is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Her musical career began in the

underground music Underground music is music with practices perceived as outside, or somehow opposed to, mainstream popular music culture. Underground music is intimately tied to popular music culture as a whole, so there are important tensions within underground ...

culture of Tokyo's

Kōenji is a district of Tokyo in the Suginami ward, west of Shinjuku. The district's name originates from the old temples in the area. Kōenji is primarily a residential community with easy access to the Shinjuku and Tokyo stations. It was largely un ...

neighborhood, briefly playing in the punk band Kuchuu Moranko before going solo and releasing two independent albums until signing with major record label Avex Trax in 2014. Oomori's music style is influenced by idol culture and punk rock among other clashing musical styles, and she is considered one of the early pioneers of the "anti-idol" and

alternative idol An alternative idol (also known as an alt-idol or anti-idol) is a term used by overseas J-pop fans to describe idols that differ from the traditional Japanese idol scene typically by having a darker image and performing heavier genres of music. Alt ...

scenes led by groups like BiS that would eventually give way to the more popular

Kawaii metal Kawaii metal (also known as idol metal, cute metal, J-pop metal or kawaiicore) is a musical genre that blends elements of heavy metal and J-pop that was pioneered in Japan in the early 2010s. The genre combines both Eastern and Western influenc ...

movement, utilizing

shock value Shock value is the potential of an image, text, action, or other form of communication, such as a public execution, to provoke a reaction of sharp disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions. In advertising Shock advertising or Sh ...

and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

throughout the early parts of her career.

Career

Born in

Matsuyama 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243541 househo ...

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tok ...

, Oomori moved to Tokyo to attend

Musashino Art University or is a private university in Kodaira, Western Tokyo, founded in 1962 with roots going back to 1929. It is known as one of the leading art universities in Japan. History In October 1929, was founded. In December 1948, it became , and in ...

Kodaira is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,207 in 93,654 households, and a population density of 9500 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Kodaira ...

. Starting from 2007, Oomori performed in one of

's "live houses" named Muryoku Muzenji, singing while playing an acoustic guitar. In 2011, Oomori formed a band named . During her time in Kōenji, Oomori's music pushed back against the dominance of

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements ...

s on the music charts, a style that Ian Martin of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...

'' compares to

Jun Togawa is a Japanese singer, musician and actress. Her close friends over the years include Susumu Hirasawa. Career After gaining attention a guest singer for the New Wave band Halmens and her acting roles in Japanese dramas and commercials for the ...

and

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

. Oomori held multiple concerts within Tokyo, including a first appearance at the 2013

Tokyo Idol Festival is an annual event featuring live performances from female solo idols and idol groups from all over Japan. The festival has been held since 2010. In 2014, The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, ...

, a venue she would continue to appear in. Her growing popularity attracted the attention of Avex Trax to offer a contract in 2014. Oomori's first album with Avex Trax, ''Sennō'', sees her depart from her guitar-wielding "anti-idol" image to explore other types of music by incorporating more

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 ...

elements, but her lyrics still explore darker themes, similar to Avex Trax's other band BiS. Her subsequent albums saw her continue to adapt to a more mainstream-friendly style and adapting from even more genres. In 2018, Oomori created an idol group named ZOC (short for "zone of control") in which she was both a member and a producer. On 9 June 2021, ZOC released their first album ''PvP'', a double-album produced by Oomori herself with additional contributions from Kenta Sakurai, the producer of now-defunct idol group Maison Book Girl. Later that year on 9 November, ex-BiS and Maison Book Girl member Megumi Koshouji debuted her new idol group MAPA with the full-length album ''Shitennou'', produced entirely by Oomori.

Personal life

Oomori announced in 2014 that she had gotten married, although she did not specify to whom. In 2020 she publicly revealed her husband's identity as Pierre Nakano of

Ling Tosite Sigure are a Japanese rock trio, formed in 2002 in Saitama Prefecture. The band's style resembles post-hardcore and progressive rock, math-rock, often incorporating rapid changes of tempo and mood framed in complex guitar melodies and technical drummi ...

, also the long-time drummer in her backing band. The couple have one son, who was born in 2015.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oomori, Seiko 1987 births Living people 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese singer-songwriters Musicians from Ehime Prefecture People from Matsuyama, Ehime Avex Trax artists