Riho Furui
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (August 2025) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Riho Furui | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1991 Hokkaido, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | Pony Canyon |
| Website | www |
Riho Furui (born April 10, 1991) is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Hokkaido who is affiliated with Pony Canyon. After being inspired by gospel music early in life, she made her debut as an indie singer in 2016. She released her first digital single "Rebirth" in 2019, and in 2025 she released the song "Hello", which was used as the opening theme to the anime series City: The Animation.
Biography
[edit]Furui was born in Hokkaido on April 10, 1991.[1][2] Her interest in music started at an early age, with her family listening to Japanese artists such as Ken Hirai, as well as Western artists like The Carpenters.[3] She took piano lessons from kindergarten to elementary school.[4] When she was in her fifth year of elementary school, her mother invited her to a gospel music performance at a church in Sapporo. She enjoyed the concert and was inspired to become a singer herself, joining a church choir where she would practice every Sunday.[3][4]
While in university, Furui decided to take a leave of absence to study English in Toronto, Canada, where she stayed from 2014 to 2015. She found life there difficult, being unable to find a job and depleting her savings, although she was able to survive through the support of her friends. Her time in Canada proved to be a life-changing experience for her as she realized her personal weaknesses there.[3][5] After returning from Canada, she made her debut as an indie singer under the name Riho in 2016, releasing the song "Believe". The song was inspired by her experiences living abroad.[3][6]
In 2019, Furui released the song "Rebirth", which she describes as her breakout song.[3] She became more active as a singer after that, releasing several songs and hosting radio programs. She released her first album Green Light in 2022.[4] In 2023 she released the song "LOA", which is an abbreviation for "Love One Another".[7] Her second album, Love One Another, was released in 2024.[8] In 2025, she released her first anime tie-up song under Pony Canyon, "Hello", which was used as the opening theme to the anime television series City: The Animation.[9][10]
Musical style and influences
[edit]Furui cites her experiences growing up listening to R&B and soul, as well as her time as a gospel music singer, as inspirations in her career. Her songs also have gospel music influences.[3] Early on, she mainly covered songs by artists such as Mariah Carey and Minnie Riperton, before starting to write her own songs.[4]
Two of her songs, her debut song "Believe" and the track "Kirai" (嫌い, lit. '[I] hate [you]') from her debut album Green Light were inspired by her time studying English in Toronto;[3][5] "Kirai" was the first song she wrote after returning from Canada, although was not released until 2021. Both songs were influenced by her negative experiences, particularly her prior difficulty in acknowledging her weaknesses, only to realize them after living through a difficult period.[5]
The song "Rebirth" was written during a low point in her life when she had experienced a breakup and felt that she had little worth and her music career was failing. She wrote the song as a way to help her feel good about herself, almost in an act of desperation. At the time she wrote the song, she had few listeners, but its popularity allowed her to gain a larger fanbase; she cites the song as a turning point in her career.[5] "Hello", her first anime song, was written with the intention of cheering up listeners, as well as conveying a theme of living life positively despite life's anxieties.[11]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [12] | |||||
| Green Light |
|
— | — | ||
| Love One Another |
|
41 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [13] | |||||
| "Rebirth" | 2019 | — | — | Green Light[14] | |
| "I'm Free" | 2020 | — | — | ||
| "Kirai" | 2021 | — | — | ||
| "Purpose" | — | — | |||
| "Dekoboko" | — | — | |||
| "Sins" | — | — | |||
| "We Are" | 2022 | — | — | Love One Another[15] | |
| "Usomohonto" | — | — | |||
| "Pinku no Kami" | 2023 | — | — | ||
| "Super Star" | — | — | |||
| "Psycho" | — | — | |||
| "Loa" | — | — | |||
| "Friends" | 2024 | — | — | ||
| "Sapporo Tokyo" | — | — | |||
| "Ienai Wa" | — | — | TBD[16][17][18] | ||
| "Tomorrow" | — | — | |||
| "Monster" | 2025 | — | — | ||
| "Hello" | 45 | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ Furui, Riho [@furui_riho] (April 11, 2016). "改めて 誕生日メッセージみなさんありがとう🙈💓 見た目は19歳ですが 25歳になりましたーー（笑）" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Furui Riho Official Website". Pony Canyon. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Furui Riho｜ゴスペルをルーツに持つSSWが最新作に込めた思いとは？ インタビュー＆プレイリストで音楽遍歴をたどる - 音楽ナタリー 特集・インタビュー". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 22, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "1stアルバムが、捨て曲ナシのまるでベスト盤……ブレイク必至の新星アーティスト・Furui Rihoに迫る！". PIA Music (in Japanese). PIA Corporation. March 15, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c d ""自分は弱くても価値がある" ゴスペルを愛するFurui Rihoが『LOA』で伝えたいこと". PIA Music. December 7, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ^ Furui, Riho [@furui_riho] (October 27, 2016). "みなさんありがとう 里歩 ファーストシングル「Believe」が12月16日に発売決定! そうです。改名しました。 今日からRIHOじゃなくて里歩です！笑" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Furui Riho、自分を愛することの大切さを歌う新曲「LOA」リリース決定". Barks (in Japanese). November 23, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Furui Riho、2ndアルバム詳細解禁 新曲"SAPPORO TOKYO"先行配信". Spincoaster (in Japanese). February 13, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (August 1, 2025). "Singer-Songwriter Furui Riho Releases CITY THE ANIMATION Opening Song Music Video". Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (March 23, 2025). "City the Animation's 1st Video Reveals More Cast, Theme Songs, July 6 TV Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "初のアニメタイアップ曲となる「Hello」7月30日にリリース決定！" (in Japanese). May 19, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "FURUI RIHOのランキング情報". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ FURUI RIHOのランキング情報. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Green Light". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Love One Another". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Furui Rihoが顔を隠して電話、新作で“本音を言えない大人の恋”歌う. Music Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 18, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Furui Rihoが仲間への思いつづった新作発表、六本木EXシアター公演のライブ音源も収録. Music Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 13, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ Furui Riho、全国12カ所めぐるライブツアー開催. Music Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 29, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Japanese)
- Riho Furui at Anime News Network's encyclopedia