1
00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,280
Speaker 1: This is Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture,

2
00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:09,440
Speaker 1: Latino USA. Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We bring you

3
00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,360
Speaker 1: stories that are underreported but that mattered to you, overlooked

4
00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,240
Speaker 1: by the wrestl the media, and while the country is

5
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,640
Speaker 1: struggling to deal with these, we listen to the stories

6
00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,599
Speaker 1: of black and Latino Studios United, Latino Front, a cultural

7
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:26,480
Speaker 1: renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. I'm Maria

8
00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:27,160
Speaker 1: Ino Jossa.

9
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:28,480
Speaker 2: Nose Bayan.

10
00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:35,440
Speaker 3: Woman is special. All the women have a lot of power.

11
00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,240
Speaker 3: You can do everything, you can work, you can take

12
00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,640
Speaker 3: your children. You have to be strong in your mind

13
00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,400
Speaker 3: and you have to say I can do it, I

14
00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,760
Speaker 3: will do it. I am the boss, So whatever you want,

15
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:52,519
Speaker 3: do it.

16
00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,360
Speaker 1: From Futuro Media and PRX, It's Latino USA. I'm Mariano Hossa.

17
00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:02,200
Speaker 2: Today.

18
00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:06,920
Speaker 1: How one mother dreamed of superstardom but waited decades to

19
00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,919
Speaker 1: get there. Performer Mimi Suka and her producer and son Tony.

20
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,440
Speaker 1: Mimi Suka, a talented singer and performer, burst onto the

21
00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,040
Speaker 1: music scene in twenty twenty three with her debut solo album,

22
00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,600
Speaker 1: Mimi and Toni, a collaboration with her son, Toni Suka,

23
00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,760
Speaker 1: and yet it took her decades to get there. The

24
00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,440
Speaker 1: Japanese Peruvian family moved to Miami from Vidu in the

25
00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,399
Speaker 1: late nineteen eighties. Mimi had a small musical group with

26
00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,959
Speaker 1: her husband Antonio when their kids were young, but with

27
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:51,000
Speaker 1: three children, her dreams of superstardom were put on hold

28
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:55,120
Speaker 1: as she dedicated her days to her family. And then

29
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,720
Speaker 1: one day her children Claudia, Tony and Kenji started showing

30
00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,360
Speaker 1: interest in the band and they began to sit in. Tony,

31
00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:09,960
Speaker 1: now an accomplished percussionist, composer and producer, achieved success very

32
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,120
Speaker 1: young when in twenty nineteen, at the age of thirty three,

33
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,920
Speaker 1: he won the coveted Producer of the Year award and

34
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:22,600
Speaker 1: Best Salsa Album at the Latin Grammys. So more than

35
00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,320
Speaker 1: three decades after Mimi's arrival in Miami, the critically acclaimed

36
00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,919
Speaker 1: album Mimi and Toni was released and nominated for a

37
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,840
Speaker 1: Grammy in twenty twenty four. It includes some collaborations with

38
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,800
Speaker 1: heavy hitters like Laimbia, Borquesta de la Luz and Jose

39
00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,520
Speaker 1: Alberto Canario. Today, Mimi and Tony show us how with

40
00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,200
Speaker 1: the right timing and your family, nothing can get in

41
00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:48,680
Speaker 1: the way of your dreams.

42
00:02:54,760 --> 00:03:00,400
Speaker 3: My name is Mimi Sukar. I'm from Lima, Peru.

43
00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:00,400
Speaker 4: But my.

44
00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:09,200
Speaker 3: Ascendancia my ancestors, my ancestor from Japan, and.

45
00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,920
Speaker 5: I am Tony Sukar and I am Minisukar's son. That

46
00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,680
Speaker 5: means I am from also Japanese descent, was born in Peru,

47
00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:24,120
Speaker 5: but my father is Spanish, Lebanese and Mexican, also born

48
00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:24,680
Speaker 5: in Peru.

49
00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:32,919
Speaker 3: Niki for us is the person that we have Japanese ascendants,

50
00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:45,560
Speaker 3: but we're born in another country. I consider that we

51
00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,480
Speaker 3: are a very special people, Nike, because we have both

52
00:03:50,920 --> 00:04:04,400
Speaker 3: Japanese and Peruvian. A lot of my generations doesn't speak Japanese.

53
00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,240
Speaker 3: My grandfathers talked to us in Japanese, but we answer

54
00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:10,240
Speaker 3: in Spanish.

55
00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,840
Speaker 2: And World War Two Peru was Alia. Peru was an

56
00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,600
Speaker 2: ally with USA.

57
00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,360
Speaker 3: Our grandfathers very difficult for them.

58
00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:24,880
Speaker 2: It was very difficult to survive in Peru.

59
00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,440
Speaker 5: In Peru because there was a lot of discrimination towards

60
00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:30,520
Speaker 5: the Japanese people in Peru at the time.

61
00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:32,240
Speaker 2: That's why you didn't learn the.

62
00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:40,120
Speaker 3: Languages Conservancy and the Japanese tradition. But we have also

63
00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:46,880
Speaker 3: the savor the happiness. They're very friendly because the Latin

64
00:04:46,920 --> 00:05:00,520
Speaker 3: people is like this. I always loved to see all

65
00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:08,479
Speaker 3: my life Midian douko sasphiakas a geema. I start to

66
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:14,640
Speaker 3: sing in Japanese. Our grandparents always wants to hear the

67
00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,080
Speaker 3: Japanese music. Then when I meet my husband that he

68
00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:24,360
Speaker 3: played the piano. We have a little band in Peru.

69
00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,680
Speaker 3: But Peru was very, very difficult in.

70
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:30,400
Speaker 5: The eighty nine.

71
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:35,679
Speaker 3: More lest we don't see any future for our children's

72
00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,880
Speaker 3: I have three kids, right, so the whole family came here.

73
00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,120
Speaker 3: I have an aunt that lived long time here and

74
00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:49,040
Speaker 3: she's told me, Mimi, why you don't have a group

75
00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,760
Speaker 3: of music with your husband.

76
00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,080
Speaker 2: Like you make in Peru.

77
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,640
Speaker 3: We have to learn more Cuba music, you know, me

78
00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:05,400
Speaker 3: salsaku everything. We don't have anybody to help. That's why

79
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,240
Speaker 3: I said, it's okay. I have a band here on

80
00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:10,040
Speaker 3: the weekends.

81
00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:10,559
Speaker 2: It's good.

82
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:15,640
Speaker 3: But yeah, the other level will be very difficult. Maybe

83
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:20,039
Speaker 3: my husband and you have to fly to concerts another country,

84
00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:24,280
Speaker 3: and how can my children be so I said maybe

85
00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,640
Speaker 3: in the future, but now, no, my children is more important.

86
00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,440
Speaker 5: Now she's sixty four and she's nominate two Grammy and

87
00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,760
Speaker 5: her children pushing her forward and like and she gets

88
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,240
Speaker 5: to enjoy this moment in such a gratifying way.

89
00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:50,360
Speaker 3: So on thiscovie he Majatailan. Tony and my children born

90
00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:51,960
Speaker 3: in that and being the coms.

91
00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,600
Speaker 2: You're born in that atmosphere.

92
00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:59,440
Speaker 3: In that atmosphere for the music, because we always have

93
00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,240
Speaker 3: to in sayam rehearse, rehearse in our house.

94
00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,839
Speaker 5: I started showing interest in music. I think I was

95
00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,920
Speaker 5: like four or five years old. When I was a kid,

96
00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,120
Speaker 5: I wanted to be a soccer player. But then when

97
00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,960
Speaker 5: I got into real music, like in terms of being

98
00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,280
Speaker 5: an actual professional in it, everything changed.

99
00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,360
Speaker 3: And he wants to play something with us.

100
00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,200
Speaker 5: I started playing actual drums at the age of thirteen.

101
00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,640
Speaker 2: It's definitely something I liked to do.

102
00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:36,160
Speaker 3: We saw that Tony have something special for the music.

103
00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,600
Speaker 3: We said with my husband, Tony will be different because

104
00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,760
Speaker 3: we are here for him.

105
00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,400
Speaker 5: My mom and my dad and my whole family, my wife,

106
00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,920
Speaker 5: everybody was in function of let's support Tony.

107
00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,240
Speaker 3: You have to be responsible and discipline.

108
00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:54,800
Speaker 2: This is a career.

109
00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:57,560
Speaker 5: Never like did they ever say like he's gonna do

110
00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,720
Speaker 5: maybe an album with his mom, Like nobody and my

111
00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:00,560
Speaker 5: dad was the only one.

112
00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:02,360
Speaker 2: I was like, Tony, you should do something with your mom.

113
00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,480
Speaker 5: Eventually I was thinking about her as like my mom,

114
00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,240
Speaker 5: you know, like wit, like I gotta help her financially

115
00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,200
Speaker 5: with this thing, or I gotta help her with something

116
00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,000
Speaker 5: with the house. Internet went out, I gotta go fix

117
00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,520
Speaker 5: the internet. The moment I was in the voice Senior,

118
00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,080
Speaker 5: my mom did that surprise.

119
00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:24,880
Speaker 2: Asia is Memi. It was a big moment.

120
00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:27,560
Speaker 4: My mom.

121
00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,840
Speaker 5: It made me reflect honor many things. That's when I

122
00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,199
Speaker 5: was like, you know what, I'm going to honor them

123
00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:36,600
Speaker 5: with at.

124
00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,840
Speaker 2: Least producing a song. So that's how it all started.

125
00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,920
Speaker 2: All of a sudden, this huge album came about it.

126
00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,079
Speaker 3: In Japanese, we have a war that says oh ya

127
00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:55,160
Speaker 3: ko ko oh yako ko means that the children's has

128
00:08:55,400 --> 00:09:01,920
Speaker 3: to be very grateful with the parents. We always respect

129
00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:07,760
Speaker 3: a lot our parents, our grandparents, and for me that

130
00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:13,200
Speaker 3: Tony and Kenji make for me this beautiful album and

131
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:20,760
Speaker 3: they produced with love. When Tony was working on the album,

132
00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,680
Speaker 3: he told me, Mom, I want you to sing something

133
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:29,440
Speaker 3: in Japanese. Why you don't sing the song that you

134
00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:39,120
Speaker 3: always sing to us? The Sukiyaki Sukiyaki was a Japanese

135
00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,719
Speaker 3: song that was very famous in the seventies in the sixties.

136
00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,439
Speaker 5: It was written during the Second World War, so there

137
00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:59,400
Speaker 5: was a lot of trauma, so it was a song

138
00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:00,800
Speaker 5: to just pick a everybody back up.

139
00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:10,280
Speaker 3: Sukiyaki. The meaning of that song isak is food.

140
00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,400
Speaker 5: It's a really delicious plate of food, of meat, and

141
00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,559
Speaker 5: it has nothing to do with the original meaning or

142
00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,200
Speaker 5: lyrics of the song. The meaning is actually he looked

143
00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:24,760
Speaker 5: to the sky, so yeah, tear drops don't fall.

144
00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:35,400
Speaker 2: And the song's name was there was an artist that

145
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:36,920
Speaker 2: he was British.

146
00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,880
Speaker 5: He did a coverage to the song in an instrumental version,

147
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:41,920
Speaker 5: and when he went to his label and they're like,

148
00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,400
Speaker 5: what's the name of the song, He's like and they're like,

149
00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,520
Speaker 5: get any name and put it on and like, well,

150
00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,120
Speaker 5: I really love that sukiyaki dish, you know. But he

151
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:55,240
Speaker 5: was like like that.

152
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,360
Speaker 3: The song became a huge hit and in Japan now

153
00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:03,160
Speaker 3: is very famous. I again, because the old people remember

154
00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:04,280
Speaker 3: that song.

155
00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,520
Speaker 5: To record the music video in Japan was amazing, Like,

156
00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:16,360
Speaker 5: I think it was one of the most epic experiences

157
00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:17,040
Speaker 5: of my life.

158
00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,959
Speaker 3: When he told me to make a video in Japan,

159
00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,000
Speaker 3: I said, oh my gosh, it would be wonderful.

160
00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,000
Speaker 5: I really finally was able to feel connected with my

161
00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:31,720
Speaker 5: true culture because although I'm Peruvian right or I'm Miami

162
00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,680
Speaker 5: in like very tropical or Latino, I have things that

163
00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,280
Speaker 5: are in my heart that are part of my DNA

164
00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:39,880
Speaker 5: that is Japanese.

165
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:45,920
Speaker 3: They are very methodic, discipline, very perfect, everything everything perfect.

166
00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,800
Speaker 5: I felt finally like wow, like this is now I

167
00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,240
Speaker 5: understand why I'm like this, Like there's other people that

168
00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:54,480
Speaker 5: are like this as well, and that looked like me.

169
00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,480
Speaker 5: It was probably one of the most life transforming experiences

170
00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,000
Speaker 5: that I was able to have, and I would have

171
00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,839
Speaker 5: never happened if I wouldn't have. They're in this project,

172
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,239
Speaker 5: my first album that is Exitoso successful.

173
00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:15,360
Speaker 3: Successful is because my producers, my children's produce this with

174
00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:19,760
Speaker 3: love so always will be with my family.

175
00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,080
Speaker 5: It's a business for us now right, So we're able

176
00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:27,000
Speaker 5: to inspire people like crazy around the world.

177
00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,959
Speaker 3: The people connect with us. The family is the most

178
00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,160
Speaker 3: important in the life.

179
00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,080
Speaker 5: I think she's leaving a legacy that's much bigger than

180
00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,280
Speaker 5: what she ever thought she could and I think that's

181
00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:40,160
Speaker 5: the best reward.

182
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:42,880
Speaker 2: Now she has her own career. You know, she just

183
00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:44,400
Speaker 2: recorded with Gloria Stepan.

184
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:58,760
Speaker 5: Like Sheila, and that's pretty amazing.

185
00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:59,520
Speaker 2: Perfect. God's timing is perfect.

186
00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:00,240
Speaker 4: It's perfec fit.

187
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,280
Speaker 3: God wants to Salid al Mondo.

188
00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,319
Speaker 2: He wants you to show yourself. You're in the world, in.

189
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:13,520
Speaker 3: The world, but with my sons, with my children.

190
00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:23,120
Speaker 5: I've learned a lot through her without really paying attention

191
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,600
Speaker 5: to it, just as a subconscious I'm super thankful and

192
00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:31,120
Speaker 5: proud I'm here because of her and her sacrifice as

193
00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:32,920
Speaker 5: well as a mom. And I have to do that

194
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,880
Speaker 5: same thing with my dad because he's like the motor

195
00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:41,120
Speaker 5: behind this entire thing and excited of what's to come.

196
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:48,720
Speaker 3: Tony, thank you very much for all the support, all

197
00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:55,200
Speaker 3: the sacrifice, sacrifice to give me this person to be

198
00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:57,760
Speaker 3: a crito in our life.

199
00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,160
Speaker 2: Writting down in the history of our life.

200
00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:05,880
Speaker 3: History, our family. You can do everything. You have to

201
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,720
Speaker 3: be strong in your mind and you have to say

202
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,000
Speaker 3: I can do it, I will do it. You never

203
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:19,160
Speaker 3: have to forget how you start. If I start with

204
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,720
Speaker 3: my family, with my family at the edge of my life.

205
00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:38,000
Speaker 3: For me, this is my grammy forging.

206
00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,400
Speaker 1: This episode was produced by Genie Montalbo and edited by

207
00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,680
Speaker 1: Hailey Sanchez. It was mixed by Julia Crusoe. The Latino

208
00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:03,280
Speaker 1: USA team includes Victoria Sta Renaldo Leanos Junior, Andrea Lopez Cruzado,

209
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,680
Speaker 1: Lori mar Marquez, Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, Nour Saudi and

210
00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:12,000
Speaker 1: Nancy Drujillo. Benileei Ramirez is our co executive producer. Our

211
00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,840
Speaker 1: director of Engineering is Stephanie Lebau. Our marketing manager is

212
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,640
Speaker 1: Luis Luna. Our theme music was composed by Zane Robinos.

213
00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,800
Speaker 1: I'm your host and executive producer Marien jo Josan. Join

214
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,600
Speaker 1: us again on our next episode and in the meantime,

215
00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,600
Speaker 1: look for us on all of our social media. I'll

216
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,280
Speaker 1: see you there, Astella Proxima note Ba Yes Choo.

217
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,480
Speaker 4: Funding for Latino USA is coverage of a culture of

218
00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:42,120
Speaker 4: Health is made possible in part by a grant from

219
00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,840
Speaker 4: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Latino USA is made possible

220
00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:52,080
Speaker 4: in part by the TAU Foundation and W. K. Kellogg Foundation,

221
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,600
Speaker 4: a partner with communities where Children Come First.

222
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:05,960
Speaker 5: Certifactory Family, Toto Satifactory Family, Let's Go