Raychell (born January 13, 1985) is a Japanese-Thai musician, singer, actress and voice actress who is affiliated with Ace Crew Entertainment. She made her major debut as a singer in 2010 under the name Lay. In 2019, she made her voice acting debut as the character Rei "LAYER" Wakana in the multimedia franchise ''

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'', and later was cast as the character Shano Himegami in '' D4DJ''. She is also a member of the

visual kei is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock. Som ...

band

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Biography

Music career

Raychell was born on January 13, 1985. She had been performing as an artist under the name Ray since at least 2009, when she released the song "Love U", which was used in commercials for the company Tokai Network Club. In 2010, she made her major debut with

Avex is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other bu ...

under the stage name Lay. Her stage name Ray was inspired by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, while the name Lay was meant to represent lying down, and her belief that singing while lying down would heal listeners. Her first single was released on June 2, 2010; the title track is used as the theme song to the film ''The Poem of Our Time''. Her second single "Smiling!" was released on May 4, 2011; the title track is used as an ending theme to the ''

Tamagotchi! is a 2009 Japanese fantasy slice of life anime series produced by OLM's Team Kamei division, officially based on the Tamagotchi digital pet jointly created by Bandai and WiZ. It is directed by Jōji Shimura (''Pokémon'') and w ...

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series. In 2013, she changed her stage name to Raychell and released her first solo album ''L R''. She released her third single on November 13, 2013, and her fourth single Stay Hungry on June 18, 2014; "Stay Hungry" was used as the opening theme to the television drama ''Hakata Stay Hungry''. She released the mini-album ''The 3rd'' on February 4, 2015, and the mini-album ''0'' on January 20, 2016. She released the album ''Are You Ready to Fight'' on March 1, 2017, and later that year joined the band

as its second vocalist following the band's resumption of activities. In 2019, as part of the multimedia project ''

'', Raychell became a member of the band

Raise A Suilen Raise A Suilen (stylized as RAISE A SUILEN) is a Japanese all-female rock band that is part of Bushiroad's media franchise '' BanG Dream!''. Formed in 2018, the group's members portray fictional characters in the project's anime series and mob ...

, serving as its vocalist and bassist.

Acting career

Raychell made her

voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...

debut in 2019 when she was cast as the character Rei "Layer" Wakana in ''BanG Dream''. She was later cast as Shano Himegami in the mixed media project '' D4DJ''. In 2021, she was cast as Elena Hanakaze in the anime series '' Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood''.

Filmography

Anime

;2019 *'' BanG Dream! 2nd Season'', Rei "Layer" Wakana ;2020 *''BanG Dream! 3rd Season'', Rei "Layer" Wakana *'' BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico: Ohmori'', Rei "Layer" Wakana ;2021 *''BanG Dream! Film Live 2nd Stage'', Rei "Layer" Wakana *''BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico Fever!'', Rei "Layer" Wakana *'' D4DJ'', Shano Himegami *''D4DJ Petit Mix'', Shano Himegami *'' Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood'', Elena Hanakaze ;2022 *''BanG Dream! Poppin'Dream!'', Rei "Layer" Wakana

Discography

Singles

* (June 2, 2010) *"Smiling!" (May 4, 2011) * (November 13, 2013) *"Stay Hungry" (June 18, 2014)

Albums

*''L R'' (April 24, 2013) *''Are You Ready to Fight'' (March 1, 2017)

Mini-albums

*''The 3rd'' (February 4, 2015) *''0'' (January 20, 2016)

References

External links

Agency profile
* {{BanG Dream 1985 births BanG Dream! Japanese bass guitarists Japanese women singers Japanese voice actresses Living people