Rie fu

2.1. Childhood in the United States

Born in Tokyo, Rie fu resided with her family in Maryland, United States, from 1992 to 1995 due to her father's profession. This period proved formative for her musical development, as she began playing the piano during this time. She absorbed significant musical inspiration from various artists and genres, including 1970s American pop musicians such as The Carpenters and Sheryl Crow, as well as hymns. Later, she would cite artists like Carole King, Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, and Yumi Matsutoya as key influences on her sound.

2.2. Musical and Artistic Beginnings

Upon returning to Japan, Rie fu continued to cultivate her artistic talents. In 2002, while still in high school, she began learning to play the guitar. Almost immediately after picking up the instrument, she started composing songs and recording them using a small tape recorder. These early demo tapes were sent to a record company, Sony Music Entertainment Japan, which subsequently signed her to their Palm Beach label, marking the beginning of her professional music career. Parallel to her musical pursuits, she also developed her visual artistic skills, often designing her own album and single booklets and featuring her paintings within them.

2.3. Education

After her time in the United States, Rie fu completed her primary and secondary education in Tokyo, attending Aoyama Gakuin from 1995 to 2003. She then pursued higher education in the United Kingdom, enrolling at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, part of the University of the Arts London. She specialized in fine art, having initially considered fashion and graphic design. She graduated from Central Saint Martins in July 2007, achieving a high evaluation for her graduation project, which was acquired locally. Following her graduation, she returned to Tokyo, where she has since resided full-time.

3.1. Debut and Early Recognition

Rie fu officially debuted in March 2004 with her first single, "Rie who!?", while she was still attending university in London. The lead track, "decay," quickly gained traction, receiving extensive airplay on FM stations across Japan. Later that year, her song "Life Is Like a Boat" was selected as the first ending theme for the popular anime series Bleach, which brought her widespread recognition and established her presence in the Japanese music scene. In 2005, she released her self-titled debut full-length album. Her song "I Wanna Go To A Place..." was then chosen as the third ending theme for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, achieving her highest ranking on the Oricon charts at number 5, and leading to her first appearance on the television program Music Station. That same year, she collaborated on a track for m-flo's Beat Space Nine album and embarked on her first nationwide tour, titled "Rie Fū" (りえ風). Her growing international appeal was noted when TBS's News i featured her in November 2005, highlighting her as a "20-year-old Japanese singer gaining attention in the UK."

3.2. Activities in Japan

Throughout her career, Rie fu has maintained a prolific output within the Japanese music industry. In January 2006, she performed at MIDEM, the world's largest music business international trade fair. She released her second full-length album, Rose Album, in March 2006. Her song "Until I Say" served as the theme song for the Japanese release of the 2005 British film Heidi. In 2007, "Tsukiakari" was featured as the ending theme for Darker than Black. Following her university graduation in July, she returned to Japan full-time and released her third album, Tobira Album.

In 2008, her song "Home" was released as a single and used as the theme for the Japanese film Koneko no Namida. The following month, she transitioned from Sony's Palm Beach label to its gr8! records label. Her fourth full-length album, Urban Romantic, was released in April 2009. She contributed vocals to all songs on Orange Range leader Naoto Hiroyama's solo project delofamilia's second album, eddy, and subsequently toured with the band. She also participated as a chorus vocalist in Yōsui Inoue's 40th anniversary tour. Her album, at Rie sessions, released on March 31, 2010, marked her first self-produced work, featuring duets with other notable singers recorded at her home. By 2011, her involvement with delofamilia deepened, with the band centering around Naoto Hiroyama and Rie fu. Her song "Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyuu" was the fifth closing song for the anime D.Gray-man.

To commemorate her tenth anniversary since debut, Rie fu undertook a project to produce two consecutive albums, 'I' and 'O'. 'I', released in November 2014, represented "Inside," drawing musical inspiration from her experiences within Japan and the Japanese music market. 'O', released in April 2016, stood for "Outside," reflecting her developing Asian experiences. The pairing of 'I' and 'O' visually formed the number 10, symbolizing her decade in the industry and expressing gratitude to her fans.

3.3. International Activities and Relocations

Rie fu's career has been characterized by significant international engagement and periods of residence abroad. In December 2007, it was announced that she would make her official UK music debut with the album Who is Rie fu?, released in March 2008 on the British independent label Tired & Lonesome. This album was a compilation of earlier songs, including a previously unreleased cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now." While a Japanese release with additional tracks and a continental European release were planned, they did not materialize, and the original UK album went out of print, failing to establish a strong overseas presence for Rie fu at that time.

In 2014, Rie fu relocated to Singapore, and in 2015, she embarked on her first Asia tour, performing in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In May 2016, she moved to the United Kingdom and launched a new artist name, Rié. Recognizing the distinct musical styles in Japan and the UK, she decided to release new music in Japan under "Rie fu" and in the UK under "Rié." This adaptation was a strategic choice to suit different markets, involving visits to music publishers, management, and PR companies, as well as collaborations with local producers and live performances. Rié released her first three-track EP, Business Trips, in June 2017, featuring three new songs sung entirely in English: "St Martin," "Calling," and "Business Trips." This release garnered attention from various local music media outlets. In 2023, she released the album JAPANESE JARGON under the Rié moniker.

3.4. Musical Style and Influences

Rie fu's musical style is distinctive for its frequent use of bilingual lyrics, seamlessly blending Japanese and English. While many of her songs are primarily sung in Japanese, they often feature entire verses written in English. Conversely, several of her songs initially written entirely in Japanese have later been released as English-language versions. Her sound is fluid across genres, evolving from primarily acoustic arrangements to incorporating diverse musical styles, including elements of rock, as showcased in her fourth album, Urban Romantic. She is recognized for her gentle, whispering vocals as well as her ability to deliver powerful rock performances, demonstrating a broad musical sensibility. Her influences include artists like Sheryl Crow, The Carpenters, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Yumi Matsutoya.

6.1. Studio Albums

6.2. Singles

6.3. Other Releases

• Digital Singles
  • "Lucky Day (English Version)" / Rie fu & the fu (November 7, 2012)
  • "Better View (70's Mix)" (August 25, 2017)
  • "Tokyo (Japanese version)" (March 23, 2018)
  • "Mirror" (February 8, 2019)
  • "Business (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (February 20, 2020)
  • "Realize (Classics London Sessions)" (February 27, 2020)
  • "Somebody's World (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (March 5, 2020)
  • "5 Minutes (Classics London Sessions)" (March 12, 2020)
  • "decay (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (March 19, 2020)
  • "Voice (Classics London Sessions)" (March 26, 2020)
  • "Life is Like a Boat (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (April 2, 2020)
  • "Beautiful Words (Classics London Sessions)" (April 9, 2020)
  • "Hey I'm Calling Up! (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (April 16, 2020)
  • "I So Wanted (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (April 30, 2020)
  • "Sunshine of My Day (Classics London Sessions)" (May 7, 2020)
  • "I Wanna go to a Place... (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (May 14, 2020)
  • "London (Classics London Sessions)" (May 21, 2020)
  • "One Bite (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (May 28, 2020)
  • "Kiss U Goodbye (Classics London Sessions)" (June 4, 2020)
  • "TSUKIAKARI -MOONSHINE- (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (June 11, 2020)
  • "drummy (Classics London Sessions)" (June 18, 2020)
  • "Romantic (Classics Tokyo Sessions)" (June 25, 2020)
  • "Gilles (Classics London Sessions)" (July 2, 2020)
  • "The Temple" (April 1, 2021)
  • "Beautiful Boy (Japanese Version)" (June 15, 2022)
• Digital EPs
  • Beautiful Boy (Side a) (June 29, 2022) - Tracks: "Birdsong", "Winter Morning", "Bridge of Time", "You Never Change", "Our Home"
  • Beautiful Boy (Side B) (July 20, 2022) - Tracks: "Beautiful Boy", "How You Feel", "Sticks and Stones", "The Temple (Album version)", "My Hero"
• Special Project Albums
  • Fu Diary (released in six monthly installments, June 15 - November 15, 2012): "You Do", "Easy", "Fujirock", "たのしいあそび_{Tanoshi Asobi}^Japanese (Fun Play)", "Jet Lag", "Winter Love Song"
  • Fu Diary 2: Around The World (released through Ototoy, April 1, 2015): "Singapore", "Bali", "China", "New York", "Bangladesh", "Borneo", "Rome"
• Cover Albums
  • Rie fu Sings The Carpenters (September 4, 2013)
• Best-of Albums
  • I Can Do Better (November 23, 2011)
• European and UK Releases
  • Who Is Rie fu? (March 3, 2008)
  • Business Trips EP (as Rié) (June 20, 2017) - Tracks: "St Martin", "Calling", "Business Trips"

6.4. Participated Works and Songwriting

6.5. Tie-ups