Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2009

American enka singer Jero, 27, performed his new single “Tsumeato” recently in front of 4,500 fans at the Plenty Mall in Kobe City. Jero said the new song, about forbidden love, is the most enka-like of his songs to date. The singer kicked off his first national tour last month, telling reporters, “My concerts will be a bit different from traditional enka performances… I think people of all ages will be able to enjoy them.” The 35-concert tour continues through December; a full list of dates and venues can be found at his blog (in Japanese) at http://blog.goo.ne.jp/jeroenka.