Jonah Hasegawa (sophomore) said he started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old and is completely self-taught.
“My dad had this guitar,” Hasegawa said. “It was lying around, and I guess I just decided to start playing it. I knew a little bit of theory, so I asked my dad to show me some things. I had piano lessons, but I just watched YouTube for guitar.”
Hasegawa said he has been writing songs for a while but had not found anything that sounded right until the beginning of the spring semester this year.
“Songwriting is a really tricky thing,” Hasegawa said. I can’t just sit down and say ‘I’m going to write a song.’ When you feel a song coming on, it just flows out of you. You already know what the next chord is, the next note and how the melody wraps up. It’s like it was already written — you’re just figuring out what it’s supposed to be.”
Hasegawa said he became interested in blues music at the end of high school when he discovered his favorite band, The Allman Brothers.
“When I was growing up my family had this CD of American folk songs. That is where a lot of the foundation of my music came from — tried and true folk songs,” Hasegawa said. “[The Allman Brothers] blew my mind. Duane [Allman] is fantastic, but I think I play a little bit more like Dickey [Betts].”
Hasegawa played two original songs on his guitar at Apollo Night. He showcased his intricate fingerstyle technique and blues-inspired melodies, receiving a standing ovation after he finished playing.
Hasegawa said he originally planned to play another original song called “Dear Lucy” and “Little Martha” by The Allman Brothers, but ended up playing two other original songs instead.
“I got to rehearsals, and I was so nervous — I was quaking in my boots,” Hasegawa said. “I got up and played ‘Dear Lucy.’ It felt shaky and didn’t get much of a response from the audience.”
Hasegawa said he decided to replace “Dear Lucy” when he finished writing “Bootbreaking Blues” later that day.
“When I got home, this other song came to me […] the one I’ve been calling ‘Bootbreaking Blues,’” Hasegawa said. “I thought it would be cool to show up [at Apollo Night] and say, ‘Yeah I wrote this song two days ago.’”
Hasegawa said he also replaced “Little Martha” with “Blue Highway” after the Apollo Night executive board encouraged him to play another original song.
Black Student Alliance (BSA) President Shae Campbell (senior) said although they were not part of the selection process for Apollo Night this year, they met Hasegawa the night of the 2024 presidential election.
“We were sitting outside of the library and got into a conversation about how he loves watching YouTube videos and playing the guitar in his free time,” Campbell said. “I think the appeal for Jonah, from what I’ve heard from my board, is that he has so much charisma in his personality and passion behind his playing. You can tell it’s something he genuinely loves to do.”
Campbell said they were impressed with Hasegawa’s engagement of the audience and quick turn-around time.
“How wildly impressive is it for someone to say they wrote a song two days before they perform it? That was amazing to me,” Campbell said. “His guitar almost sounded like a harp. His mastery made the instrument transform.”
James Chatchapon (sophomore) and Tai Huang (sophomore) sometimes play with Hasegawa at casual jam sessions. Chatchapon and Huang said Hasegawa is always walking around campus with his guitar, playing by himself or with other musicians.
“When I first met him, Jonah mentioned he played a lot of blues, but I didn’t really know if he was that good,” Chatchapon said. “There’s ‘amateur musician good’ and then there’s ‘professional good.’ He sounded professional. He has a great ear and is very versatile.”
Hasegawa said he does not currently have music released on any streaming platforms but that he plans to release an EP or album over the summer or next year. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to play his original music at Apollo Night.
“Last semester I was just playing in my room, I’ve never really performed my own songs, but it was a great experience,” Hasegawa said.
Hasegawa said the audience was very supportive while he played, which made it easier for him to perform.
“They were cheering, clapping and encouraging me in between songs while I was tuning my guitar,” Hasegawa said. “Thanks to everyone who showed up. It was awesome.”
Contact Josey Long at jlong2@oxy.edu
