Junko: News

Many of you have been asking for it: Sheet music. Now, with a little help from Junko's friend and keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Cruz, we are able to offer you a selection of sheet music and lead sheets of some of your favorite Junko songs. Please check out the "Store" page and download the .pdf files after you pay online through PayPal's secure site using your credit card. More titles are being added regularly, so check the site often to see if your favorite song is available for download.

You may not know that Junko was a featured vocalist for a popular TV program in Japan on NHK channel during the 80's. Unbeknownst to her, she actually had fans who video taped her performances on their television and recently uploaded them on YouTube, much to Junko's (and her parents') delight as she hadn't even seen many of her own performances. Here's one of the newly found videos of her performances. The rest are easily found on YouTube if you do a search on "Kenny & Junko." We hope you will get a kick out of watching Junko's performance from over 20 years ago (but please, don't laugh)!

Looking for a radio program that is fun for kids and parents alike?  Then tune in to Junko's Big & Small Radio Show, launching on Saturday, 10/10 at 10am on Saddleback's new online streaming radio station Purpose Driven Radio Connection!  Junko hosts a panel of kids to talk about everything from their favorite color to how Jesus can help them achieve their goals for the school year.  They also discuss Scripture verses and lead into songs. 

So tune in each Saturday at 10am for Junko's Big & Small Radio Show!

www.purposedrivenradioconnection.com

Junko will be interviewed by the folks at Focus on the Family on their Weekend Magazine program! She will be heading out to Colorado Springs in late-July with the family to sing for the staff and be interviewed for a 45-minute radio show. In addition, she will be interviewed by the Adventures in Odyssey staff for their podcast. Stay tuned for broadcast dates and information on listening online!

Junko will be a featured soloist at Saddleback church during Mother's Day weekend at all 6 services in the main worship center at the Lake Forest campus. She will be singing her original tune, "Christ Dwells in Your Heart," with the exceptional band and vocalists backing her. If you are nearby, please attend one of the 6 services!

Says Junko, "I am honored to sing one of my original tunes, 'Christ Dwells in Your Heart,' for Mother's Day weekend. I wrote this song when I was 9 months pregnant with Joshua, thinking about how life will change -- drastically, but for the better -- once the baby came. I'm sort of embarrassed to tell you this, but as I wrote the last verse about the child one day leaving the house, I started weeping. I mean, really bawling! Over my own songwriting! Mind you, the child hadn't even been born yet, and I was already weeping about my child going off to college. That's what hormones will do to you when you're totally pregnant, but I'm always amazed at all the tears I see in moms' eyes whenever I sing this song."

The service times are 4:30PM and 6:30PM on Saturday and 9AM, 11:15AM, 4:30PM, and 6:30PM on Sunday. Junko will be singing way at the top of the service -- within the first 10 minutes -- so be sure and allow plenty of time to get there. I will be at the main worship center at the Lake Forest campus. For more information, please check out www.saddlebackfamily.com.

If you are not anywhere near Saddleback but still would like to catch Junko live via the internet, please go to http://www.saddleback.com/blogs/internetcampus/index.html at the service times mentioned above and watch it live. In a few days, the services will be archived and you can also watch it then.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a long-lost interview Junko had with Los Angeles Times a few years ago: http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/07/local/me-33001
"I forgot about this interview until I came across it on the 'net. I loved that they kept my quote at the end, that God is my agent!"

Junko's on facebook! Come be her fan at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Junko-Cheng/49479117251?ref=share if you are a facebook user!

She's finally done it: Junko is now a Mac Girl! For her combined birthday/Christmas gift, she received from Santa the 13" Apple Macbook that she has been wanting for a while now, with a little help from -- and thanks -- to her friend Marty who was able to get her an employee discount. The real reason why she wanted it is for the wonderful music arrangement software Garage Band. With the purchase of a couple of cables, she hooked up her Korg keyboard which she already had at home and her Shure SM58 microphone, and voila--she now has a home studio! She is already working on a new song using many of the sounds that are included in the software, which makes arranging really easy (do we sound like an commercial?). In fact, some of the sounds were actually created by her friend and producer John who was hired by Apple to create many of the sounds you hear not only in Garage Band but also in their video-editing softrware iMovie.

It certainly is good to have friends in high places! Hey, if you have any Garage Band tips for Junko, please send them our way--thanks!

We want to wish all of you another blessed start of a new year. Thank you for your support of Junko's ministry over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support and pray for Junko and her family. We believe that 2009 will be the best ever!

Steve Taylor, a friend of Junko's and the very talented producer of Junko's Big & Small DVD, was recently a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. His show was taped in early October to be televised on December 24, 2008 on ABC. Rumor has it he won big, so be sure and tune into ABC on Christmas Eve for a very Merry Wheel of Fortune!

His Kids Radio, an internet kid-friendly radio network (www.hiskidsradio.com) is adding two of Junko's newest songs to their regular rotation: "Special Forces Kids" and "Delight Yourself in the Lord"! Get online and request her songs to show them your support of Junko's Music.

Behind the Voice Agency, the concert booking arm of the premier Nashville artist management company, Michael Smith and Associates, has agreed to begin booking concerts for Junko, effective immediately. Michael Smith and Associates have been in the Contemporary Christian Music industry for over 30 years and manages artists such as the band Salvador, comedian Brad Stein, and kid/family entertainers Go Fish. Behind the Voice Agency is also the booking agent for Go Fish and a handful of other artists and speakers. Obviously, Junko is thrilled to be on their roster! "I hope that this will be a step towards expanding my exposure to the rest of the country, thus enabling me to minister to more kids and family and also to get more children sponsored through World Vision." For more information on Behind the Voice Agency, please check out www.behindthevoice.com. If you would like to book a concert with Junko from now on, please email Jan Smith at jan@behindthevoice.com or give her a call at (615) 599-9809 x1.

Junko has been chosen to be the featured artist for the month of September by Worship Leader magazine's website for worship leaders, SongDiscovery Community (http://www.songdiscovery.com/community). It's free to join the site which is a "MySpace for worship leaders" so feel free to wonder over to the site!

Junko's newest CD is now available for downloads at Apple iTunes at this link:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=287333739&s=143441
Check it out!

Junko's former pastor, Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, has posted a review of Junko's latest CD, "Special Forces Kids," on his blog. Mark says stuff like, "if you’re a parent looking for great Christian music for your children, you can’t do better than Junko’s recordings. And if you work with kids in church, you’ll find her CDs to be a rich resource. Junko’s target audience is children from 2-12, but her songs are loved by older kids and kids-at-heart as well."

Check out http://markdroberts.com/?p=547 to read his glowing (and completely unbiased) review!

Junko's newest CD, "Special Forces Kids," is now available for listening and purchasing at CD Baby. Please check it out at http://cdbaby.com/cd/junko7 so you can get your very own copy!

In just a couple of weeks, you will be able to purchase Junko's newest CD, Special Forces Kids, from CD Baby. You will also be able to hear snippets of each song on this fun, new album for kids and grownups, including this summer's surprise hit song, "Sweet Ranunculas," which has had kids at Mt. Hermon, Orchard Valley Christian Church, and CMO conference humming all day.

Special Forces Kids CD will also be available on Apple iTunes in about 4 to 6 weeks. Please stay tuned for information on how you can get your hands and ears on Junko's latest release, but for now catch Junko at one of her live shows by going onto the Calendar page to check out her schedule. She just might be coming to a church near you soon!

Junko's latest CD project, "Special Forces Kids," landed at her doorstep this afternoon, Friday, June 20, just in time for her Northern California road trip which begins tomorrow. This is her first full new release in five years, and it is once again filled with Scripture-based, Christ-centered songs geared towards kids (and their parents) which Junko penned herself...except for the great hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" which was written by a composer who is much more famous than Junko: Ludwig van Beethoven.

"I'm so excited about this project. I hope that kids and grownups would all be blessed and uplifted by these fun songs, but I also pray that through these songs people of all ages can learn Scripture and truths about God."

More on the new CD will be coming soon, but for now Junko's off on her NorCal trip. Unless you catch her at one of her concerts, for now you won't be able to get your hands on this new CD. In a few weeks, we will make it available to everyone through CD Baby, and it will eventually also be available through Apple iTunes. Please stay tuned!

Junko has gone back in the studio to work on her upcoming CD, another one for the kids. Once again working with award-winning producer John Andrew Schreiner at the helm, she is recording 12 songs of uplifting praise and worship for kids and grownups alike. If you've been around at Irvine Presbyterian Church, Saddleback Church, or at Mt. Hermon, all places where she leads worship, you might recognize some of the new tunes on this album...but with new and improved arrangements and production work. Junko's even including two familiar songs ("Brave Believers" and "Shine the Light"), this time sung in Japanese! Learn to sing in a foreign language or give this CD to your Japanese friends so they can hear the Gospel message in their own language.

Besides John Andrew Schreiner's outstanding arrangements, keyboards, and sequencing, you will also hear drums by Ron Robertson (from Saddleback's worship band), guitars by Randy Mitchell (Donna Summer) background vocals by Alva Copeland, Mike Saxon, and Emily Gomez (all featured vocalists at Saddleback), outstanding sax work by Junko's concert sidekick, Anthony Paular, and kids' choir featuring Junko's own kids Joshua and Megumi and their friends, Alex, Maddy, Emma, and Jenna. To top it all off, you will see outstanding CD graphic design by the same Anthony Paular mentioned above, featuring creative artwork by renowned cartoonist Van Partible (Creator of cartoon character Johnny Bravo)!

In short, expect everything you love about her Big & Small CD -- Christ-centered, Scripture-based music on high-rotation in your mini-van -- but even better for 2008! "Over the past 5 years, I've grown as a songwriter, as a vocalist, and as a Christian. I can't wait to share my growth and my renewed passion for God through this new album," says Junko.

This CD is scheduled to drop on June 19, 2008, making its debut at JEMS camp at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center. Stay tuned!

Three of Junko's songs, "Enjoy You Forever," "Rest in You Alone," and "How Deep is the Love of Christ" recently made it on Kids'Discovery CD which was sent to over 20,000 worship leader who subscribe to Worship Leader Magazine. Inside the magazine, Junko received favorable reviews for all of her songs, along with a mention of her desire to continually work on her craft in Dr. Mark Roberts' column on Page 10, "Lyrical Poetry: Play Skillfully." To read these reviews and to see an excerpt from Dr. Mark Roberts' column, click on the Press/Reviews button on this website or go to http://www.worshipleader-digital.com/worshipleader/200710/ to read the digital edition of the October issue of Worship Leader magazine. (Remember, the CD review is the 2-page spread just inside the front cover page before the table of contents.) "After toiling for years in relative obscurity, it is nice to get some exposure through Worship Leader magazine and SongDiscovery CD! If this allows my music to minister to more children and grownups alike, then I'm thrilled," explains Junko.

Junko will be one of the vocalists during the 9/11:15am services on Sunday, October 21, as well as the 4:30/6:30pm services on Saturday, October 27. We will be kicking off the 40 Days of Purpose starting the weekend of October 20 & 21, and we would love to have you attend one of the worship services at Saddleback! However, if you can't make it you can still catch the service -- including Junko singing with the worship band -- online via this link, live, during the actual worship times: http://saddlebackfamily.com/mediacenter/services/Default.aspx. Check it out!

Junko will be interviewed by a Japanese radio station KZOO Honolulu on Thursday, 9/28 between 1:30 - 2pm Hawaii time. If you want to tune in to AM1210 or online at http://www.am1210kzoo.com/ at that time, you'll hear her talk story, sing some songs, and plug her Saturday concert at Kalihi Union Church.

Junko and her family are back in Honolulu once again, and she hit the ground running! She shared a few songs and her testimony in Japanese at Kalihi Union Church Japanese fellowship on Sunday to a very appreciative crowd. Junko will be back at Kalihi Union on Saturday night for a family concert featuring Randy, Gay, and Andrew Hongo as the opening act, and the boys form KUC backing Junko up in the band. "I always enjoy being with the wonderful folks at KUC," says Junko. "I can't wait to spend an evening with everyone talking story and singing together!" If you're in town, come check out the concert at KUC at 7pm on Saturday 9/29!

Junko will be leading worship at the Treasured women's Bible Study on Tuesday mornings starting this fall. This study is for moms of children ages 5 and under, a stage from which Junko has only recently emerged. "I'm excited to be a part of this group of ladies who are sharing this precious time of life together. I'm also excited to hear the wonderful speakers/teachers lined up for the fall session," says Junko. Teasured meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11am at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.