Junko Ueda

Junko Ueda is a mesmerizing Japanese musician and storyteller celebrated for her mastery of the *satsuma-biwa*, a traditional lute-like instrument, and her haunting vocal performances of *The Tale of the Heike*, a medieval Japanese epic. Blending ancient art with modern experimentation, she’s spent decades preserving and reinventing Japan’s musical heritage, her voice and biwa strings conjuring the drama of samurai battles, tragic romances, and ghostly lamentations. Beyond solo work, she’s embraced bold collaborations, like teaming up with French avant-prog band PoiL for genre-defying fusions that bridge centuries and continents. Whether interpreting centuries-old texts like *Dan No Ura* (a climactic Heike battle) or exploring new sonic territories, Ueda’s performances feel both timeless and thrillingly alive—a reminder that old stories never really die, they just find new ways to resonate.

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