May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Desi Heritage Month. Celebrating and honoring the beautiful diaspora, I will be highlighting wonderful local creatives and artisans. Learning and connecting can help support and uplift our community.

*Elaina Robbins, singer of Spirit Bomb.*

Meet Elaina Robbins, a Fort Wayne singer and voice teacher who specializes in crossover singing and Japanese music. She often appears as a classical and musical theatre soloist. A passionate teacher, Elaina has been on the faculty of the Purdue School of Music since 2018 and teaches private Fort Wayne singing lessons and online singing lessons.

Elaina loves bringing authentic Japanese vocals to her anime tribute band, Spirit Bomb performances. They perform at a lot of anime conventions, and it feels great to be able to provide a cultural representative at so many events that celebrate Japanese anime and culture.

Elaina was born in Japan and moved to the US as a toddler. Raised bilingual, she still speaks to her mother and relatives in Japanese. She feels lucky to have found a niche that allows me to sing in Japanese regularly. Elaina loves hearing the audiences’ enthusiasm when they hear the introductions to one of their favorite songs! Crowd favorites include songs from Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and Demon Slayer.

Let’s talk about Elaina’s amazing fashion! Elaina finds traditional Japanese fashion beautiful. She has been having lots of fun incorporating traditional garments like obi belts and haori jackets into her stage looks. She likes mixing traditional Japanese garments worn in a modern way. It’s a very Harajuku look.

Her advice for those who want to sing: “If interested in singing, I highly recommend lessons. They can help you protect your voice even if you have a rigorous performance schedule.”

One of Elaina’s favorite experiences has been working on original songs. Spirit Bomb’s first single, Asai Yume debuted in 2023.

Being part of an anime tribute band, I had to ask what Elaina’s favorite anime are shows and of course favorite food!

Growing up: Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2, Cutey Honey

Top favorite anime as an adult: Cowboy Bebop, One Punch Man, Death Note

Elaina’s favorite food is sushi! She especially loves scallop nigiri.

Going to see Elaina and Spirit Bomb perform has been amazing and super fun! It is wonderful that the shows I went to were all-ages and got to share the experience with my kiddos who absolutely loved it! Wait until you hear Attack on Titans cover, mind blowing!!!