Hitomi Yaida
| Hitomi Yaida | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 矢井田 瞳 |
| Also known as | Yaiko |
| Born | July 28, 1978 |
| Origin | Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan |
| Genres | Pop, folk rock |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
| Labels |
Bandai Music Entertainment (1999) Aozora records (2000-2009) Reservotion Records (2000-2005) Universal Music Japan (2010-present) |
| Associated acts |
Diamond Head (backing and production) |
| Website | www |
Hitomi Yaida (矢井田 瞳 Yaida Hitomi?, born July 28, 1978 in Toyonaka, Osaka) is a Japanese pop/folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. She often goes by the nickname Yaiko. Her musical style is often called "heart rock" by her fans. Yaida is an established musical artist in Japan and has also had minor club hits in the United Kingdom. Hitomi is a graduate of Kansai University.
Yaida first became well known when her first single ("Howling" which included the track "How?") was released in 2000 on Aozora records, an independent label pre-dominantly distributing to the Kansai area of Osaka only, and reportedly sold in excess of 10,000 copies. Widespread airplay on Osaka's local radio stations and word-of-mouth resulted in both Yaida and Aozora records becoming the focus of a bidding war between the larger record companies for both recording and distribution contracts, the final Japanese distributing rights being sold to Toshiba-EMI with Aozora retaining artist control and independent label status.
"B'coz I Love You" was the first single released under contract, entering the Japanese charts at number 16 in July. Through the association with Toshiba-EMI, live appearances in the UK (both London and Manchester) followed in September. This initial British exposure culminated in the release of the UK Single "I Like 2" under her nickname Yaiko on F2Records, which created the impetus for a UK fan-base to grow. Her second Toshiba-EMI single, "My Sweet Darlin'", released in October entered the charts at number 9 quickly followed by her first album (daiya-monde) which went straight to Number 1 in the Oricon album charts.
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