Emergency Tiara at Economy Candy – Photos by Lulú Rodriguez
Last Call is an interview series where I, Brittany Marino, ask talented folk all about their lasts: last time they did something, last time they felt something, etc. This week I met with Juri Jinnai, or as others may know her: Emergency Tiara. We met at Economy Candy and then found our way to Remedy Diner.
Born in Tokyo but now residing in New York City, pop queen Juri Jinnai is the breath of fresh air this city needs. The moment I met the Emergency Tiara frontwoman, I thought she was sweet like candy (which is exactly what inspired our Economy Candy photoshoot). Jinnai has dealt with some difficult years and despite that she radiates immense passion, creativity and drive. Her music is fun and motivational and her looks are just as fun as her sound. So if you are looking for a good time, join the Emergency Tiara kingdom and let’s start dancing.
Catch Emergency Tiara live at one of the following shows in NYC:
March 29th – Flatiron, SoFar Sounds (location TBA)
March 30th – TriBeCa, SoFar Sounds (location TBA)
April 10th – Brooklyn, Union Pool
Purchase tickets here.
Brittany: Who is the last person you texted, and what about?
Juri: It was actually my friend slash my old trainer. His name is Marcus (shows me a photo on her phone), a picture from I think 12, 13 years ago.
Brittany: Oh my god, wow, where is this at?
Juri: It’s at my old apartment actually, right there on Ludlow. This picture is so old, to the point that me and Marcus are the only people left in New York City.
Brittany: Everybody moved away? Are you still in touch with… there’s about– one, two, three four– there are seven people in this photo.
Juri: I’m still in touch with one of them.
(both laugh)
Brittany: And he used to be your old trainer?
Juri: Yes!
Brittany: And you’re friends now?
Juri: Yeah, we don’t really get to see each other much, but he actually trains someone else who lives in my building, so that’s how we reconnected. I ran into him, and I think he’s younger than me, but somehow I feel like he’s my big brother. (laughs)
Brittany: What was the last song you wrote or recorded? You can choose either or.
Juri: The last song I recorded which I’m going to re-record– I do that a lot, I don’t know when to call the project “final”– but the song is called Bikini Body.
Brittany: Ah nice, I’m working on my own. (laughs) It is still winter time though.
Juri: You have time, we all have time! So basically, I wrote this song with beach body / bikini body as a concept. Everyone has a bikini body. As a concept, after I went through several surgeries last year, and my stomach was covered in scars… I was like, maybe there are some other people who also don’t like the relationship with their new body, like their scars. And then, my husband included that many people are very cheerful about my scars, like, “It looks great! It looks badass!” Do you know the old Japanese technique called kintsugi?
Brittany: No, I haven’t heard it.
Juri: So if the, like, porcelain dishes break, instead of throwing it away, or try to bring it back to how it was, they use gold to connect the pieces, and so it becomes back in one piece.
Brittany: So you can see the gold, the gold outlining of the crack? I think I have seen that before.
Juri: You can see the crack, but it’s beautiful, and new.
Brittany: So it’s like embracing the crack, but also adding elements to make it beautiful and unique. There’s so much insecurity in people’s bodies. I hate to say “we live in a society,” but… we live in a society that makes people feel insecure about it, and it’s really nice to be able to say “I’m beautiful in my skin and every part of me is beautiful and every way that my body changes over time,” whatever it might be, gaining weight, or having surgeries. It’s really nice to be able to embrace those things and see the beauty in all of that.
Juri: Yes! So hopefully that resonates with other people who listen to it, I’m planning on releasing it within the next couple months.
Brittany: That’s amazing, is that for an upcoming project, or an EP, album, or…?
Juri: I think it will most likely be just a single, I’m also working on an LP, but that has too many more songs to finish, so I might just release Bikini Body on its own, while it’s fresh to my mind, before summer.
Brittany: What was the last movie you watched?
Juri: Let me look up the name of the movie… It was called “The Prince of Tides”, the Barbra Streisand movie. I had never really seen Barbra Streisand movies before, and my husband, who’s usually, usually, always in charge of movies because he’s a filmmaker. He’s now introducing me to Barbra Streisand movies.
Brittany: Is he a big fan?
Juri: I don’t think he was that familiar with her movies, so we were kind of exploring it together, and it’s– have you ever seen that movie?
Brittany: No, I haven’t seen it.
Juri: The tone of the movie is a very old Hollywood “it’s for everybody” kind of movie, but the storyline is really heavy and really dark.
Brittany: Yeah, I mean that’s very common with a lot of ‘80s movies. (laughs)
Juri: It’s a very confusing movie, I didn’t know what to feel from the beginning to the end, I still don’t know, but I must say it was a really intriguing, fascinating movie. I recommend it if you’re ever looking for anything weird and bizarre. (laughs)
Brittany: I’m always looking for weird and bizarre. I don’t know if I’ve seen any Barbra Streisand movies, but I’d have to look at her catalog to double check.
Juri: I’m gonna keep going on this route and see, if I see anything I love I’ll let you know.
Brittany: When was the last time you cried?
Juri: Whew! I don’t cry much, generally.
Brittany: I always get so many different answers with this question, some people are like, “I cry everyday!” and one of the answers I’ve gotten is, “Last time I cried was five minutes ago.” We get a lot of versatility on this question.
Juri: Last time I cried was New Year’s Eve. I was just simply, genuinely so relieved that 2023 was over, because it was, to say the least, a nightmare year.
Brittany: Was it a happy cry, then?
Juri: Happy cry, I was like, “Done.” Hopefully 2024 is a better year, so far so good.
Brittany: Do you think you happy cry often? Is that something that you…
Juri: I happy cry more than sad cry, because sadness and anger I can forget about and not really show, but when I’m happy or when I’m touched, that’s when I cry the most.
Brittany: Do you think that you’re an emotional person, though?
Juri: I’m emotional, but I’m not expressive. (laughs)
Brittany: Okay, that makes sense. A lot of my family was like that.
Juri: Yeah?
Brittany: Yeah. Well, actually no, they are definitely kind of angry people, but not in an insane way, I don’t know, I come from a Latin family, so lots of yelling. Lots of yelling, we’re like, “We will be heard.”
Juri: I’m the opposite, Asian families are no expression, just quiet, bubbling anger and sadness.
(both laugh)
Brittany: Yeah, I mean my natural volume is very, very loud just because I come from a family like that. Some people will be like, “Inside voices,” and I’m like, “Is this not an inside voice?”
Juri: (laughs) I can’t wait to hear your outside voice!
(both laugh)
Brittany: Well, when we step outside I’ll show it to you, I’ll show it to the world. Last concert you went to?
Juri: Madonna.
Brittany: Oh my god, you went! Were you with Rob? Cause I met you through Rob, Baby Delgado.
Juri: We were there together! It was probably the worst-sounding concert I’ve ever been to. I don’t think we had any speakers or monitors pointing our direction, so all we could hear was bouncing sounds, everything sounded doubled. But still, one of the best shows. It was incredible. We were three rows to the main stage, and three rows to the middle stage, so it kind of more felt like Magic Mike. (laughs)
Brittany: That’s so funny. Did you have a favorite part, like the set design, the costumes, the choreography…
Juri: It was the dancing, the choreo. I mean, Madonna is great, but, to say it nicely, she has passed her prime I think. She’s still doing it, and also, because it’s Madonna, you have the best dancers, the best choreographers, the best stylists… It was magical.
Brittany: The one critique that I heard, cause I’ve had a couple friends who went to the show, was that it was all medleys. I think a lot of people wanted to hear the full songs.
Juri: I think she did a lot of cool songs!
Brittany: Do you have a favorite Madonna song?
Juri: Maybe “Hung Up” is my favorite.
Brittany: Okay, that’s an amazing one.
Juri: It’s so good, so good. I love the music video.
Brittany: I went to karaoke the other day, and me and my friend Rachel, who actually does a lot of the photography with me for my Last Call interviews. We did Like a Prayer. When I tell you that whole frickin’ bar was like, “Yeah!” Even the person who was hosting karaoke grabbed a secret third mic, I don’t even know where it came from, and was like, singing with us. The whole bar went nuts. They loved it. We were the stars of the night.
Juri: I feel like I’ve seen that on your social media!
Brittany: What was the last thing that you splurged on? Treated yourself to, spent a significant amount of money on… Is that something you do often, or every once in a while? Do you like to treat yourself?
Juri: All the time! (laughs) What was the last thing… I had a huge birthday party.
Brittany: When was your birthday?
Juri: It was two days ago!
Brittany: Oh my god, happy belated! Okay, so huge birthday party, tell me about it.
Juri: Russ and I love this sushi restaurant called Noda, it’s in Chelsea, we go there for special occasions, or we want to thank somebody.
Brittany: Is it high-end?
Juri: Exactly, it’s a high-end tasting sushi place, and they opened a bar in front of it, it’s not tasting but it’s handrolls and little appetizers, and a bunch of different cocktails. I have never been a big birthday person, but because I went through what I went through, I’m like, maybe I should celebrate and so 28 of our friends came, it had an open bar…
Brittany: Did you have the whole restaurant to yourself, or the bar area?
Juri: The bar, yes. So that was, I guess, the biggest spending of my whole year.
Brittany: I’m sure that was amazing to have so many close friends.
Juri: Incredible, cause Rob was there, and my bandmates, friends for a long time… It was just incredible. So much love, just such a great time.
Brittany: I personally love birthdays because it’s the one day where I can be like, “It’s about me,” and your friends all want it to be about you, too. Your friends and your family, everybody agrees it’s your day and it’s so fun. And sometimes, you have high expectations and it doesn’t work out, sometimes you don’t do anything, and that’s fine too, but even on the birthdays where you don’t do anything, even on the days where maybe your plans don’t meet your expectations… I really embrace getting older. Maybe you just put on your favorite movie at home, and you order food, or maybe you do a big party, but either way.
Juri: I didn’t mind birthdays, it was more kind of avoidance of a huge crowd of people. I like to be alone with my husband in nature, or have a quiet time in nature, because of the things I do, I’m usually always surrounded by people. So I take my birthday as a gift to be quiet, but this year felt very different, and I’m glad we did what we did.
Brittany: 2023 was the first year I had a big birthday party.
Juri: When’s your birthday?
Brittany: I’m September 9th.
Juri: You’re a Virgo!
Brittany: Yeah, I’m a Virgo, and you’re a Capricorn?
Juri: No, I’m Aquarius.
Brittany: Oh right, right. What are your feelings on astrology?
Juri: I love it. I’m a witch.
(both laugh)
Brittany: I don’t know much about other people’s signs, but I know a lot about Virgos, and I know that I really identify with it, and I know that the two signs I find that I’m just constantly surrounded by are Geminis and Aries’, which I think is very funny because–
Juri: Fiery people!
Brittany: Yeah! Which is funny because Virgos are very… I don’t think I’m shy, but they are a little bit more known for being reserved, or–
Juri: Grounded.
Brittany: Yeah! So I’m like, let me surround myself with insane people, but I mean that in the most flattering, complimentary way. Like, let me surround myself by the most rambunctious people in the room.
Juri: Right! Rob has a lot of Aries energy.
Brittany: Yeah, he does, he really does. What are qualities of Aquarius? I have a couple Aquarius friends but not many.
Juri: The weirdo in the room is usually Aquarius. I think the good qualities of Aquarius are altruistic, but also stubborn.
Brittany: Okay, I hear that about Taurus’ a lot, that they’re stubborn.
Juri: Of course, a cow!
(both laugh)
Juri: They are very stubborn. Aquarius is also very stubborn, in a very different way. I think the Aquarius is usually, generally well-liked–
Brittany: The few Aquarius friends I have, I adore them, they’re amazing. But again, I feel like I don’t meet a lot of them.
Juri: I have a lot of Scorpios in my life. So many Scorpios, like, end of October to mid-November, so many birthday parties, it gets a little crazy! I love Scorpios, they’re intense.
Brittany: Do you care that your birthday is technically at a time where it’s pretty cold and it can sometimes be hard for people to get out? Gas that ever been an issue for you?
Juri: I wouldn’t call it an issue. When I first moved to the states, I lived in Boston, and my first birthday ever in America was a snow day, school closed, everything closed, and when you look outside the window people are literally in cross-country skiing in the city.
Brittany: I mean, that’s kind of fun.
Juri: It was fun! And a few of my brave friends walked through the snow storm to celebrate me, so that was extra special. It’s kind of nice, but it’s usually very cold.
Brittany: The people who have those birthdays in the Winter are the people who make Winter worth getting through, because you spend so much time at home that you’re trapped. So that one birthday, you’ve been home for two weeks straight in January because it’s been gross and cold and you’re like, “I don’t want to leave the house.” But it’s that one birthday that finally happens, and it’s like, “I’m going to throw on my nice boots, I’m gonna put on my three layers,” but it’s gonna be worth it because I’m going to see my friends for the first time in like two and a half weeks. Whereas in the Summer it’s like, I’m going to five birthdays in two weeks, I’m getting overwhelmed.
Juri: Absolutely. I think because my birthday is toward the end of January, at least the last couple years, it has been the day that people break dry-January. (laughs)
Brittany: That’s so true.
Juri: So they’ve been looking forward to a drink! (laughs)
Brittany: What’s the last note in your notes app?
Juri: Oh my gosh, definitely some lyric idea.
Brittany: A lot of people have lyrics in their notes app. That or lists.
Juri: I don’t know which part of the note is my last note, cause it’s kind of a mess. But, yeah, lyric idea. I’m trying to see which one was my last note… Oh! “Careful what you wish for, it might come true.” That’s what I wrote. (laughs)
Brittany: That’s a very good point. So do you have a lot of songs or lyric ideas in your notes?
Juri: Yes!
Brittany: What about voice memos, do you utilize voice memos?
Juri: Yes. I use voice memos for melodies, but lyrics… I’m just too lazy to go over the voice memos. It’s much easier to read it.
Brittany: Last thing you obsessed over?
Juri: The last thing I obsessed over… Oh my god this is such a nerdy, dopey answer. Just like astrology, I’m obsessed with personality assessments. There’s a thing called MBTI, Myers-Briggs personality indicator–
Brittany: I’m pretty sure I’m familiar but go on.
Juri: People call it sixteen personalities, I got obsessed with it a year and a half ago, and I’ve probably been reading every book available on Myers-Briggs personality indicator. I just want to get to know people, but I’m a little bit on the shy side or on the quiet side. So having that tool, I can just sit, and be part of the conversation without really saying much, but observing people I’m like, “Oh, she seems a bit more extroverted” or “He seems more feeling-oriented.” That really brings me a lot of joy, to maybe figure out the wiring of the people. (laughs)
Brittany: So do you feel like you’re better at reading people now when you first get to know them or are first meeting them?
Juri: I think so, more than reading but more like understanding why they do things differently than me, and be not upset about it. (laughs)
Brittany: Do you think it helps you maybe create faster or more meaningful friendships, or?
Juri: I think so, or more diverse friendships, because it makes it more fascinating to have different types of people, and before I was a little bit more comfortable with someone who is similar.
Brittany: Well, to that point where I was mentioning that I’m really close with a lot of Geminis and Aries, I tend to be attracted to people who are loud bursts of energy and people who are turning over a room. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have friends who aren’t like that, but I definitely veer toward those types, because those people are easy to talk to. But to your point, when you do have a different understanding, when you are able to meet people where they are and understand them, not everybody operates that way, you’re able to have a more diverse friend group.
Juri: And it’s just so nice, it’s exciting, because you learn a lot from different types of people, too. I’m surrounded by many different kinds of people, generally because my husband’s outgoing. I think also knowing the personality thing and knowing my wiring helps me to be a little bit more outgoing. That doesn’t come naturally, that doesn’t mean I can’t.
Brittany: Last time you created something you were proud of?
Juri: My last EP that I released.
Brittany: And when did that come out?
Juri: It came out last September. It’s called “The Cat’s Meow.”
Brittany: Is that a Virgo album?
Juri: Yeah, Virgo month! So that was the EP. I can’t remember if it was a six or seven song EP, but it was the songs that I wrote during lockdown, and I was gonna release it sooner, but then I had surgeries and my body had other plans, so I was waiting and waiting and waiting to finish it and release it, so it just feels so nice to–
Brittany: Finally get it out there?
Juri: And also I can move on to new music, new projects.
Brittany: So how long were you working on that for?
Juri: Oh my god, it was too long. I would say, last year was 2023… From the beginning of starting to write songs that went into the EP, maybe it was over three years.
Brittany: And when you released it, did you have a release party, or a record release show?
Juri: So I wanted to, but since my body was not to be trusted in that moment, I couldn’t really do much, so I was on the fence of “Should I just wait until my body is back to being trusted?” but I just wanted to put it out there, so I didn’t really do anything big, so anyone who sees this interview, check it out.
