, also known monomously as Ryuichi or Dravil, is a Japanese singer, rapper, and guitarist. In 2001, he rose to fame as a member of the Japanese boy band

W-inds is a Japanese pop boy band managed by Vision Factory and signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of Ryohei Chiba and Keita Tachibana; Ryuichi Ogata left the group in 2020. Tachibana is the lead singer of the group, while ...

as the group's dancer, back-up vocalist, and rapper. In addition to his activities with W-inds, Ogata also played guitar and provided back-up vocals for the rock bands Radio Foundation and All City Steppers. In 2020, Ogata briefly retired from the entertainment industry from health problems. In 2021, he returned as a solo singer, performing under the stage name Dravil.

Career

2001-2020: W-inds, Radio Foundation, and All City Steppers

Ogata began taking dance classes at

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

with his older sister and met

Ryohei Chiba is a Japanese pop boy band managed by Vision Factory and signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of Ryohei Chiba and Keita Tachibana; Ryuichi Ogata left the group in 2020. Tachibana is the lead singer of the group, while ...

there. In 2000, Ogata, along with Chiba, passed auditions held at their dance school to join Keita Tachibana and form the boy band w-inds. Although initially chosen to be a dancer, Ogata later contributed to their songs as a back-up vocal and rapper. During the ''Prime of Life Tour'' in 2004, Ogata rapped and sang his first and only solo song, "Energy." Ogata joined independent rock band Radio Foundation in 2006 as their lead guitarist. Shortly after he left in 2009, Radio Foundation's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Kenma Miyaoku died from a heart attack on July 12, 2009, prior to recording their debut album. Radio Foundation released the music video for "Brain Washing", directed by

Shota Matsuda is a Japanese actor. Matsuda is best known for his roles in the ''Hana Yori Dango'' series, the ''Liar Game'' series, and ''Love Shuffle''. Personal life Matsuda was born on September 10, 1985 in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan, to Yūsaku Matsuda, a ...

, as a tribute to Miyaoku a year after his death. Ogata paid tribute to him at W-inds's 2010 concerts. In 2013, Ogata formed the rock band All City Steppers with guitarist and vocalist Leo Imamura from the band The John's Guerilla, and his childhood friend, bassist Ryuki Maeda from the band Terror Familia. He was reacquainted with both of them during Miyaoku's funeral. Ogata provided guitar and backing vocals for the band. Their debut single, "Precious Girl", was released on August 21, 2013, and peaked at No. 31 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 ...

Weekly Singles Chart. Their first album, ''Sexy Virgin Riot'', was released on March 5, 2014, and peaked at No. 36 on the

Weekly Albums Chart. On June 1, 2020, Ogata announced that he was retiring from entertainment due to developing a psychosomatic disorder, leaving him prone to experiencing stress and anxiety.

2021-present: Solo career

In March 2021, Ogata announced he was returning to the entertainment industry under the stage name Dravil, releasing his debut solo single "All Together" / "Reborn."

Filmography

Films

Radio

References

External links

* 1985 births Living people Japanese male pop singers Musicians from Sapporo W-inds members 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers {{Japan-musician-stub