is a Japanese recording artist, DJ, and actress from
Zama, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 130,667 and a population density of 7,400 persons per km². The total area of the city is
The city hosts the United States Army Camp Zama base.
Geograph ...
, Japan. Having been discovered at the talent TV show ''
Asayan
''Asayan'', originally known as was a talent search variety show that aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 2002. Some idols that were originally discovered through Asayan auditions produced by Tsunku, formed groups that worked under the umbrella gro ...
'', she was one of the most popular female teen
idols in the late 1990s. However, in 2000, Suzuki faced legal problems with her management company resulting in a controversial
blacklisting from the entertainment industry.
Suzuki attempted to resurrect her career under her own steam with two indie singles before signing to
Avex Trax in 2005. She released "
Delightful", a dance song that reached No. 3 on the Japanese
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
charts with a style similar to
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
club music, significantly different from her pop idol days. Since her appearance in the 2006 film ''
Rainbow Song'', Suzuki has gradually made a name for herself in the acting field, starring in various movies, television series, and musicals.
Biography
1998: ''Asayan'' and debut
While attending high school, Ami auditioned for Japanese talent show ''
Asayan
''Asayan'', originally known as was a talent search variety show that aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 2002. Some idols that were originally discovered through Asayan auditions produced by Tsunku, formed groups that worked under the umbrella gro ...
'', which was searching for a young vocalist under the direct guidance of
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
. She initially preferred athletics to auditions and was reluctant to travel from her home in Kanagawa, but was convinced by a school friend.
The TV contest became very popular and the number of viewers watching it grew and grew as the series progressed; its popularity was such that soon it was aired in other Asian countries. From 13,500 contestants, only five girls were chosen to be in the final round, and 15-year-old Suzuki won the competition supported by 802,157 phone calls from the audience. She later explained her win as being down to her showing her natural-self, as opposed to rehearsing intensely like other contestants.
Sony Music signed her to the label, and producer
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
sponsored her career producing all of her material, together with other members of the Komuro Family, such as
Marc Panther
A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe of ...
, Cozy Cubo and Takahiro Maeda. Her debut single, "
Love the Island
"Love the Island" is the debut single of Japanese singer Ami Suzuki released on July 1, 1998 through True Kiss Disc, sub-label of Sony Music Entertainment Japan owned by Tetsuya Komuro.
Information
"Love the Island" was used in TV commercials fo ...
", was released on 1 July 1998. The song was used to promote Japanese tourism in the island of
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, with Suzuki herself starring in the TV commercials. The song was well promoted, with Ami appearing on covers of magazines like ''Young Jump'' and even traveling to Guam to promote the song live on the local version of the international music channel
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. The single became a hit, debuting at number five on the
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
charts. On 17 September 1998, her second single "
Alone in My Room" was released. This song was also used for
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
tourism campaigns, and also did well on the charts, debuting at number three on Oricon and selling even better than its predecessor. In October 1998, Suzuki started her own radio show on
Nippon Hōsō called ''Run! Run! Ami-Go!'', which topped the radio rankings in popularity. She also signed a deal with the Japanese product ''Kissmark'' for advertisements and promotion all around Asia.
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
then began promoting her third single, "
All Night Long". The dance song was featured constantly at the most famous discothèque of Japan at that time,
Velfarre
was a disco located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan. Velfarre was the self-professed "largest disco in Asia" with a capacity of 1,500 people, with three floors above ground and three floors below; owned by Tetsuya Komuro and Avex Trax. V ...
, and was a big hit. It debuted at number 2 on the Oricon charts. Later that year, Ami Suzuki won various awards including the
Japan Record Award
is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...
for Best New Artist.
1999–2000: ''SA'', ''Infinity Eighteen'' and popularity peak
In 1999, Suzuki released her first photo book, titled ''Ami-Go'', which sold around 200,000 copies. In March, her debut album ''
SA'' was released, becoming one of the Top 10 best selling albums of 1999. At the release of her seventh single "
Be Together" (which was a cover of a song by
TM Network
TM Network is a Japanese rock/new wave/pop musical band, made up by Tetsuya Komuro (keyboardist), Takashi Utsunomiya (vocalist) and Naoto Kine (guitarist). They became popular in Japan as the "futuristic pop songs with synthesizer" after the r ...
), Ami competed with "rival"
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
for the first time for the top position in the charts. Ayumi released her ninth single, "
Boys & Girls", on the same day. Ami went to the top position on the Oricon charts for the first time, leaving Ayumi second.
However, "Boys & Girls" would go on to become a number one single itself and eventually outsell "Be Together". Her next single, titled "
Our Days", also ranked number one in the charts later that year. At the end of the year, Ami released her eighth and last single in 1999 entitled "
Happy New Millennium", which debuted at number 2 and sold 364,000 copies, becoming Suzuki's second lowest single in 1999.
In January 2000, Suzuki released "
Don't Need to Say Good Bye
Infinity Eighteen Vol.1 is the second studio album of Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki, released on February 9, 2000, through True Kiss Disc.
Information
The album was released the same day of Suzuki's eighteenth birthday. The album was a com ...
" which debuted at number 5. A week later, Suzuki released her second studio album, ''
Infinity Eighteen Vol. 1'', which sold 1,063,000 copies and debuted at number one. Suzuki has said of this first period of her career that she was not free to do what she wanted and only followed what she was told, leaving her feeling "pretty disheartened and down, like there was no future.".
Suzuki had been writing lyrics from an early age and passing them to her manager and producers. The first song to feature them, with the help of Mitsuko and
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
, was her tenth Sony single, "Don't Need to Say Good Bye". The lyrics were influenced by events occurring in her personal life at that time, specifically her upcoming high school graduation and she has said: "it was more important to me than sales and chart rankings to know that I had put my thoughts and feelings into what I was singing."
Three months after ''Infinity Eighteen Vol.1'', Suzuki released her twelfth single, "
Thank You 4 Every Day Every Body" in the beginning of April and third studio album, ''
Infinity Eighteen Vol.2'' at the end of April. "Thank You 4 Every Day Every Body" sold a total of 234,000 copies reaching number one and ''Infinity Eighteen Vol.2'' sold a total of 427,000 copies reaching number two. "
Reality/Dancin' in Hip-Hop" was Suzuki's 12th single released under the Sony Music Japan label, on 27 September 2000. It reached number 3 on Oricon weekly chart and sold a total of 211,000 copies. A
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
of Suzuki's tracks, ''
Fun for Fan'', was released on 30 May 2001. It reached number 1 on the Oricon charts, despite the fact that by this point, Suzuki herself had vanished from the public eye and Sony had taken all of her previous singles and albums off CD shelves.
2000–2002: Legal problems and blacklisting
In 2000 Suzuki's career came to an abrupt halt when Eiji Yamada, the President of her production company AG Communication, was convicted on tax evasion charges. AG Communication had evaded tax by under-reporting their earnings, and by consequence were underpaying royalties to artists. Suzuki's parents Tadao and Miyako Suzuki
sued AG Communication for termination of her contract on these grounds, and that the association would taint her squeaky clean image. They attempted to set up a subsidiary called Music Tribe to solve the problem. The Tokyo District Court found in her favor, but the lawsuit resulted in Ami Suzuki's blacklisting because of an unwritten rule of the entertainment business in Japan: artists who get into legal disputes with their agents are blacklisted.
In court documents, it was revealed that AG Communication had paid her very little, to begin with: despite eight-figure record sales that year, Suzuki earned just $1500 a month at the start of her career, and a minuscule 0.4% royalty rate on CDs, raised to $9780 and 0.55% in 1999.
Having lost all of her endorsements too, Suzuki was faced with the problem of production companies refusing to sign her and tried to make a comeback in the next two years with little to no success. Her relationship with her producer,
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
, also ceased. Sony also took all of her singles and albums released up to that point off CD shelves. Many people were convinced that her chances for making a comeback were nil.
["Amigo finds friend in Avex", Steve McClure, ''Yomiuri Shimbun''.] In 2003, Suzuki finally negotiated an out-of-court agreement with Sony. Her contract with the label was scheduled to end in December 2004.
Eiji Yamada was subsequently fined for his role in the tax evasion. Government officials linked to the scandal included former Education Minister Takashi Kosugi and two other legislators, who allegedly received 34 million yen in unofficial payments for referring AG Communication and other clients seeking tax evasion.
About this period, Suzuki herself has said "I really didn't know what was going on, lots of lies were being thrown about in the media. For people to hear little things on the TV and believe that to be the truth was a surprise, and I suddenly realized the kind of world I was in. What kept me going was the thought of one day being able to tell the truth myself"
2003–2004: As an indie artist
Following the blacklisting, Suzuki changed her stage name from 鈴木あみ (
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
/
hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''.
It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...
) to 鈴木亜美, her real name written in
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
. In April 2004, without a major record deal, the singer found "after some research, that adding a CD to a book, such as those found in language-teaching books, would be a possible alternative."
She thus released a photo book called ''Tsuyoi Kizuna'' that included a CD single, published by Tokyo-based Bungei Shunju. The photobook went to sell over 150,000 copies
despite the low promotion, reaching the No. 1 place of best-selling non-fiction books in Japan. In August of the same year, she released another single titled "
Forever Love", this time on her own independent label Amity. The release sold quite well for an independent record, reaching number 21 on the
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
chart and number 1 in Oricon's Indies Singles Chart. In addition, a four-track mini concert DVD titled ''2004 Summer Fly Hight: Ami Shower'' was released on 17 November 2004. Throughout October and November 2004 she began a tour through university festivals, and in December she began another tour called ''Ami's Love for You – Live''.
2005–2006: Comeback on Avex and ''Around the World''
At the last venue on Suzuki's nationwide tour, ''Ami's Love For You – Live'', held on 30 December at Tokyo Public Welfare Annuity Hall, she officially announced her transfer to
Avex and her comeback to major music industry.
On 1 January 2005, her official website under the Avex label was officially opened. Her first song under her new label, "
Hopeful Hopeful may refer to
* Hopeful (Ami Suzuki song), "Hopeful" (Ami Suzuki song)
* Hopeful (Bars and Melody song), "Hopeful" (Bars and Melody song)
* Hopeful, Alabama
* Hopeful, Georgia
* Mount Hopeful, peak in the Shetland Islands
See also
* Hop ...
", was released virtually on 9 February, and on 25 March her first physical single, titled "
Delightful", was released. The dance song was produced by German
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
musician Axel Konrad and it was released in four different formats (CD, CD+DVD, CD+Photobook, CD+Illustration Essay). "Delightful" debuted at number two on Oricon's charts, and was later placed at number 97 in
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's Yearly Top 500 best singles of 2005. Her second single under the Avex label, titled "
Eventful
Eventful is an online calendar and events discovery service owned by Audacy, Inc. The service allows users to search for and track upcoming entertainment events in their area (such as concerts, festivals, and film presentations) involving specific ...
", was released on 25 May 2005. Also being a dance track, it had moderate sales, debuting at number nine on the Oricon charts. The third Avex single, "
Negaigoto", was released on 17 August 2005, also enjoying moderate success. Its B-side, "Times", was used as the main theme of a TV commercial of N's Street Online Shopping, starring Suzuki herself. During August 2005, her new official Mobile Fan Club "Ami Sapuri" was opened, and Suzuki announced that a live tour would start in the following months. This year she also participated for the first time in ''A-Nation'', a yearly concert of the most popular artists of
Avex Trax.
Suzuki released her first studio album in five years, ''
Around the World'', on 12 October 2005, with the simultaneous release of a
single of the same name. The album consisted of J-pop songs heavenly influenced by trance music, and ballads. It debuted at number five on the Oricon charts, selling 50,000 copies. In November 2005, celebrating the Japanese 55th Anniversary of
Snoopy
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
, Suzuki released a single titled "Happiness is...", which was sold exclusively at the ''Snoopy Life Design Happiness is the 55th Anniversary'' event held in Tokyo. On 7 December 2005, Suzuki released her 5th
Avex single, ''
Little Crystal''. The
maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song.
The first maxi singles
Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...
was a four A-side single that included four different ballads arranged by four different musicians. "Crystal" and "To be Free" were the songs that had music videos made for promotion. The single debuted at number twenty-two, selling 15,000 copies in its first month. On 31 December 2005, Suzuki was awarded with the a Gold Prize for Best New Artist at the 47th
Japan Record Awards
is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...
.
On 8 February 2006, Suzuki released her sixth Avex single, "Fantastic", which was used as third opening theme of the TV anime series ''
Blackjack
Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...
'', making this the first time that one of her songs was used in an anime. On 29 March 2006, her first
remix album
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...
, titled ''
Amix World'', was released. The album included remixed made by Japanese and international producers, including
Space Cowboy,
Clazziquai Project
Clazziquai Project (Hangul: ), also known as Clazziquai, is a South Korean electropop band that combines several genres including electronic music, acid jazz and house. The band's first short unofficial albums were released online in 2001, spre ...
,
Jonathan Peters
Jonathan Peters (born January 25, 1969) is an American DJ, remixer and producer. He is known for his remix of Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love". He was the long-time resident DJ of the Manhattan nightclub The Sound Factory
The Sound ...
and
Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten (; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch disc jockey, record producer and remixer from Rotterdam. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moon ...
. For her fifth single "Alright!", released on 17 May 2006, she distanced herself from her previous trance-influenced dance material and went into more mainstream
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 ...
themes under the arrangement of
HΛL. Suzuki's eighth single on Avex, "Like a Love?", was released 26 July 2006. The song was composed by label mate
Ai Otsuka
is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo", which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.
A piano player ...
, making this the first time that she offered one of her own compositions to another artist. In October of the same year, Suzuki debuted as a movie actress in ''
Rainbow Song'', directed by Naoto Kumazawa and produced by
Shunji Iwai
is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker.
Life and career
Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987.
In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...
. In late 2006, Suzuki covered two
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
songs, "
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
" and also "
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song composed by Allie Wrubel with lyrics by Ray Gilbert for the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie '' Song of the South'', sung by James Baskett. For "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the film won the Academy Award for Best ...
", which were at first only available on the Disney Music Store Japan's website starting on 20 December 2006.
2007–2008: The "join" project, ''Connetta'' and ''Dolce''
In February 2007, Suzuki officially started a new project called "join", in which she would be collaborating with different artists and experimenting with various music styles.
The collaboration singles with
Buffalo Daughter
Buffalo Daughter is a Japanese rock band formed in 1993. The three main members are suGar Yoshinaga (ex-Havana Exotica) on guitar, Yumiko Ohno (ex-Havana Exotica) on bass, and Moog (later changed to MoOog) Yamamoto on turntables and graphic desi ...
, THC!! and
Kirinji were released in a three-week period starting on 28 February to 14 March. Her "join" album and second Avex album, ''
Connetta
''Connetta'' is the second studio album of Japanese singer and actress Ami Suzuki on the Avex Trax label. It is the first album released from the "Join" project of Suzuki, that consisted of collaborations with different artists and different gen ...
'', was released on 21 March, and included collaborations with several artists including
Hideki Kaji, Scoobie Do,
Ayano Tsuji
is a J-pop singer famous in Japan for her unconventional light singing style and ukulele music. She rose to fame after performing the end-title track for the Studio Ghibli film '' The Cat Returns'' in 2002. Her other music for TV and anime inclu ...
and Northern Bright.
The album peaked at number twenty-six on the Japanese Oricon charts. Her acting career went more seriously at this time; she starred in the live action drama ''
Skull Man
is a ''shōnen'' manga series created by Shotaro Ishinomori which first appeared in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' in 1970. The hero of the story, whose parents have been murdered, grows up to use his peculiar powers to take revenge. The ...
'', and also recorded the Japanese-South Korean collaboration drama ''Under the Magnolia'', in which she starred the leading role along with
Lee Wan
Lee Wan (born Kim Hyung-soo on January 3, 1984) is a South Korean actor.
Career
Born as Kim Hyung-soo, he began his career in entertainment after starring in a music video alongside older sister, actress Kim Tae-hee. Using the stage name Lee ...
and travelled to New York and South Korea to shoot certain scenes. She was also invited for a third time at 2007's
a-nation, where she was chosen as the opening act.
A new single with
electropop producer and
capsule leader
Yasutaka Nakata
is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He formed the band Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer when both were 17. The band debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura".
He is known for being the ...
then emerged. Her fourth "join" single and first Avex double A-side single, "
Free Free/Super Music Maker", was released on 22 August 2007. For this single's promotion Suzuki's image changed drastically, from a cute pop image to a more mature and erotic style. Her new look was called as "
ero
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
-pop" by herself and Japanese media, even making comparisons with label mate
Kumi Koda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs.
After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emot ...
. This single did considerably better than the previous "join" singles, debuting at number 32 on the Japanese charts, and achieving more than eight thousand copies sold, almost the three previous singles sales combined.
Suzuki's fifth collaboration single, "
Potential Breakup Song
"Potential Breakup Song" is a song co-written and performed by pop rock duo Aly & AJ and is the first single from their third studio album, ''Insomniatic''. It was released on June 26, 2007, going on to top many video countdowns, and becoming ...
", a cover of
Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ are an American pop rock duo that consists of sisters Alyson (Aly) and Amanda Joy Michalka (AJ) and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2004. Their debut album, '' Into the Rush'', debuted at number 36 on the US ''B ...
's single of the same name produced by
Sugiurumn, was released on 28 November 2007. Aly & AJ's version of the song was used as the theme song of horror/comedy film ''XX (X Cross)'', in which Suzuki starred as the lead role along with
Nao Matsushita
is a Japanese actress and singer.
History
Nao was born in Ikoma, Nara on 8 February 1985 and grew up in Kawanishi, Hyōgo. Winning Japan's Elite Model Look started her modeling career in earnest. She attended the Tokyo College of Music.
D ...
. Suzuki released her second "join" album and third Avex studio album, ''
Dolce
Dolce, the Italian word for 'sweet', may refer to:
Places
*Dolcè, a municipality in Italy
*Dolce (Plzeň-South District), a municipality and village in the Czech Republic
*Dolce, a village and part of Jesenice (Příbram District) in the Czech ...
'', on 6 February 2008. The album, which was much more dance-oriented than its predecessor, included collaborations with
Ram Rider
is a Japanese music producer, musician, remixer, DJ.
Discography Singles
Albums
References
External links
*
Ram Rider's pageon the Rhythm Zone website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram Rider
Living people
Avex Group artists
Year of birt ...
, Studio Apartment,
Tomoe Shinohara
is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion designer, producer and artist. She is notable for her flamboyant fashion sense and bubbly (sometimes goofballish) personality, as well as her distinctive squealing speaking voice. She is also a close frien ...
,
Captain Funk, and others. In December 2007 it was announced that Suzuki would be starring a new TV drama called ''Oishii Depachika'', which was inspired in the anime ''Oishii Ginza'' by Ikuko Sagakawa. The TV drama premiered in January 2008 on
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
.
2009–2011: ''Supreme Show'' and DJ debut
In 2008, Suzuki celebrated her tenth anniversary in the music industry, leaving behind the "join" project and working once again with producer
Yasutaka Nakata
is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He formed the band Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer when both were 17. The band debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura".
He is known for being the ...
. The first anniversary single "
One" was released on 2 July 2008. The song was used as the theme song for the Japan 28th National High School Quiz Championship, and charted at number 17 on the Oricon charts. At the release party of the single on 5 July, Suzuki officially launched her career as a DJ, and performed live along with Nakata. The second anniversary single, titled "
Can't Stop the Disco", was then released on 24 September 2008. This same month, Suzuki debuted as the main character in the Avex 20th anniversary musical, ''Kokoro no Kakera'', along with Yu-ki from
TRF. In November, Suzuki played the main role in another TV drama: this time for the 40th anniversary special remake of Ai no Gekijo's ''Love Letter''.
Suzuki played the hearing-impaired Minami Tadokoro, whose dramatic love life was explored over a 15-year period. Her tenth anniversary album, ''
Supreme Show
''Supreme Show'' is the seventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki. It was released on November 12, 2008 by Avex Trax as her 10th Anniversary album. It was also released ten months after her joint project album, ''Dolce''. ''S ...
'' was released on 12 November 2008. The album was fully produced by Yasutaka Nakata.
Suzuki's 28th single, "
Reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
", produced by
Taku Takahashi
is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer who debuted in 1997 as a record producer of the hip hop group M-Flo. The group rose to prominence in the early 2000s, with hit singles such as "How You Like Me Now?" and "Come Agai ...
of
M-Flo
is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa.
Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists ...
, was released on 25 February 2009. From 27 September – 7 August 2009, Suzuki starred in her second musical: "Blood Brothers". Suzuki recorded a song called "''
Kiss Kiss Kiss''", a cover of a song by
Ananda Project which appeared on the House Nation compilation called ''Aquamarine'' released on 5 August and was later released as her 29th single on 28 October 2009. In 2010, Suzuki's cover version of
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
's international hit "
Can't Get You Out of My Head
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song that was recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, ''Fever'' (2001). Parlophone Records released the song as the album's lead single on 8 September 2001. "Can't Get ...
" appeared on the compilation "
Tokyo Girls Collection
The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. It is mainly held near Tokyo area and some local cities such as Kitakyushu, Nagoya and Okinawa. The fashion event showcases the seasons fashionable streetwear by ...
" 10th Anniversary Runway Anthem She also collaborated with special unit Phoenix 2:00am, formed by Dj Koo from
TRF and Motsu from
m.o.v.e. She provided vocals for them in the song "Living in the Castle", which appeared on the compilation ''House Nation 3rd Anniversary''. They were formed exclusively to perform the theme song of a videogame event called Sengoku Busho Matsuri held at Saitama Arena on 6 and 7 March 2010. In July 2010, Suzuki released ''Blooming'', her first compilation album as a DJ. It was a 15-track collection of songs mixed by herself. In August 2011, Suzuki worked with her former producer
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
for the first time in ten years, as she provided vocals for his song "Thx A Lot", in which the main female artists of the Avex label also collaborated and performed it live at 2010's A-Nation concerts on 28 and 29 August. In September 2010, she met with Komuro for a studio recording in Los Angeles.
On 9 February 2011, her 29-year-old birthday concert was broadcast online live via the website
Nico Nico Douga. In March 2011, after the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Suzuki joined
Gackt
, better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt (stylized as GACKT), is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
Born in Okinawa, Japan, to a Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was raise ...
's charity campaign "Show Your Heart" for collecting money for the victims. On 27 July 2011, a newly recorded version of her debut single "Love the Island" was released as a special collaboration with clothing store Resoxy, and clients could download the song for free from the store's website. On 29 July the song was released on iTunes. In October 2011, it was announced that Suzuki would be releasing her first Avex
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
album on 7 December. The album, titled ''
Ami Selection'', included most of her singles released under the Avex label, as well as new versions of various hit singles from the Sony era produced by
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
, and her indie single "Tsuyoi Kizuna".
2012–present: ''Snow Ring''
In 2012, Suzuki started as the host of a series of parties under the name ''Who's Shining??'', which she organized and participated as of the DJ acts. Several artists had participated in the ''Who's Shining?'' events, including
Genki Rockets
is a virtual band created by video game developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and record producer Kenji Tamai. Rachel Rhodes portrayed the band's frontwoman, a fictional 17-year-old girl named Lumi who was the first human born in outer space on the Inte ...
, May's and others. She also took courses and started to work as food analyst, starting to become involved in the process of food production and dinner organizations for her events. In addition, in September 2012, she participated in the musical ''Hashire Melos'' along with musicians
Ryuichi Kawamura
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known as lead singer of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. He started a solo career in 1997, three years before Luna Sea disbanded in 2000. In 2005, Kawamura for ...
,
Kazumi Morohoshi, Izam and
Nami Tamaki
Nami ( ar, نامي, ja, 波 ('wave'), ('regular'), etc.) may refer to:
Given name
* Nami (, , , , ), Japanese feminine given name
* Nami Akimoto (born 1968), Japanese manga artist
* , Japanese film director, screenwriter and editor
*, Japanes ...
. This year Suzuki has also ventured as a designer. In July, she released a series of iPhone cases designed by herself, and along with other Japanese celebrities, she designed an android-like Hello Kitty which will be exhibited in August at a fundraising event held by Sanrio in Tokyo.
In December 2012, it was announced that Suzuki would be releasing a new song, "Snow Ring", which would be used as theme song for the smartphone game ''Makina x Dolls''. ''
Snow Ring'' was released as a mini album on 6 February 2013, and included three new songs, the cover of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue and two remixes. The EP also included a DVD with the full ''Ami Suzuki 19th Anniversary Live'' concert.
On 2 June 2014, it was announced that Suzuki would be releasing a new single titled "Graduation", produced by Tetsuya Komuro. The song, which was meant to commemorate Suzuki's 15th anniversary since her debut, was her first new song produced by Komuro since 2000. The song was released digitally on 4 June.
Personal life
On 1 July 2016, Suzuki married a person not related to the entertainment business. They have two sons (born 12 January 2017 and 15 February 2020) and a daughter (born 15 August 2022).
Discography
Studio albums
* 1999: ''
SA''
* 2000: ''
Infinity Eighteen Vol. 1''
* 2000: ''
Infinity Eighteen Vol.2''
* 2005: ''
Around the World''
* 2007: ''
Connetta
''Connetta'' is the second studio album of Japanese singer and actress Ami Suzuki on the Avex Trax label. It is the first album released from the "Join" project of Suzuki, that consisted of collaborations with different artists and different gen ...
''
* 2008: ''
Dolce
Dolce, the Italian word for 'sweet', may refer to:
Places
*Dolcè, a municipality in Italy
*Dolce (Plzeň-South District), a municipality and village in the Czech Republic
*Dolce, a village and part of Jesenice (Příbram District) in the Czech ...
''
* 2008: ''
Supreme Show
''Supreme Show'' is the seventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki. It was released on November 12, 2008 by Avex Trax as her 10th Anniversary album. It was also released ten months after her joint project album, ''Dolce''. ''S ...
''
Photobooks
*''AmiGo'', 1999
*''Amix'', 2000
*''Ami '02 Natsu'', 2002
*''Ami Book'', 2003
*''Tsuyoi Kizuna'', 2004
Awards
Filmography
Film
Television
Theater plays
*''Kokoro no Kakera'' (2008)
*''Blood Brothers'' (2009)
*''King of the Blue'' (2010)
*''Watashi no Atama no Naka no Keshigomu'' (2010)
*''Genghis Khan: Wa ga Tsurugi, Nessa o Shime yo'' (2011)
*''Hashire Melos'' (2012)
*''Shinshū Tenma Kyō'' (2013)
TV commercials
*
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
Tourism Campaigns (June 1998 – December 1998)
*Alpen Snowboards' ''Kissmark'' (October 1998 – January 1999)
*
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
's ''
Monster Rancher 2
''Monster Rancher 2'', known in Japan as , is a 1999 PlayStation video game, and the second installment in the ''Monster Rancher'' series. It is the first game in the franchise to be released in Europe and PAL region, where it was published in ...
'' (February 1999 – April 1999)
*
Asahi Soft Drinks
is a soft drink company founded in 1982 and headquartered in the Azuma-bashi district of Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It is a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries. The company sponsors the Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers, an American football team in the Japan ...
's ''
Bireley's'' (March 1999 – December 2000)
*
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
Cameras (April 1999 – March 2001)
*
MOS Burger
, doing business as (which stands for "Mountain Ocean Sun"), is an international fast-food restaurant chain (fast-casual) from Japan. Its headquarters are in the ThinkPark Tower in Ōsaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo. At one time its headquarters wer ...
(July 1999)
*Kanebo Cosmetics' ''Prostyle'' (September 1999 – June 2001)
*ECCJ's Summer/Winter Energy Saving Campaign (February 2000 – August 2000)
*Bourbon (September 2000 – June 2001)
*Music.jp (November 2004 – December 2004)
*Nexus Web Marketing's ''N's Street'' (August 2005)
*
Mister Donut
Mister Donut is an international chain of doughnut stores. It was founded in the United States in 1956 by Harry Winokur. Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired by Allied Domecq in 1990, most of ...
/Avex CD Campaign (July 2008)
*Sanyo Shinpan Finance's ''Pocket Bank'' (May 2009)
*Nissei Advance 10th Anniversary (Oct 2011)
References
External links
*
Suzuki Ami Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Ami
1982 births
Avex Group artists
Japanese film actresses
Japanese musical theatre actresses
Japanese television actresses
Japanese female dancers
Japanese idols
Japanese women pop singers
Japanese women singer-songwriters
Japanese singer-songwriters
Living people
People from Zama, Kanagawa
Nihon University alumni
Japanese synth-pop singers
Musicians from Kanagawa Prefecture
Yasutaka Nakata
21st-century Japanese actresses
20th-century Japanese women singers
20th-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese women singers
21st-century Japanese singers
Japanese women in electronic music