, known professionally as Ruan (stylized as RUAN) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

singer. She is a former member of the Japanese girl group Moonchild.

Biography

Ruann was born in

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

in 2003. Interested in music from a young age, Ruann taught herself instruments such as acoustic guitar, piano as well as Korean and English through learning apps. Her early exposures to the world of entertainment included an appearance on ''Kanjani no Shiwake 8'', where she covered

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

's "

Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

" in 2013, and when she was chosen to sing the theme song for the

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

adaptation of the manga ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

'', '' Super Kabuki II: One Piece'', "Tetote", a composition written by Yujin Kitagawa of the Japanese band

Yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus'' × ''junos'', from Japanese language, Japanese or ; ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of China, Chinese origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though it has also recently been grown in New Z ...

. Ruann uploaded videos on social media of covers and busking performances. One of these performances was seen by Taka, the vocalist of the band One Ok Rock, who asked Ruann to perform their song "Wherever You Are" as a special guest during their 2017 '' Ambitions'' tour. In summer 2017, she released her first extended play ''Spice 13 Acoustic EP''. Her first release as Ruann was "Get the Glory", a digital single released in January 2018 used to promote

Cygames is a Japanese video game development studio established in 2011 by CyberAgent. Mobile and e-commerce company DeNA acquired a 24% stake in the studio in 2012, and Nintendo acquired another 5% stake in 2018, leaving CyberAgent with 69% of the sha ...

, followed by "I Am Standing", a song used as the ending theme song for the anime ''

March Comes in Like a Lion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's manga magazine '' Young Animal'' since July 2007, with its chapters collected in 17 volumes as of August 2023. It follows the li ...

''. In August, Ruann announced her major label debut through

Toy's Factory is a Japanese record label founded in the late 1980s as a subsidiary of the entertainment company VAP, based in Japan. On May 30, 1990, it was established as an independent company. It is an associate member of the Recording Industry Assoc ...

. Her single "There's No Ending", used as the theme song for the film '' Anemone: Psalm of Planets Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution'' (2018), was her most successful release to date, and her first release to chart on a ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...

'' subchart. In March 2019, Ruann's official website announced that she was taking a hiatus due to poor health. In June, Ruann tweeted that her contract with Toy's Factory had ended, and in July announced that she would make her debut in Korea with the song "Beep Beep", which was released simultaneously in Japan and Korea. Korean production team

Black Eyed Pilseung Black Eyed Pilseung () is a South Korean music production and songwriting duo made up of Rado (Song Joo-young) and Choi Kyu-sung, formed in 2014. They have produced hit K-pop songs such as Sistar's " Touch My Body"; Miss A's " Only You"; Twi ...

produced the song, while the music video featured a routine produced by choreographer Lia Kim. Following issues with the copyright ownership of her stage name, Ruann stopped posting in July 2020. In October, all of her social media accounts were cleared of content. Her social media accounts and her official website were deleted on October 31, 2020. After over a year of absence from the entertainment industry, Ruann reappeared in January 2022 as one of the trainees on LDH's audition program ''iCON-Z'' under her birth name, Ohyama Ruan. She finished in third place, thus becoming a member of Moonchild. On April 24 2024, LDH announced after discussions with the members that Moonchild will end their activities in April with Ruan becoming a producer at LDH.

Artistry

Ruann's influences include

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

. She composes music on the guitar.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Promotional singles

References

External links

Former official Sony Music Japan label profileFormer official Toy's Factory label profile
{{Authority control 2003 births 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers English-language singers from Japan Korean-language singers of Japan Living people Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese women pop singers Singers from Osaka Prefecture LDH (company) artists