Haruomi Hosono celebrates 79th birthday with new song, "Note of Mothership"

"Note of Mothership" arrives as Hosono turns seventy-nine today. The track is the opener and first preview of Yours Sincerely, his twenty-third studio album that ranges from folk to avant-pop.

Discussing the inspiration behind the single, Hosono explains: “For the past several years, I have been contemplating the maternal presence that envelops the Earth. I believe expressions like ‘Mother Earth’ and ‘Mother Nature’ were born from an intuitive understanding of the strict yet tender compassion that our human progenitor holds."

Yet, as a consequence of twentieth-century materialism, humanity now stands at a chaotic crossroads," he continues. "Through the powerless, solitary experiences brought on by great earthquakes and the spread of pandemics, I sensed that something had begun to stir. As if instincts long dormant in the depths of our hearts—maternal love, compassion—had begun to stir, the current of consciousness ceased to remain confined to the individual and began to move as a quiet, flowing stream.”