Eri Nobuchika
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese singer-songwriter
, under the Fearless Records label on Sony Music Associated Records. She currently resides in Tokyo.
At the audition, she raised interest in producer Shinichi Osawa. She got 7 more label offers, but ultimately signed with Sony Music, and teamed up with Shinichi Osawa. As an artist on his label, Fearless Records, Osawa would go on to primarily produce Eri's music as he did with fellow label artist bird.
. The song was also featured on Q Entertainment’s PlayStation Portable
game Lumines
, along with "I hear the music in my soul". Many overseas fans discovered Eri through the game and it also helped launch her career in Japan.
Months later, on April 6, 2005, Eri's second single, "Voice" was released. The song carries a Latin atmosphere with the use of Spanish guitars and carries more of Osawa's club sound. Along with the title song are a studio live version, a karaoke version, and a remix of "I hear the music in my soul". On Oricon
's Top 100 chart, the single reached a peak of #94 and stayed on the charts for 3 weeks.
On June 29, 2005, "Sketch for Summer" was released, a very different genre compared to the previous singles. It was a mellow ballad with some hints of jazz. The single comes with a studio live version, a karaoke version, and a remix of "Voice". In the PV, she is featured in colour for the first time, as all of her videos are black & white. The single scored even lower on Oricon at #175 for just one week.
Eri's fourth single, "鼓動" (Kodou, meaning "heartbeat") was released on December 7, 2005, another ballad containing elements of acid jazz, with Eri accompanied by piano and horns. The song appeared in a TV commercial for the mobilecast mLink. "Kodou" is accompanied by a remix, a karaoke version, and a remix of "Sketch for Summer". The single was re-released on two weeks later, replacing the karaoke version with an instrumental version with no background vocals.
Her debut album, "nobuchikaeri", was released on December 21, 2005. It contained her four singles, as well as "I hear the music in my soul", and five new tracks. One of the new tracks included Eri fully singing in English, and two of those tracks, "Yume no Kakera" and "SING A SONG" went on to become her first DVD single on March 1, 2006. The DVD single featured PVs for both songs; the PV for "Yume no Kakera" was created by Studio 4C, who also created animations for The Animatrix
.
A 7-track album of remixes titled "nobuchikaeri.rx" was released on May 10, 2006. The album includes remixes of Eri's singles by artists such as Röyksopp
, Akufen
, and more.
Eri was featured in a radio program on the now-defunct bi-weekly vodcast "the swallowtail radio" (hosted by Sony Music Japan) in which she talked about her career, releases, and where she also addressed messages from fans.
in 2006, Eri went into a lengthy hiatus with no releases.
An update on her blog told of a studio recording in Okinawa during the summer; this was eventually revealed as her collaboration with NAOTO, the leader of Japanese band Orange Range
, in his solo project, delofamilia.
delofamilia's first album, quiet life, was released on December 5, 2007, featuring Eri and AIR
as guest vocalists, although Eri appears on the majority of the songs singing in mostly English and some Japanese. Eri, NAOTO, and AIR all shared lyric-writing duties for the album.
In April 2009, Eri announced that her second album, "Hands," would be released on June 3, 2009, more than three years after her debut album. Eri also launched her mixi
account and a Myspace
page with song samples, along with a live concert on release day to coincide with the new album. The album is to be distributed through independent record label Daiki Sound, and it contains eight tracks produced and written by a variety of artists, such as DSK from Port of Notes, The Company, Yuu Sakai, and Ryuichiro Yamaki.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, under the Fearless Records label on Sony Music Associated Records. She currently resides in Tokyo.
Early years
Eri's professional career started at Sony Music SD "Gonna be a star" audition, a regularly held event for aspiring new pop artists. She sent in her demotape but forgot to put her address in it. The president of the audition wanted to contact her, and after asking for her through a few calls to Fukuokan post offices, he finally got hold of Eri.At the audition, she raised interest in producer Shinichi Osawa. She got 7 more label offers, but ultimately signed with Sony Music, and teamed up with Shinichi Osawa. As an artist on his label, Fearless Records, Osawa would go on to primarily produce Eri's music as he did with fellow label artist bird.
2004-2006: Debut and nobuchikaeri
After finishing high school at the age of 19, Eri started work on her debut single, "Lights", which was released on December 8, 2004. The single features the title song, as well as an acoustic version and a karaoke version. The B-track, "I hear the music in my soul", shows off Shinichi Osawa's underground club music background with Eri providing a few vocals. "Lights" starred as the theme song of the Japanese film "深紅" (Shinku, or "The Deep Red") and the ending theme song for the anime FLAGFLAG (anime)
is a 13-episode Japanese mecha-genre anime series directed by veteran director Ryosuke Takahashi. It was broadcast as pay per view streaming web video on Bandai Channel starting on June 6, 2006. Episodes 1 and 2 were scheduled to be broadcast on the anime PPV channel SKY Perfect Perfect Choice...
. The song was also featured on Q Entertainment’s PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
game Lumines
Lumines
is a puzzle video game based on sound and light patterns. Created by game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and his company, Q Entertainment, it was first released as a launch title for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on December 12, and released in North America on March 23 and released in Europe on...
, along with "I hear the music in my soul". Many overseas fans discovered Eri through the game and it also helped launch her career in Japan.
Months later, on April 6, 2005, Eri's second single, "Voice" was released. The song carries a Latin atmosphere with the use of Spanish guitars and carries more of Osawa's club sound. Along with the title song are a studio live version, a karaoke version, and a remix of "I hear the music in my soul". On Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's Top 100 chart, the single reached a peak of #94 and stayed on the charts for 3 weeks.
On June 29, 2005, "Sketch for Summer" was released, a very different genre compared to the previous singles. It was a mellow ballad with some hints of jazz. The single comes with a studio live version, a karaoke version, and a remix of "Voice". In the PV, she is featured in colour for the first time, as all of her videos are black & white. The single scored even lower on Oricon at #175 for just one week.
Eri's fourth single, "鼓動" (Kodou, meaning "heartbeat") was released on December 7, 2005, another ballad containing elements of acid jazz, with Eri accompanied by piano and horns. The song appeared in a TV commercial for the mobilecast mLink. "Kodou" is accompanied by a remix, a karaoke version, and a remix of "Sketch for Summer". The single was re-released on two weeks later, replacing the karaoke version with an instrumental version with no background vocals.
Her debut album, "nobuchikaeri", was released on December 21, 2005. It contained her four singles, as well as "I hear the music in my soul", and five new tracks. One of the new tracks included Eri fully singing in English, and two of those tracks, "Yume no Kakera" and "SING A SONG" went on to become her first DVD single on March 1, 2006. The DVD single featured PVs for both songs; the PV for "Yume no Kakera" was created by Studio 4C, who also created animations for The Animatrix
The Animatrix
is a 2003 direct-to-video anthology film based on The Matrix trilogy. The film is a compilation of nine animated short films.-Production:Development of the Animatrix project began when the film series' writers and directors, the Wachowski brothers, were in Japan promoting the first Matrix film...
.
A 7-track album of remixes titled "nobuchikaeri.rx" was released on May 10, 2006. The album includes remixes of Eri's singles by artists such as Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
, Akufen
Akufen
Marc Leclair, better known by his stage name Akufen, is a Canadian electronic musician. His music is electronic music that is often described as minimal house, minimal techno, glitch, or microhouse....
, and more.
Eri was featured in a radio program on the now-defunct bi-weekly vodcast "the swallowtail radio" (hosted by Sony Music Japan) in which she talked about her career, releases, and where she also addressed messages from fans.
2006 to present: Independent work and Hands
After the release of nobuchikaeri.rx and Shinichi Osawa's move to Avex TraxAvex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
in 2006, Eri went into a lengthy hiatus with no releases.
An update on her blog told of a studio recording in Okinawa during the summer; this was eventually revealed as her collaboration with NAOTO, the leader of Japanese band Orange Range
Orange Range
is a 5-member Okinawan alternative rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The group left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, Super Echo....
, in his solo project, delofamilia.
delofamilia's first album, quiet life, was released on December 5, 2007, featuring Eri and AIR
Air (Japanese band)
AIR is a name under which Kurumatani Koji releases his songs. He started AIR two months after SPIRAL LIFE broke up in April 1996. His music is often an inspiration for other artists, and his work is noted for lyrics that take on social issues and politics and can be classified as alternative...
as guest vocalists, although Eri appears on the majority of the songs singing in mostly English and some Japanese. Eri, NAOTO, and AIR all shared lyric-writing duties for the album.
In April 2009, Eri announced that her second album, "Hands," would be released on June 3, 2009, more than three years after her debut album. Eri also launched her mixi
Mixi
mixi, Inc. is one of several social networking websites in Japan, founded in 2004. As of May 2008, mixi had over 21.6 million users and an 80% share of the social networking market in Japan...
account and a Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page with song samples, along with a live concert on release day to coincide with the new album. The album is to be distributed through independent record label Daiki Sound, and it contains eight tracks produced and written by a variety of artists, such as DSK from Port of Notes, The Company, Yuu Sakai, and Ryuichiro Yamaki.
Singles
- [2004.12.08] Lights
- [2005.04.06] Voice
- [2005.06.29] Sketch for Summer
- [2005.12.07] Kodou （鼓動）
Vinyls
- [2004.11.03] Lights
- [2005.05.18] Voice
- [2005.07.06] Sketch for Summer
- [2005.12.21] Kodou （鼓動）
- [2006.5.24] nobuchikaeri.rx VinylsNobuchikaeri.rx VinylsThe nobuchikaeri.rx Vinyls are a series of three 12" vinyl records containing remixes of songs by Eri Nobuchika. They were released two weeks after the nobuchikaeri.rx CD album became available on May 10, 2006...