Jyongri | |
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Birth name | Cho Jyong-ri |
Also known as | Jyongri Toyoda |
Born | August 30, 1988 |
Origin | Osaka, Japan |
Genres | Pop, R&B |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, violin, guitar |
Years active | 2006 – present |
Labels | EMI Music Japan |
Website | Official Website |
Jyongri | |
Hangul | 조종리 |
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Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Jo Jong-ni |
McCune–Reischauer | Cho Chongni |
Jyongri (born August 30, 1988 in Osaka) is a Japanese pop singer of Korean ancestry currently signed with EMI Music Japan.
Jyongri attended Osaka International School, and is fluent in both English and Japanese. She began learning to play the piano at the age of eight. It wasn't until Jyongri was eleven when she decided to become a singer; she started writing her own lyrics at this age. In 2004, when she was fifteen years old, she attended a five-week-long summer program at the Berklee College of Music. During this period Jyongri started to write her own music. Jyongri started working on her musical activities in June 2006 after graduating from Osaka International School. Jyongri was a student in Waseda University, a popular choice among other famous celebrities around the world.
In September 2006, a music video for a ballad titled "Wherever" started airing on music video channels, despite the fact that JyongriI had not debuted yet. "Wherever" would later be featured on her debut album. In December, two months after enrolling into Waseda University, Jyongri released her debut single, "Possession/My All for You". The single, released on December 13, featured nine tracks in total, including instrumentals, remixes and a cappella tracks. The single debuted at #16 on the Oricon charts and so far has sold over 20,000 copies and remains her best selling single.
A second single "Hop, Step, Jump!" was quickly released two months later on February 21, 2007. "Hop, Step, Jump!" was not as successful as her debut single, ranking at #32 on the charts. Jyongri's debut album "Close to Fantasy" followed the single exactly a month after on March 31. The album was released in two versions, CD+DVD and CD only. The DVD section included all three of her previous A-side's music videos for "Possession", "My All for You" and "Hop, Step, Jump!" as well as the video for "Wherever" and a new video for "Getting Funky!" "Close to Fantasy" debuted at #25 on the Oricon charts, selling 8,552 copies in its first week.