Tomiko Van
Encyclopedia
, is a Japanese J-pop
singer and occasional actress, as well as a member of the band Do As Infinity
(DAI), along with Ryo Owatari
and Dai Nagao
, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split.
with the song "Again", which appeared on the charity album Song Nation
, and later in 2003 with the song "drive me nuts", which was recorded for trance
DJs project Cyber X. Van also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company Lavenus.
disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax
, Van's label, announced that the singer was going solo.
", was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top ten of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, "Senkō
", in September, and "Yumeji
", a late November release.
On October 3, 2006, Van announced her debut role in the Japanese movie, Heat Island, as a café bar manager. Van also announced her second stage role in the Japanese version, Brooklyn
. She has stated that this will not take away from her career as a singer.
and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at #10 on the 1st day of release. Van's fourth solo single, Tokyo Biyori
, was released on June 18, 2008. Tomiko's second original album, "Van", was released in December 2008.
On September 29, 2008 Do As Infinity was officially a band again and they released a four track single on June 17, 2009.
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer and occasional actress, as well as a member of the band Do As Infinity
Do As Infinity
Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., alluding to the fact that Do As Infinity was named after Dai Nagao...
(DAI), along with Ryo Owatari
Ryo Owatari
is a Japanese guitarist who was born April 4, 1972 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He was formerly a member of the amateur band pee-ka-boo, but he is mainly known for his work in the band Do As Infinity alongside Tomiko Van and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split. After the...
and Dai Nagao
Dai Nagao
is a Japanese composer, musician and producer. He was a member and composer of the popular musical group Do As Infinity from its founding until it disbanded in September 2005, although they have since reformed....
, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split.
Beginnings as solo artist
Tomiko Van began as a solo artist while she was with Do As InfinityDo As Infinity
Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., alluding to the fact that Do As Infinity was named after Dai Nagao...
with the song "Again", which appeared on the charity album Song Nation
Song Nation
Song Nation is a charity compilation album featuring some of the most important Japanese performers from the Avex Trax label. The CD was made to raise money for the September 11, 2001 attacks....
, and later in 2003 with the song "drive me nuts", which was recorded for trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
DJs project Cyber X. Van also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company Lavenus.
2005
After Do As InfinityDo As Infinity
Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., alluding to the fact that Do As Infinity was named after Dai Nagao...
disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
, Van's label, announced that the singer was going solo.
2006
In 2006, Van made her debut as a solo artist with her album Farewell. Singles were not released prior to her album, released in March 2006. Her first official single as a solo artist, "FlowerFlower (Tomiko Van song)
"Flower" is Tomiko Van's debut single under the Avex Trax label. The single was released on June 7, 2006 in two formats.-Overview:"Flower" is former Do As Infinity lead singer Tomiko Van's debut single. Released in two versions, CD only and CD+DVD, there are two different covers for the single,...
", was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top ten of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, "Senkō
Senko
"Senkō" is Tomiko Van's second single under the Avex Trax label. The single was released on September 27, 2006 in two formats, four months after her last single.-Overview:...
", in September, and "Yumeji
Yumeji (song)
"Yumeji" is a pop-rock ballad by Japanese singer Tomiko Van. It is Van's third single that released on November 29, 2006. The cover jackets for the single were shot in a countryside not faraway from the city of Tokyo, and Van expressed that the covers would perfectly match the song...
", a late November release.
On October 3, 2006, Van announced her debut role in the Japanese movie, Heat Island, as a café bar manager. Van also announced her second stage role in the Japanese version, Brooklyn
Brooklyn (musical)
Brooklyn the Musical is a musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson.-Synopsis:Using the play within a play structure, Brooklyn focuses on a group of five ragtag homeless musicians known as the City Weeds...
. She has stated that this will not take away from her career as a singer.
2007
2007 started out with Van's first cover album entitled Voice: Cover You With Love. Though it entered the top twenty, the album was not considered a great success as it did not manage to sell as well as her original album Farewell a year before. The album was Van's only release that year.2008
In 2008, Van's third album and second cover album, Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock, was released in March. In this album, she covered songs performed by male artists, such as SpitzSpitz (band)
is a Japanese rock band formed in 1987. They gained remarkable commercial success in the mid and late 1990s, and are known for their abstract and eccentric songs penned by primary singer-songwriter and guitarist Masamune Kusano....
and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at #10 on the 1st day of release. Van's fourth solo single, Tokyo Biyori
Tokyo Biyori
is the fourth solo single from J-pop vocalist Tomiko Van, released on June 18, 2008. The track "Hum a Tune" is a cover of a song by Japanese band Original Love. "Message." is said to be Van's first musical composition, and "Tokyo Biyori" is said to be composed by Kazuo Zaitsu of Tulip.-Track...
, was released on June 18, 2008. Tomiko's second original album, "Van", was released in December 2008.
On September 29, 2008 Do As Infinity was officially a band again and they released a four track single on June 17, 2009.
Singles
| # | Information | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Flower Flower (Tomiko Van song) "Flower" is Tomiko Van's debut single under the Avex Trax label. The single was released on June 7, 2006 in two formats.-Overview:"Flower" is former Do As Infinity lead singer Tomiko Van's debut single. Released in two versions, CD only and CD+DVD, there are two different covers for the single,... "
|
24,230 copies sold |
| 2 | "Senkō Senko "Senkō" is Tomiko Van's second single under the Avex Trax label. The single was released on September 27, 2006 in two formats, four months after her last single.-Overview:... " |
13,860 copies sold |
| 3 | "Yumeji Yumeji (song) "Yumeji" is a pop-rock ballad by Japanese singer Tomiko Van. It is Van's third single that released on November 29, 2006. The cover jackets for the single were shot in a countryside not faraway from the city of Tokyo, and Van expressed that the covers would perfectly match the song... " |
10,237 copies sold |
| 4 | "Tokyo Biyori Tokyo Biyori is the fourth solo single from J-pop vocalist Tomiko Van, released on June 18, 2008. The track "Hum a Tune" is a cover of a song by Japanese band Original Love. "Message." is said to be Van's first musical composition, and "Tokyo Biyori" is said to be composed by Kazuo Zaitsu of Tulip.-Track... " |
10,500 copies sold |
Albums
| # | Information | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farewell
|
45,409 copies sold |
| 2 (cover album) |
Voice: Cover You With Love
|
14,581 copies sold |
| 3 (cover album) |
Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock
|
7,979 copies sold |
| 4 | Van. Van (album) Van. is the fourth solo album and second original studio album from Japanese singer Tomiko Van. It was released on December 10, 2008 and contains the title tracks of all four of her solo singles, as well as two b-sides and five new tracks, for an overall total of eleven tracks.-CD:*Catalog number:... |
8,852 copies sold |
Music Videos
| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Flower" | Masaki Ookita |
| "Hold Me..." | Ten Shimoyama | |
| "farewell" | Naoto Kumasawa | |
| "Senkou" | Hiroshi Usui | |
| "Yumeji" | Wataru Takeishi | |
| 2007 | "Yoru ni Kizutsuite" | Wataru Takeishi |
| 2008 | "Cherry" | Ryuuji Seki |
| "Tokyo Biyori" | Ryuuji Seki | |
Featured and collaborative releases
- "Drive Me Nuts" (Cyber X feat. Tomiko Van)
- "Truth'94 -Meets Tomiko Van-" (cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of TRFTRF (band)TRF is a Japanese pop/dance group. Its members are rapper DJ Koo, lead vocalist Yu-ki, and dancers Chiharu, Etsu, and Sam.-History:...
's original song) - "Again" (various artists album, Song Nation, an AvexAvex Trax, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
project consisting of collaborations between many different Avex artists) - "Music Flower" (Kohey Tsuchiya & various artists)
- "Velvet" (Kikkawa Kouji)