“Piano was my first instrument. I started to play when I was five years old; my mom wanted my older sister and I to learn. We grew up listening to classical music and I remember my mom, she loved ‘The Nutcracker.’ When I saw ‘The Nutcracker’ ballet in New York for the first time, two years ago, I knew all the songs.

I grew up in Kagoshima, Japan. When I graduated from classical studies, I decided to be a keyboard player. My dad always wanted me to work a real job, not a musician, but I was...