151a

151a is Kishi Bashi’s first album. It was funded, in part, by a kickstarter that raised over $20,000 for the album.

The title “151a” is pronounced in Japanese as ‘ichi-go ichi-ee’ which roughly translates to “one time, one meeting” or “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

As the artist has stated, Kishi Bashi had previously had insecurities about his Japanese heritage, which he has overcome and learned to embrace them with this album.

Bob Boilen, co-host of NPR’s All Songs Considered, listed Kishi Bashi as his favorite new artist from 2012 based on this album.