Eriko Imai

Quick Facts

Full Name	Eriko Imai
Occupation	Singer
Date Of Birth	Sep 22, 1983(1983-09-22)
Age	41
Birthplace	Naha
Country	Japan
Birth City	Okinawa Prefecture
Horoscope	Virgo

Eriko Imai Biography

Eriko Imai is one of the most popular and richest Singer who was born on September 22, 1983 in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Imai was born in Okinawa. She was the second-youngest member , and one of the singers of the female J-pop group Speed. The group’s popularity grew rapidly throughout Japan They were subsequently invited to appear in the film Andromedia in 1998. This was Eriko’s first experience in acting. Eriko was also featured in”LxIxVxE” a comedy “LxIxVxE” in 1999 with her fellow Speed participant Hitoe. When Eriko started the solo path in 2000, she joined forces with Dance band Crunch and the group was called “Eriko with Crunch”. The first two maxi singles, “Red Beat of My Life” and “Luv is Magic” were released in the same year.

Eriko’s fourth solo track, “Don’t Stop the Music” was broadcast on his weekly Monday night talk program “Eriko Imai Hot Link” about one month before the release date the following month in Jan. 2002. The single was viewed as a shift in musical genre for Eriko. In the same time frame, Eriko considered changing her hairstyle to an Afro. She stated that she was looking for something different, but was prepared to change to a hairstyle more typical of Japan If she felt that the Afro hairstyle did not appeal to her. On July 1, Eriko came out with her sixth solo song, “Our Relation”, an upbeat, high-tempo song. “Our Relation” was the second single that was entirely recorded by Hiroaki Hayama. It was also used as the opening theme for Captain Tsubasa ROAD: 2002. In 2002 Eriko was in her first musical Footloose together with V6 bandmate Masayuki Sakamoto, which was very well-received.

Between February and March 2004, Eriko performed in the musical Star Tanjō with Hitomi Shimatani and Yukie Nakama. During May 2004, Eriko posted a short message on her official website to officially announce on her marriage to 175R vocalist Shogo. The message talked briefly about the marriage, and she apologised due to its sudden nature. She also mentioned a new life which would be with us on Earth in the upcoming October. Lastly in the message, Eriko asked for guidance on her change from single to a wife and a soon-to-be mother. On 9 June 2004, she and Shogo were married in a shotgun wedding. She also registered her name as Eriko Kinoshita upon the change. Their son, Raimu Kinoshita, was born on 18 October 2004 weighing 3492g. On 25 November 2004, Eriko released her first singles collection, Stairway, to mark her new life journey as a mother and wife.

On 9 June 2005, Eriko announced on her new website that she would return to the music industry as “Elly”. With the new name, Imai branched out into a new genre of music. Upon returning to the music scene Eriko began writing all of her songs, which differed greatly from her former style. On 22 September 2005, Eriko performed her ‘Elly Live 2005: Rebirth’ concert to mark her 22nd birthday and shift to the new name. This was Imai’s first public performance since her marriage and maternity leave. She also released her first indies single under as Elly, sold only at her concert venues. On 18 October 2005, the first birthday of her son, Imai released her first photobook, “Egao de Ikō”, which includes autobiographical thoughts about the periods of her life and career. She also held an autograph session at Shibuya HMV on 6 November.

From the beginning of 2002 until mid-2003, Eriko placed a hold on solo projects, primarily due to the temporary reorganization of Speed to benefit the charity Save The Children. Speed was rebranded as the ambassadors for Save The Children until the close of 2003 in which they toured across the country and released singles as well as an album to raise money in support of the organization. It wasn’t until July of that year when Eriko dropped her 6th single and final one, “Butterfly”. “Butterfly” was a ballad composed by Eriko under the name “Elly”. It is the first occasion that that Imai actually used her name “Elly” on one of her songs. The song also served as the theme tune for the anime film Boku no Songoku, Eriko’s debut role as voice actor. The same month, Onmyoji 2 was released in Japan and featured Eriko reprised her role of Mitsumushi, the magical spirit.

Eriko Imai Net Worth

Eriko Imai is one of the richest Singer from Japan. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Eriko Imai 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

“Eriko with Crunch” was not long-lasting the song was canceled, and Imai started to pursue her own solo music with “In the Name of Love” which was released in 2000. Additionally, in 2000, Eriko participated in her first musical, Ninagawa Hi no Tori in which she was awarded an “Best Newcomer in Theatre” award at the Golden Arrow Awards 2001.

Her second solo track, “Identity”, was considered to be a turning point in her career. A lot of people viewed the song to be hardcore music. Music video of her single number three, “Set Me Free” was made in Australia and Imai sang the track during Kuala Lumpur during the 2001 Asia Music Festival. In 2001, she released her debut album, My Place. It included her own compositions of song “Himawari” and “Dawn” It sold more than 93,700 copies. It also was ranked at number 7 at the top of the daily Oricon chart. In the year 2000, Eriko performed in her second drama, Rouge [ja] , and was in the film Onmyoji.

After Imai’s shotgun wedding in 2004 due to her pregnancy, tabloid magazine Shukan Bunshun quoted a source known to Eriko that her management agency had stopped paying her monthly wage of 200,000 yen and promptly expelled her from the company apartment. After struggling for several months, her company relented its punishment by signing a new contract worth 20,000 yen a month.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Eriko Imai height 5 ft 2 in Eriko weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Eriko Imai Dating?

According to our records, Eriko Imai married to Shogo. As of December 1, 2023, Eriko Imai’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Eriko Imai. You may help us to build the dating records for Eriko Imai!

Eriko’s nickname is Mikan Seijin (Tangerine Alien). She is an accomplished guitar and flute player. She also plays the piano, as well as composing and writing songs. She is good friends with Hikaru Utada and called her father on air on behalf of her fans when she underwent ovarian cancer surgery. Eriko was once voted as the most popular artist from Japan in Hong Kong, surpassing other popular singers. Eriko began to learn sign language with her son during early 2008. She is also avid in saving the environment by doing bottle-cap collections.

Facts & Trivia

Eriko Ranked on the list of most popular Singer. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Japan. Eriko Imai celebrates birthday on September 22 of every year.

Eriko released her second photobook, Kokoro no Uta: Musuko to Ayunda 4 Nenkan, Soshite Korekara, on 14 February 2009. Her new album, Utagoe, was released on April 29. Her ex-husband, Shogo, composed the songs “Kanna” and “Hana Uta” for the album. Utagoe debuted at #31, selling 3,882 copies in its first week. On 10 May, which was Mother’s Day, Eriko received a ‘Best Mother’ award for the second annual ‘Best Mother Awards in 2009’ in Japan.