Photo by David Lee - Wikimedia Commons
Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast at Day In Day Out Festival in Seattle (2022)
Michelle Zauner turned sorrow and whimsy into the glowing indie pop band of Japanese Breakfast. As the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Zauner shaped her 2013 project into a distinctive blend of dreamy rhythms and experimental rock.
Japanese Breakfast debuted in 2016 with their first album Psychopomp, a heartfelt exploration of the emotional aftermath following Zauner and her mother’s death. She captures the weight of grief and anxiety in her artful lyricism, revealing how loss reshaped her sense of self and the world around her. Notably, Zauner is also the author of the 2021 New York Times bestseller Crying in H Mart, a memoir that delves further into her Korean American identity, loss and the complexities of familial love.
In 2021, the band released Jubilee, a critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album that started a new chapter in Zauner’s career, producing top-rated tracks “Paprika” and “Be Sweet.” With bolder melodies and bright saxophone solos, Jubilee proves Japanese Breakfast can evoke both euphoria and heartache with equal grace. Since their debut, the band has toured with prominent artists such as Slowdive, Alex G, Tegan and Sara and Florence and the Machine.
Japanese Breakfast started their worldwide tour in April amid the release of their new album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) in March.
