Eriko Imai
| Eriko Imai 今井 絵理子 |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
22 September 1983 Naha, Okinawa, Japan |
| Genres | Japanese pop |
| Occupation(s) |
Actress Singer-songwriter Politician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Piano, Guitar |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels |
Toy's Factory 1996— 2001 |
| Associated acts | Speed, Eriko with Crunch |
| Website | "Elly" official site |
Eriko Imai (今井 絵理子 Imai Eriko?) is a Japanese pop singer. She made her debut in the early 1990s as part of the group Speed, which disbanded in March 2000. Eriko began her work away from Speed during 1998, performing "Tsumetaku Shinai de", under the stage name "Eriko with Crunch", on the Speed single "All My True Love". After the group disbanded, Imai continued her career as a solo artist until Speed's reformation in 2008.
Imai was born in Okinawa. She was the second-youngest member and one of the main vocalists in the female J-pop group Speed. After Speed's popularity spread widely in Japan, they were asked to act in the movie Andromedia in 1998, Eriko's first acting experience. Eriko also appeared in the drama "LxIxVxE" in 1999 with fellow Speed member Hitoe. When Eriko began her solo career in early 2000, she teamed up with the dance group Crunch and the unit was named "Eriko with Crunch". Their first two maxi singles, "Red Beat of My Life" and "Luv is Magic" were released the same year.
"Eriko with Crunch" was short-lived, and Imai began her solo career with the single "In the Name of Love", released in 2000. Also during this year, Eriko participated in her first musical, Ninagawa Hi no Tori, for which she earned a "Best Newcomer in Theatre" award at the Golden Arrow Awards 2001.
Her second solo single, "Identity", was viewed as a changing point in Eriko's career. Many viewed the music as hard-core rock. The music video for her third single, "Set Me Free", was shot in Australia, and Imai performed the song in Kuala Lumpur during the 2001 Asia Music Festival. In 2001, Imai released her first album, My Place. Including her self-composed songs "Himawari" and "Dawn", it sold 93,700 copies and peaked at #7 on the weekly Oricon chart. During this year, Eriko performed in her second drama, Rouge, and appeared in the movie Onmyoji.
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