Soulhead (known as SOULHEAD in Japan) is a Japanese

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

/ R&B duo consisting of sisters Yoshika Sawayama (よしか) and Tsugumi Sawayama (つぐみ). Both were born in

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

; Yoshika was born on July 20, 1978 and Tsugumi was born on January 25, 1981. Since their debut, they have worked with several well-known artists, including Sowelu,

Koda Kumi , 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 Emotion ...

Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...

and

Ken Hirai is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador. During his career, Hirai has released 45 singles and nine studio albums as of January 2019.Lovin' You "Lovin' You" is a song recorded by American singer Minnie Riperton from her second studio album, ''Perfect Angel'' (1974). It was written by Riperton and Richard Rudolph, produced by Rudolph and Stevie Wonder, and released as the album's fourth s ...

'', which featured Aaron Blackmon. The song was a remake of the

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use o ...

standard. In February 2002, they released a CD single through

Tokuma Japan Communications is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...

called '' Inside Out.'' Shortly after the release of ''Inside Out,'' they were signed to Sony Music Associated Records and began working under the pseudonym Soulhead. The label sent them one year abroad to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

to improve their proficiency in English. They released their debut single, '' Step to the New World,'' on August 21, 2002. In 2006, they were transferred to Sony Music Associated Records'

sublabel A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

onenation , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. They have appeared on various compilations with other

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese artists. Soulhead's sound is a blend between various genres, such as

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, hip-hop, R&B,

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

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 ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, with many of their lyrics in English. They usually work with the production team known as Octopussy. They have also worked on releases with other Japanese artists, such as

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 Emotion ...

and Soul'd Out. Yoshika is also a renowned

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, who has worked with artists such as Sowelu,

Ken Hirai is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador. During his career, Hirai has released 45 singles and nine studio albums as of January 2019.Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...

. On February 21, 2007 they released a

greatest hits album 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 ...

called ''

Best of Soulhead ''Best of Soulhead'' is the first greatest hits album by Soulhead. It was their last album under the Sony Music Entertainment Japan sub-label onenation before moving to Avex. The album peaked at #5 on Oricon and remained on the charts for thirteen ...

'', which contained all of their singles released up to ''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

'', along with a few

b-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 compan ...

s. On February 24, 2010, after a four-year hiatus, they released a new album titled ''

Soulhead Soulhead (known as SOULHEAD in Japan) is a Japanese urban contemporary/ R&B duo consisting of sisters Yoshika Sawayama (よしか) and Tsugumi Sawayama (つぐみ). Both were born in Hokkaidō; Yoshika was born on July 20, 1978 and Tsugumi was bo ...

'' under

Avex Group is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

, which they transferred to from

SMEJ , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. On September 28, 2011, the duo released their second Avex album, '' Jump Up the Wall.'' This has been their final release to date. Yoshika released her first solo album on July 3, 2013, titled '' My Anthem,'' which consisted of twelve new songs and one remix. Six months later, she released another album: a remix album compiled of remixes from ''My Anthem.'' As of March 2016, their

Avex is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

site was unavailable.

Influences

Some musical

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s who they respect are

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

Takuro Yoshida is a Japanese male singer-songwriter. He was born on April 5, 1946 in Okuchi, Kagoshima and raised in Hiroshima. He made his debut with the single "Imeji no Uta / Mark II" on June 1, 1970. His 1972 recording of "Tabi no Yado" sold over one m ...

and

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

Personal life

It was announced in their official blog that Yoshika gave birth to a baby.

Albums

Studio albums

Oh My Sister ''Oh My Sister'' is the debut studio album by female duo Soulhead and is first album with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The album reached #3 on the Oricon Weekly charts. Information The album was predominantly rap, R&B and hip-hop. It was rel ...

Rank: #3 / Sold: 214,545 #:March 5, 2003 #

BRAIDED Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitão, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of '' Canadian Idol'' in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, after Young Div ...

Rank: #4 / Sold: 139,992 #:April 28, 2004 #

Rank: #5 #:March 8, 2006 #

SOULHEAD Soulhead (known as SOULHEAD in Japan) is a Japanese urban contemporary/ R&B duo consisting of sisters Yoshika Sawayama (よしか) and Tsugumi Sawayama (つぐみ). Both were born in Hokkaidō; Yoshika was born on July 20, 1978 and Tsugumi was bo ...

Rank: #40 #:February 24, 2010 # JUMP UP THE WALL
Rank: #73 #:September 28, 2011

Best albums

BEST OF SOULHEAD ''Best of Soulhead'' is the first greatest hits album by Soulhead. It was their last album under the Sony Music Entertainment Japan sub-label onenation before moving to Avex. The album peaked at #5 on Oricon and remained on the charts for thirteen ...

Rank: #5 #:February 21, 2007

Remix albums

# RE-CONSTRUCT ALBUM Vol.1 "REFLECTION"
Rank: #89 / Sold: 9,602 #:September 26, 2003 # RE-CONSTRUCT ALBUM Vol.2 "CRYSTALLIZED"
Rank: #41 #:June 21, 2006 # my anthem -sympathetic resonance- #:January 22, 2014

Yoshika solo albums

# MY ANTHEM
Rank: #286 #:July 3, 2013

Singles

Standard singles

(Source) # Lovin' You feat. Aaron Blackmon (BATTI BAAS) #:January 7, 2001 # Inside Out (BATTI BAAS) #:June 2, 2002 # Step to the New World
Rank: #24 / Sold: 59,287 #:July 24, 2002 (12") #:August 21, 2002 (CD) # Lover, Knight, Man
Rank: #36 / Sold: 18,410 #:November 20, 2002 # Sora
Rank: #28 / Sold: 16,035 #:February 5, 2005 # Oh My Sister (Remix)/I'm just going down
Rank: #114 / Sold: 2,561 #:May 2, 2003 # Get Up! ep
Rank: #28 / Sold: 15,967 #:July 30, 2003 # You Can Do That
Rank: #36 / Sold: 18,691 #:January 21, 2004 # No Way
Rank: #50 / Sold: 5,353 #:March 24, 2004 #

At the Party ''At the Party'' (stylized as AT THE PARTY) is female duo Soulhead's tenth single and released on June 2, 2004. The single failed to chart on Oricon and recochoku. Information ''At the Party'' is a dance track infused with hip-hop. Some of the ...

#:June 2, 2004 # Fiesta
Rank: #35 / Sold: 7,773 #:May 25, 2005 # Sparkle☆Train/Got To Leave
Rank: #30 / Sold: 15,324 #:December 14, 2005 #

Pray/XXX ''Pray/XXX'' is the thirteenth single by the female duo Soulhead from their third studio album ''Naked''. The main track, "Pray," was an R&B mix, while "XXX" was an upbeat pop/ hip-hop mix featuring artist Koda Kumi. The single charted at No. 22 ...

feat.

Rank: #22 / Sold: 10,109 #:January 27, 2006 # Kimi no Kiseki/Itsumademo...
Rank: #56 #:December 6, 2006 # Dear Friends
Rank: #60 #:January 24, 2007

12" Analog singles

(Source) #''Too Late J Watarai remixSong For You J Hironyc remix' #:August 20, 2003 #''Break Up J Masterkey remixPlayboy aigenji remix'' #:August 20, 2003 #''To Da Fakes MCs'' #:September 10, 2003 #''Lover, Knight, Man .O.I.+Octopussy remixMoon Shine feat. Aaron Blackmon oggystyle remix' #:September 10, 2003 #''Sparkle☆Train ~worked by

mark de clive-lowe Mark de Clive-Lowe (born 16 August 1974) is an American-based Japanese-New Zealand DJ, musician, composer and producer raised in Auckland and now based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Born in Auckland, New Zealand, de Clive-Lowe was r ...

/You can do that ~worked by Reel People'' #:July 13, 2006 #''XXX ~worked by SA-RA/Pray ~worked by

Kenny Dope Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (born July 5, 1970), also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also releas ...

'' #:July 13, 2006

DVDs

# Oh My Sister LIVE & CLIPS #:October 8, 2003 # SOULHEAD tour 2006 "Naked" #:August 9, 2006 # 5th Anniversary tour "BEST OF SOULHEAD" #:November 11, 2007

Collaborative efforts and featured artist

# Ryuusei no Sadoru (流星のサドル / Meteor of the Saddle) (February 25, 2004) #:from album '' SOUL TREE ~a musical tribute to toshinobu kubota~'' #Like a Queen feat. SOULHEAD (February 23, 2005) #:from single ''Like a Queen feat. SOULHEAD'' / Tomita.Lab # D.D.D feat. SOULHEAD (December 21, 2005) #:from album '' BEST ~second session~'' /

#Home party feat. TSUGUMI of SOULHEAD (August 1, 2007) #:from album ''おたくgirlsの宴'' / lecca #

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

(September 26, 2007) #:from album ''TRIBUTE TO

CELINE DION Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

'' #Love Majic feat. LUNA, TSUGUMI of SOULHEAD & JAMOSA (July 28, 2010) #:from album ''POWER BUTTERFLY'' / lecca #Round Mirror Moon feat. Yoshika (October 2, 2010) #:from album ''攻め燃える (Burning Attack)'' / JABBERLOOP #Natural High feat. Tsugumi (October 2, 2010) #:from album ''攻め燃える (Burning Attack)'' / JABBERLOOP #SLOW MOTION feat. TSUGUMI (May 18, 2011) #:from album ''OPEN THE DOOR'' / HIROKO #DREAMERS feat. TSUGUMI (October 26, 2011) #:from album ''BEHIND the TRUTH'' / NERDHEAD

References

External links

Soulhead official Sony web site

Soulhead official Avex web site

Soulhead @ Avex

Soulhead discography @ Discogs

Soulhead @ Oricon Style music

Soulhead @ OikakeNet
{{Authority control Avex Group artists Japanese pop music groups Tokuma Japan Communications artists People from Ebetsu, Hokkaido