Oh, Hai is a quirky and playful song that celebrates cultural diversity and my personal ethnicity. I feel a deep connectedness to Japan and I wanted to offer appreciation and praise through song. My mother was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan and left to come to the United States for college at the age of 18. My grandparents decided to follow suit and move to the states with her and never went back. Due to the war and the impacts it had on life for my grandmother (in addition to the unexpected and untimely deaths of immediate family members and a slew of other things), I never really knew anyone from that side of my family. However, I grew up with such strong ties to Japanese culture that it really shaped who I am and how I operate in the world. I was extremely close with my grandmother and after she passed, I found myself more connected to the Japanese culture than I have before. As playful as I was with this song… it hits deep for me. My Japanese grandmother passed away last year and my heart is still hurting. I wish I had the opportunity to show her my music, this song, and of course to simply communicate with her again—but such is life… This is dedicated to her. おばあちゃん百合に捧げ To all of my fellow mixed babies out there: I encourage you to research your family origins, cultural history, explore what it all means to you, and, above all else, love yourself and embrace your inner weirdo… it’ll attract the right people and experiences into your life.more