This chapter focuses on Japanese singer Akiko Fujii. She was born into a prestigious musical family in the 1960s, having both a mother and grandmother who were renowned singers of jiuta, an inherited male-dominated vocal tradition. When Akiko was in her forties, her brother became the head of their mother's music school, forcing her towards major life decisions—including a career as a professional jiuta performer, rather than a teacher. Following a path of independence, passion, and inspiration, Akiko chose to break new ground by adapting her performance style to draw in audiences and create intimacy, resisting criticism of an older generation and risking disapproval of her mother. Within a traditional context of profound family pressure, Akiko has created a singing career for herself through perseverance and determination.
Valuing time over money predicts happiness after a major life transition: A preregistered longitudinal study of graduating students