, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and photographer. Her music is closely associated with the

Shibuya-kei is a microgenre of pop music or a general aesthetic that flourished in Japan in the mid-to late 1990s. The music genre is distinguished by a "cut-and-paste" approach that was inspired by the kitsch, fusion, and artifice from certain music style ...

aesthetic. Karie sings in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, French and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, among other languages. Karie began her music career in 1990 at the encouragement of fellow Shibuya-kei artist Cornelius, whom she collaborated with on many of her early works, and whose trendy

Trattoria A ''trattoria'' (plural: ''trattorie'') is an Italian-style eating establishment that is generally much less formal than a '' ristorante'', but more formal than an '' osteria''. A ''trattoria'' rooted in tradition may typically provide no pr ...

label released many of her EPs in the mid-1990s. Karie later moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and released several studio albums on the Crue-L and

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

labels. She now lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

Kahimi Karie was born Mari Hiki on March 15, 1968. Her mother died early in Kahimi's childhood. Kahimi was thereafter raised by her father, a prominent doctor in

Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

. Karie moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

after graduating high school and entered a vocational college to study photography. After graduating college, she made a short career as a freelance photographer. In the late 1980s, Karie became an avid listener of French musicians such as

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career of ...

, and

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin, Order of British Empire, OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She als ...

, who would serve as formative influences on her own music. In 1990, at the suggestion of her then-boyfriend Keigo Oyamada (later known as Cornelius), Karie began her musical career performing vocals for a house band signed to his friend's record label. She later performed vocals alongside

Takako Minekawa is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and writer. Career In her childhood, Minekawa acted in film and television. Minekawa's first musical venture was playing in Lolita, a band she formed with several college friends. Afterwards, she perf ...

as the duo Fancy Face Groovy Name. In 1992, Karie issued her first solo single, "Mike Alway's Diary", which was produced by Oyamada. At this time she was referred to as "

Princess", and her personal relationship with Oyamada was highly publicized. Karie later moved to

to pursue her career further. During this period she recorded the albums '' Larme de Crocodile'' (1997), '' K.K.K.K.K.'' (1998) and ''

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 * ...

'' (2000) for Crue-L Records and

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, working with a variety of collaborators, including

Momus Momus (; Ancient Greek: Μῶμος ''Momos'') in Greek mythology was the personification of satire and mockery, two stories about whom figure among Aesop's Fables. During the Renaissance, several literary works used him as a mouthpiece for their ...

and

Philippe Katerine Philippe Blanchard (; born 8 December 1968), known professionally as Philippe Katerine, is a French singer-songwriter, actor, director and writer who began his career in 1991. Some of his popular singles include "Mon cœur balance", "Je vous em ...

. In 2003, Karie released her fourth studio album ''Trapeziste'' on her new record label

Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...

. The album found Karie pursuing a more

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

musical direction. She has released three subsequent albums for Victor: ''Montage'' (2004), ''Nunki'' (2006) and ''It's Here'' (2010).

Personal life

Karie is married to tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai, with whom she has one daughter. She currently lives in

Discography

* '' Larme de Crocodile'' (1997) * '' K.K.K.K.K.'' (1998) * ''

'' (2000) * ''Trapeziste'' (2003) * ''Montage'' (2004) * ''Nunki'' (2006) * ''It's Here'' (2010)

Books

* ''I'm Gonna Tear My Playhouse Down!'' (February 5, 2002) * ''Kahimi Karie + Marquee'' (April 22, 2005) * (March 2, 2012) * (December 13, 2018)

References

External links

* – official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karie, Kahimi 1968 births 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers English-language singers from Japan Japanese musicians Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese singer-songwriters Japanese women pop singers Japanese women in electronic music Shibuya-kei musicians Polydor Records artists Victor Entertainment artists Minty Fresh artists Japanese women photographers Living people