.
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The record follows and compliments a five-track EP '(Un)planted' released in March of this year. The metaphor of rootedness, or lack thereof, is evident. This is perhaps coupled with fears of displacement exacerbated by the recent breakup of a long-term relationship.
A combination of fragile beauty and quiet strength lends the graceful melodies a seductive delicacy with lyrics reflecting the difficulty of putting emotions into words. In the piano-led hunted she sings of experiencing a sense of strangeness as she muses: “It doesn’t cost a thing to feel /Feel something you can’t say.”
Jaeger is not currently signed to a record label; a state of affairs that will hopefully change if only because it will enable her to reach the wider audience she so richly deserves.
midori jaeger’s website
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