Paper short abstract:

This presentation shows the challenges female singer-songwriters face in the context of fan-artist-relationships and expected gender roles in today's live music scene. It uses the method of participating observation and is based on the presenter's own experiences as a performing artist in Tokyo.

Paper long abstract:

　The purpose of this presentation is to focus on the music scene in Japan as of 2022, particularly those who are called "SSW," and to identify the gendered roles that have been assigned to them.

　"SSW" is an abbreviation for singer-songwriter. In Japan today, there are many amateur singer-songwriters, and this abbreviation "SSW" is often used by female singer-songwriters to refer to themselves, forming a musical genre. However, women SSWs often face problems in addition to their own musical expression. Female SSWs often have another problem besides their own musical expression: the relationship between female SSWs and their fans.

　SSWs who perform at small live houses or on the street are able to be in relatively close contact with their fans. There are many advantages here, of course, but there are also disadvantages, of course. In other words, female SSWs often encounter situations in their musical activities where they are expected by their fans to play the role of a woman and have to live up to those expectations. Examples of this can be seen in various scenes, such as fan service at live houses and on the street, selling CDs and promidoes, and interacting with fans on social networking sites. As this presentation will reveal, female SSW often have middle-aged male fans. This is similar to the problem of idol culture in the underground scene in Japan, so it is possible to make comparisons with this situation.

　In this presentation, the presenter, who herself is a female SSW in Tokyo, will discuss the gendered role of Japanese SSWs, taking into account her own experience as a female SSW. To begin with, popular music has been discussed together with various phenomena such as social class, race, gender, propaganda, and the capitalist system. If so, the presenter believes that the case of SSW should also be able to be examined through those social factors. This presentation aims to be a case study to reconsider the Japanese music scene.