Mati & HOPE ~It's Greek to me?~

[Mati & HOPE~It's Greek to me?~]

Words & Music: Takashi Watanabe
Arrangement: John I. Yuei
Vocal: LULUDIA

THEME OF THIS SONG

Γειά σας!(Hello! in Greek)

The inspiration behind making this song was the journey back to my hometown in Greece last summer.
On the airplane from Athens to Taipei (via Dubai),
I met my great Greek Australian friends who were living in Melbourne.
We started talking about many Greek stories.

"Why does everyone say 'It's Greek To Me !'? lol"


What is the song title "Mati"?

It is a good-luck charm with an eye-catching pattern that is popular in Greece.
Ancient Greek ships had an "eye" on the bow to lead the lucky voyage.
This is known as "Mati" in Greece, "Evileye" in English-speaking countries, and "Nazarbonju" in Turkey.

It is said that it will protect you from evil gazes, such as various disasters and grudges in your life.
When a glass eyeball breaks, it is a sign of protection from disaster for you.


Why is the song title "HOPE"?

The second half of the song is about the news of a painful train accident in Taiwan that happened in October 2018.
I thought"What can I do for my Taiwanese friends and their families who have saved me?"
I wrote it on a plane from Tokyo to Taipei.

I often play tennis at HOPE TENNIS ACADEMY in Taichung City, Central Taiwan.
When I heard that my French coach and dear Friend was going to transfer to Vietnam, I wanted to sing at his farewell party.
So this song is also to celebrate people's "start of life".

With the feeling of gratitude to everyone who keeps feeding water every day on the tennis court of the same red soil as Greece, and devoted themselves to supporting the players everyday.
"Will it rain?" I express their (your) wishes.

I sang for the victims of train accidents and to wash away the sad feelings of their families and friends with wishing for a"welcome rain".

Taiwan is a special country that makes me feel Greece, except for high humidity.
I wish for friendship between the two countries, so I tried to create it in one song.

Finally, I would like to cheer on the Greek Olympic team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,
and the Greeks and Greek immigrants living around the world.

I hope that the people who are listening to this song will become "Greek fans".

Ευχαριστώ! (Thank you! in Greek)

LULUDIA

The location of the cover: Airplane from Athens to Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Photographer: Takashi Watanabe