¡®It¡¯s embarrassing to be flashy,¡± says Ryota Miyake, explaining why he chose the sparrow, one of the plainest, most ubiquitous birds in Japan as his moniker.

The 34-year-old musician and bird lover is one of Japan¡¯s two Red Bull Music Academy participants in Paris this year. He was selected by the academy for his solo work as Sparrows, as well as his involvement in synth-pop group Crystal.

Miyake¡¯s attitude of shying away from the spotlight is apparent in his music as Sparrows. When talking about his 2013 album ¡°Collected Visits,¡± Miyake says, ¡°I imagined it to be a collection of B-sides from a lot of older artists; none of the songs sound like they would have made the main cut.¡±