For wind instrument players, the lips are not just tools for musical expression; they can even be considered part of the artistic life itself. Due to the need to keep the lips tightly pressed against the instrument’s mouthpiece for long periods, this continuous friction and blowing process can easily lead to chapped and uncomfortable lips. How to effectively care for the lips has become an important issue that musicians must face.
Recently, a famous Japanese wind instrument player, Ishima Ki, shared an intriguing insight: he has tried various lip balms on the market, but unexpectedly, what ultimately made his lips feel comfortable and moisturized was fried chicken from a FamilyMart convenience store.
Shigeo Moku tweeted on social media: ‘As a wind instrument performer, finding a product that can effectively moisturize the lips is so important. I have tried many expensive lip balms, but I ultimately found that fried chicken from FamilyMart is the most effective moisturizing method.’
Wind instrument performer Shigeo Moku
Shimao Tree shares that using a mouthpiece for his instrument can cause his lips to crack from prolonged contact while blowing.
Shimao Tree believes that rather than buying lip balm, eating fried chicken would be more effective!?
This message stirred a heated discussion online, especially within the music community, leading many netizens to become curious about and discuss this unconventional moisturizing method.
Many netizens initially expressed skepticism towards this viewpoint, believing it was just a joke. However, as more performers shared their experiences, this seemingly impossible moisturizing method began to gain unexpected support. Many musicians stated that after their own practice, they indeed found fried chicken to be quite effective in alleviating dry and cracked lips.
For example, a netizen mentioned: “Before I go to the recording studio, I always buy a pack of Family Mart fried chicken to eat, but when I switched to another recording studio and stopped buying fried chicken regularly, the problem of my chapped lips worsened again. This is obviously not a psychological or stress-related issue, but rather the actual effective moisturizing effect has disappeared.”
Another music enthusiast also shared a similar experience, stating that since he tried Family Mart fried chicken, he has completely forgotten about expensive lip balm.
Interestingly, this “fried chicken moisturizing method” is not limited to lips; even vocalists have started reporting that fried chicken is helpful for protecting the voice.
Someone pointed out: “I heard that eating fried chicken before singing is good for the throat, and vocalists can give it a try.”
Of course, there are concerns about whether playing a musical instrument after eating greasy fried chicken will leave oil residues on the instrument’s mouthpiece and make it unsanitary.
In response, Shimao Shu said, “Performers regularly clean their instruments, and those that cannot be directly washed are thoroughly maintained. In addition, after eating fried chicken, they usually brush their teeth before continuing to practice or perform to ensure the cleanliness of the instrument and personal hygiene.”
Reflecting on this peculiar yet repeatedly validated method, perhaps wind instrument players might consider trying this unique moisturizing secret before their next performance.
Who knows, maybe a serving of fried chicken and a cup of bubble tea are the perfect partners for your great performance! This kind of “musical flavor” combination will become a new norm in the music world that has never been imagined but is now celebrated.