“Expression is the antidote to depression. Music and the arts have a proven way of bypassing the mind chatter and negative self-talk to reach the very essence of who we are, which is the light that we’re all supposed to be.”

-Mayu Langford, Music Therapist, Singer/Songwriter, Japanese Dancer

True Dream

My name, Mayu (真夢), means “True Dream” in Japanese. My Japanese dance stage name is Yume-ori (夢織), which means “Dreamweaver.” Naturally, I’ve been a dreamer all my life, following in every moment what pulls me most, so you will see that I’ve done quite a few things in life.

But wherever my life took me to, I’ve always come back to my two loves: music and healing. Now after 20 years of clinical work, while still trying to balance all of my interests and the busy-ness of life, I feel that I am finally starting to be able to distill all that I’ve learned into this one space.

Thank you for being here and connecting with me!

Band life

I was the front woman of a band called “river T party” with my ridiculously talented music school friends for a few years in Japan. All songs are in Japanese, written by band leader and co-vocalist/guitarist Kentaro Kawai. We recorded and performed mostly in Tokyo, with some performances in other areas, including Osaka and Hiroshima. The name was a reference to Boston, where we all met, and river, the meaning of the first kanji of both Ken’s and my last names. Plus when you pronounced it with a Japanese accent - it sounded like Liberty for short.

Kono Ame Agare - Live at Shibuya Guilty

Mayu Kawata, Vocals
Kentaro Kawai, Vocals/Guitars
Tomotaka Sekiya, Bass
Mariko Nakabayashi, Keys
Haruna Yamada, Drums
Shintaro Imamura, Drums

Solo Album

My solo album “Shallow Eyes” ranked 1st in the Shinseido (music store franchise) Indies chart and 29th in the overall Oricon (Japanese billboard) Indies chart in 2005 (20 years ago!). Shallow Eyes is a questioning of how many people view life only through a shallow lens, beckoning them to open their hearts and look deeper. Many of the songs on this album were written in both English and Japanese, when I was between the ages of 15-19.

Lemongrass feat. Mayu

Collab projects with German chillout / house music legend Lemongrass from 2005-present. The beautiful tracks are sent to me, after which I tease out a melody and add lyrics in English or Japanese. 11 songs on this YouTube playlist. These songs are heard all over the world from lounges to clubs in Ibiza to commercials. They first reached out to me after listening to my solo album and I started recording my vocals for them, and did a performance together in Tokyo.

Lemongrass · Roland Voss · Daniel Voss · Mayu Langford

Japanese Dance & Songs

For about 20 years of my life, I performed at the annual Cultural Festival that my grandmother then my mother put together. My grandma was a prominent educator and Japanese dance teacher in her community, and put this event on for over 40 years in northern Japan.

My mom eventually took over, and along with their students that danced with them for all those decades, I had the blessing of learning and performing as a master Japanese dancer (Natori) and occasionally sang during the interlude.

These videos are from 2008, the last year I performed with my mom before her passing. After singing the 30-min set, I ran upstairs to the green room to get my white make-up and kimono on in a rush - back stage was definitely hectic! But this was something all the elders from the town looked forward to every year - the otherwise quiet city auditorium would be flocked with 2000 people for this special day.

Aisansan - Misora Hibari cover - Live with Takashi Hirata

Wisteria Maiden / Four Seasons Dance - Traditional Japanese Dance Performance

The “Official” Bio

I don’t care much for listing credentials these days, but here’s a neatly packaged summary of the (sometimes) organized chaos that has been my life, in case you’re curious ;)

Mayu Langford, MT-BC, HHP, CBP, has been a Board-Certified Music Therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner since 2006, as well as a Certified BodyTalk Practitioner and aromatherapist.

She received her professional training under the pioneers of the music therapy field at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She has provided music therapy at schools, hospitals, shelters, and nursing homes, including day rehabilitation programs for adults with mental health and developmental challenges, eating disorder and emergency units at a psychiatric hospital, as well as domestic violence and homeless shelters.

Mayu uses her gentle yet directive clinical approach combined with her musicianship she has acquired as a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist and chart-ranking singer/songwriter, having been featured on over 30 singles, albums, and vinyls worldwide.

While receiving American education, Mayu was born and raised in Japan, in a family of traditional Japanese dancers, martial artists, educators, and business owners. Mayu has been on stage since the age of 4 and received multiple awards for outstanding musicianship, acting and academics.

A former owner of a natural parenting store and cafe on Oahu, Mayu has been manufacturing and retailing natural herbal products for over a decade. She has extensive experience working with newborns and infants as well as children of all ages and children with special needs.

She now lives on a homestead on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi with her husband, two dogs and 12 chickens, and makes their popular Coconut Mamaki Balm and other mamaki (Hawaiian nettle) items, while offering healing sessions for clients across the planet.