Ki-Yo
| Ki-Yo（Kiyotaka） | |
|---|---|
Ki-Yo, 2016
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| Background information | |
| Native name | Ki-Yo（清貴） |
| Birth name | 栗原 清貴 |
| Born | November 22, 1982 |
| Origin | Miyagi, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | EXPRESS, Bellwood, GENIUS |
| Associated acts | , Cassandra Kubinski, Hiromi Iwasaki |
| Website | www |
Ki-Yo (清貴? Kiyotaka, born on November 22, 1982) is a Japanese pop singer. Since his debut, Ki-Yo has worked as a singer, composer, lyricist and ambassador of Miyagi Prefecture. He's known as one of the few openly LGBT musicians in Japan.
In 1982, Ki-Yo was born in Sendai, Miyagi. He was musically influenced by Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Akiko Yano, Elton John, Billy Joel, Noriyuki Makihara, Whitney Houston.
In 2000, Ki-Yo sent a demo to EMI Music Japan when he visited Tokyo to see a concert by Mariah Carey, and was signed by the label for his debut. On October 22, 2000, his first single "No No No" was released. It was a success, charting No. 45 on the Oricon single weekly chart.
On April 18, 2001, "The Only One", his most commercially successful single to date, was released as a third single. It was used in a romantic drama, "Pure Soul ~Kimi ga boku wo wasuretemo~". Eventually, this single charted on the Oricon single yearly chart at No. 82 and Oricon single weekly chart at No. 12 with selling over 400,000 copies. He subsequently appeared in the Japanese music TV show Music Station twice.
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