was a

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

and

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

music duo based in Japan. It consisted of Eric Fukusaki of Peru and Munehiko Ohno from Japan. The pair released two singles in 2012: its debut "Akane" and the

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

"Amatsubu Pearl"/"Dakishimetai Dakishimetai". Alma Kamininito released the

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

album ''Alma Covers'' at the end of the year, which featured Japanese-language songs sung in Spanish and English. It marked the unit's final release following the departure of Ohno in April 2013.

History

2011: Formation

Part of the

Japanese diaspora The Japanese diaspora and its individual members, known as Nikkei (日系) or as Nikkeijin (日系人), comprise the Japanese emigrants from Japan (and their descendants) residing in a country outside Japan. Emigration from Japan was recorded as ...

in Peru, Erik Fukusaki traveled to Japan at the age of 18 in order to pursue a career in enka. A Japanese native, Munehiko Ohno was a lifelong practitioner of the buyō style of traditional Japanese dance. Citing music duo

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, he took an interest in music at the age of 18. He began taking singing lessons while attending university. In order to gain entrance into Up-Front Works, Fukusaki and Ohno separately auditioned for the record company's Forrest Award in February 2011. Upon their admittance, Up-Front posed the idea of the pair creating a single unit together. Ohno agreed to the proposal the day of his successful audition; after seeking advisement from Alberto Shiroma of the Peruvian ensemble Diamantes and

Kazufumi Miyazawa is the founder of the Japanese bands The Boom and Ganga Zumba. The former was noted in the 1990s for a fusion of rock, pop, and local Okinawan folk music. Miyazawa is responsible for virtually all lyrics and music for The Boom, who are best kno ...

of the Japanese band

The Boom ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Fukusaki deliberated for two weeks before accepting. In choosing the duo's name, Fukusaki and Ohno were told to write numerous words in Spanish and Japanese onto a paper. Staff of the record company then chose and joined two Spanish words together: "alma", meaning "soul", and "caminito", meaning "path". The president of the company decided to change the spelling of the latter to "kami ni ito", meaning "paper" and " thread". Blending

and

into its music, Alma Kaminiito sought to "unite Japan with the world".

2012–13: Debut and dissolution

Prior to its debut, Alma Kaminiito participated in various

street performance Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

s and appeared as guests at music events. The three songs recorded for Alma Kaminiito's debut single were used for the drama film ''

Share House A roommate is a person with whom one shares a living facility such as a room or dormitory ''except'' when being family or romantically involved. Similar terms include dormmate, suitemate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in Britis ...

'' (2011) preceding its release. A

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

-tinged number, "Akane" was released on April 25, 2012. On that day, the duo promoted the single by performing at the Sunshine City building complex in the district of

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...

. In August, the pair held its first concert entitled Alma Kaminiito 1st Live "Uno". Alma Kaminiito released the

"Amatsubu Pearl"/"Dakishimetai Dakishimetai" on October 24 as its second single. In December, Alma Kaminiito released its first album ''Alma Covers'', which contains Spanish and English-language covers of Japanese songs from the 1980s and 1990s. The translated Spanish lyrics were written by Fukusaki. The duo embarked on its first tour at the end of 2012 to February of the following year. On April 4, 2013, the departure of Ohno from the group was announced via Alma Kaminiito's official website. In his blog, he disclosed his intentions to take over his family's business.

Discography

Albums

Cover albums

Singles

Notes

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20120912001245/http://www.almakaminiito.com:80/ English-language singers from Japan J-pop music groups Japanese musical duos Latin pop music groups Musical groups disestablished in 2013 Musical groups established in 2012 Pop music duos Spanish-language singers of Japan Up-Front Group