, professionally known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

, and formerly known as R, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, businesswoman, fashion model, and YouTuber. Born in

Higashiōsaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 489,077 in 233,124 households and a population density of 7900 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known as one of the industrial ci ...

, Japan, she won the first season of the audition ''Super Starlight Contest'', winning a recording contract with

Giza Studio is a Japanese record label. The Giza Studio started as an indie label in the late 1990s under the name Garage Indies Zapping Association, but soon Being Inc. bought it as their sister label company. Giza Studio is located in Osaka, Japan and ...

. Her

eurobeat Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurorec ...

-sounding debut album, '' Be Happy'' (2001) was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in Japan and spawned a top-five single, "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense", which served as the theme song to the Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series ''

Case Closed ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994, with its ch ...

''. Aiuchi's second album ''

Power of Words ''Power of Words'' is the second album by the Japanese singer and songwriter Rina Aiuchi. It was released on 15 May 2002 by Giza Studio. Six singles have been released from the dance music-influenced J-pop album, including four top 5 singles in Jap ...

'' became her best-selling album, selling over 419,000 copies nationwide and certificated platinum in Japan. In 2010, Kakiuchi announced her retirement from the music industry and founded a dog clothing brand ''Bon Bon Copine'' in September 2012. She later resumed her musical activities, appearing on several television shows in 2015 and releasing a single "Warm Prayer" in 2018 under the new stage name, R.

Early life

Kakiuchi was born on 31 July 1980, in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. She attended Tezukayama High School. In her high school years, Kakiuchi began working as a model, appearing on '' Cawaii!'' and participated in several music auditions, following advice from her friends. In 1998, Kakiuchi attended

Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts is a private women's college in Kyotanabe, Kyoto, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1876, and it was chartered as a university in 1949. History In 1875, Protestant educator Niijima Jō (Joseph Hardy Neesima) founded Doshi ...

Career

1998–1999: Pre-debut period

In July 1998, Kakiuchi's cover of "

Desperado Desperado may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publ ...

" was released as a part of the euro-beat compilation album ''Eurobeat Flash Vol.19'', via Cutting Edge. In the spring of 1999, she won the first season of the audition show ''Super Starlight Contest'' and received a recording contract with

2000–2002: ''Be Happy'' and ''Power of Words''

In March 2000, Kakiuchi made her debut as Rina Aiuchi with her first single " Close to Your Heart", the theme song to the Japanese animated television series ''

Monster Rancher ''Monster Rancher'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese media franchise and series of life simulation role-playing video games created by Tecmo (now Koei Tecmo). The series consists of fifteen games across numerous different video game platforms, a ...

''. The single was a moderate success, selling approximately 64,000 copies and peaking at number nineteen on the ''Oricon'' Weekly Singles Chart. The second and third singles from her debut album; " It's Crazy for You" and " Ohh! Paradise Taste!!" were released to moderate success, peaking in Japan at number sixteen and twenty-three, respectively. Her fourth single " Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense" achieved nationwide success, reaching number five, selling over 100,000 copies. The song attracted considerable attention for serving as the theme song to the Japanese animated television series ''

''. On 24 January 2001, Kakiuchi's debut album '' Be Happy'' was released to a commercial success. The

-influenced

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

album peaked at number three and has certificated Gold in Japan. In support of the album, Aiuchi embarked on her first concert tour, ''Rina Aiuchi Club Circuit 2001 "Be Happy"''. In March 2001, Kakiuchi earned a

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...

for New Artist of the Year. In April 2001, "

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

" was released as the lead single from the second album. To promote the song, Kakiuchi appeared on several television music shows like ''

CDTV The CDTV (from Commodore Dynamic Total Vision, later treated as a backronym for Compact Disc Television) is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional ...

''. The song achieved a moderate success, reaching number eight on the ''

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

'' chart. Kakiuchi's second album ''

'' was released in May 2002. The album has spawned three top-five singles: " Forever You ~Eien ni Kimi to~", " I Can't Stop My Love for You", and "

Navy Blue Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color n ...

" was released as the third single from the album in October 2001. The J-pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

song succeeded commercially, peaking at number two in Japan and has sold over 127,000 copies in Japan. As of November 2020, "Navy Blue" has remained Kakiuchi's the best-selling song. ''Power of Words'' achieved a massive success in Japan, topping on the ''

'' chart and certificated Platinum by

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. The album has been her best-selling album as of September 2018, with the sales of over 419,000 copies. From 16 June 2002, Kakiuchi embarked on the concert tour, entitled ''Rina Aiuchi Live Tour 2002 "Power of Words"'' in support of the album.

2003–2004: ''A.I.R.'' and ''Playgirl''

The album The

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single, "Sincerely Yours"/"Can You Feel the Power of Words?" was released in August 2002. The former served as the lead single from Aiuchi's third album, while the latter being the sixth single from her second album ''Power of Words''. The single has sold approximately 82,000 copies in Japan and been certificated Gold by

, peaking at number four on the ''

'' chart. Aiuchi released the first

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...

''Rina Aiuchi Remixes Cool City Production Vol.5'' in July 2003. The album was a commercial success, selling over 70,000 copies and reaching number four on the ''

'' chart. Aiuchi's third studio album, ''

AIR The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

'' was released on 15 October 2003, simultaneously with the sixth single from the album, "Kūki". The album became Aiuchi's second number-one hit in Japan and has certificated Gold by

. ''A.I.R.'' has spawned five top three singles: "Deep Freeze" was released in November 2002, as the second single from the album. The follow-up single, "Kaze no nai Umi de Dakishimete" served as the theme song to the Japanese drama ''

Tsuribaka Nisshi is a Japanese fishing-themed manga series written by Jūzō Yamasaki and illustrated by Kenichi Kitami. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Original'' since 1979. It won the 28th Shogakukan Manga Awa ...

''. The fourth single from the album, "Full Jump" was released to a success, peaking at number three on the ''

'' chart and certificated Gold by

. Aiuchi embarked on the concert tour ''Rina Aiuchi Live Tour 2003 "A.I.R."'' in November 2003, however, she struggled with aphonia of uncertain cause during the show at

Nakano Sun Plaza , formerly Nakano Sun Plaza, is a hotel in Nakano, Tokyo. The hotel includes a concert hall, the Nakano Sunplaza Hall (formerly Nakano Sun Plaza Hall). Built in 1973,

Nakano, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Single Collection'' was released. The album reached number eight in Japan and later certificated Gold by

. On 31 December 2003, Aiuchi achieved a first appearance on ''

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

'' with "Full Jump". The lead single from her fourth album, "Dream×Dream" was released in April 2004. The song served as the theme song to the Japanese animated movie '' Detective Conan: Magician of the Silver Sky'' and peaked at number sixth on the ''

'' chart. Her fourth album ''

Playgirl ''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although ...

'' was released in December 2004. The R&B-influenced J-pop album peaked at number seven and managed to sell 100,000 copies in Japan. The album has yielded three singles: "Dream×Dream", "Start", and "Boom-Boom-Boom".

2005–2008: ''Delight'' and ''Trip''

In May 2005, "Akaku Atsui Kodō" was released as the lead single from Aiuchi's fifth studio album. The song served as the theme song to the Japanese

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...

series ''

Ultraman Nexus was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC), and Dentsu. It was the 18th entry in the Ultra Series. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System, including TBS, CBC, MBS, etc. The show ran from October 2, 2004 until Ju ...

'' and reached number seven on the ''

'' chart. The

double-A side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

single "Glorious"/"Precious Place" was released in March 2006 as the third single from the album. Both songs served the theme song to the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...

video game ''

Another Century's Episode 2 , abbreviated as ''A.C.E. 2'', is a third-person mecha action video game produced by Banpresto and developed by From Software. It is the sequel to the popular 2005 game ''Another Century's Episode''. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on M ...

''. The single was a success, peaking at number five and sold over 26,000 copies in Japan. Her fifth album '' Delight'' was released in May 2006. The

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

-tasted J-pop album was received well by her fans and reached number four in Japan. In support of the album, Aiuchi embarked on the concert tour ''Rina Aiuchi Live Tour 2006 "Delight"'' from 8 June 2006. In June 2006, Aiuchi released a collaboration single with U-ka Saegusa, "100 mono Tobira", under the name of Rina Aiuchi and U-ka Saegusa. The song was written for the Japanese television animated series ''

'' and sold approximately 30,000 copies in Japan. In addition to her work for ''Delight'', Aiuchi appeared on the track "Ai Epilogue" on

Tsunku , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer, record producer, and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the rock band Sharam Q. As a songwriter, Tsunku is the primary producer for Morning Musume and other Hello! Project acts, such as Coco ...

's album ''Type 2''. In April 2007, the second single as Rina Aiuchi and U-ka Saegusa, "Nanatsu no Umi wo Wataru Kaze no yō ni" was released to a commercial success, selling over 36,500 copies in Japan. The song was written for the Japanese animated movie '' Detective Conan: Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure''. Aiuchi's sixth studio album ''

Trip Trip may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Trip (''Pokémon''), a ''Pokémon'' character * Trip (Power Rangers), in the American television series ''Time Force Power Rangers'' * Trip, in the 2013 film ''Metallica Through th ...

'' was released in May 2008. The album yielded one top-ten single: "Nemurenu Yo ni"/"Party Time Party Up" and managed to enter top-ten in Japan.

2009: ''Thanx'' and ''All Singles Best: Thanx 10th Anniversary''

In March 2009, Aiuchi's seventh studio album '' Thanx'' was released. The album failed to enter top-ten in Japan and managed to sell around 22,000 copies nationwide. The album has yielded one top-ten single: "Friend"/"Sugao no mama". In July 2009, Aiuchi released the

single "Story"/"Summer Light". The single peaked at number nine on the ''

'' chart and sold approximately 6,700 copies in Japan. The follow-up single, "Magic" was released in October 2009. Although the song failed to enter the top-ten in Japan, the sales surpassed last single, with the total sales of 8,600 copies. Aiuchi's second compilation album ''All Singles Best: Thanx 10th Anniversary'' was released in December 2009. The album succeeded commercially, reaching number seven on the ''

'' chart and selling over 38,000 copies in Japan.

2010–2011: ''Last Scene'' and retirement

In March 2010, Aiuchi released her first B-side tracks compilation album ''Colors''. The album failed commercially and sold only 4,500 copies in Japan. On 30 July 2010, Aiuchi announced that she would retire from the music industry at the end of the year, because of the

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

deficiency. Her eighth and last studio album ''Last Scene'' was released in September 2010. The album debuted at number eight on the ''

'' chart and sold approximately 20,600 copies in Japan. The album has yielded four singles: "Good Days", "Sing a Song", "C Love R", and "Hanabi". On 31 December 2010, Aiuchi's first

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

''Rina Aiuchi Premier Box 2000–2010'' was released exclusively on her fan club and the web store of her label,

. In September 2011, her second remix album ''Forever Songs: Brand New Remixes'' was released.

2012–present: Post-retirement and comeback

In September 2012, Aiuchi announced that she had founded a dog clothing company, ''Bon Bon Copine''. Soon, she achieved success as a businesswoman, leading the company to success with 50 million yen of the yearly turnover. In September 2015, Aiuchi appeared on the Japanese television music show, ''The Karaoke Battle'' and covered " Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)" by

My Little Lover My Little Lover is a J-Pop, Japanese pop group belonging to the Avex Trax label as of the single and the album ''Akko''. Previous releases were under Toy's Factory. The group has had several members, but currently only Akko (Akamatsu Akiko 赤� ...

and " Love Story" by

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

. The appearance marked her comeback to the music industry and since then, she has performed at several shows. In April 2018, Aiuchi released her first song since 2010, "Warm Prayer" under the name of R. The song managed to enter a top on the ''RecoChoku'' high-resolution songs chart. Aiuchi released her first studio album in ten years, ''Ring'' in March 2020. In March 2021, Aiuchi accused her former producer of the sexual harassments and filed a lawsuit against her former

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

, Giza Artist, seeking 10 million yen, alleging that they did not protect her from the harassments. In the same month, Aiuchi announced that she would resume the musical activities under her former stage name, Rina Aiuchi.

Discography

*'' Be Happy'' (2001) *''

'' (2002) *'' A.I.R.'' (2003) *''

'' (2004) *'' Delight'' (2006) *''

'' (2008) *'' Thanx'' (2009) *''

Last Scene ''Last Scene'' (stylized in all caps) is the eighth studio album by Japanese singer and songwriter Rina Aiuchi, released on July 28, 2010 by Giza Studio. The album has yielded four singles, including a Japan top thirty hit single, "Hanabi". After ...

'' (2010) *''Ring'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Asian-Stuff.com – Rina Aiuchi Reviews

Rina Aiuchi Good Life Blog (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiuchi, Rina 1980 births Being Inc. artists Japanese women pop singers Living people Musicians from Osaka Prefecture People from Higashiōsaka 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers