Michelle Zauner – indie rock superstar, New York Times bestselling author, and microbrew aficionado – has rereleased her band Japanese Breakfast‘s 2021 hit song “Be Sweet” in Korean with musician So!YoON!. The accompanying visuals drawn and animated by Mary Vertulfo is a illustrated loop of Zauner and So!YoON! driving through a futuristic landscape. The catchy city pop influenced song matches the clean neon future aesthetic of the animation.
On July 23rd, Zauner and Japanese Breakfast headline the Dell Music Center with Yo La Tengo and Cate Le Bon for the Make the World Better foundation. The organization, headed by Connor Barwin of the Philadelphia Eagles, raises money to reinvest into the Philly communities, improving and strengthening the neighborhoods by giving a sense of ownership over public spaces.
Beyond local music giving people a passion over their hometown, feeling an obligation over keeping your areas clean and safe helps to uplift the community and bring positive attention. This easily can result in more money being pumped into the areas for public works projects and improving infrastructure for communities.
The rerelease of “Be Sweet” in Korean coming only the days before the benefit show signifies a world uniting across boundaries that have prevented people from interacting. With people feeling more divided and losing hope in the world and those who run it, the best way to get comfort is to look to our peers and people we relate to, to make change.