Anri


Anri, real name Eiko Kawashima, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, born in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Biography

Her debut release was the 1978 Oribia o Kikinagara, written by Amii Ozaki. Her song "Cat's Eye" was used as the first opening theme for the eponymous 1983 anime series Cat's Eye and debuted as #1 on Countdown Japan. It spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Oricon chart. It was one of the first J-pop songs used as an anime theme song. Another of her hit from the same year was Kanashimi ga Tomaranai. Both songs appeared on the 1983 album ":ja:Timely!!|Timely!!". She also appeared at the Red and White New Year's Music Special at the end of that same year. Another hit single she had released is "Goodbye Boogie Dance" from November 1983.
Other hit songs include Summer Candles and Dolphin Ring, both of which became standard songs played at Japanese weddings and receptions. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Anri's albums were bestsellers. She has had highly successful tours—one with attendance of almost 100,000—and toured Hawaii for the first time in 1987. She sang the closing theme for the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano. In 2002, she began collaborating with jazz fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour, who produced her 2002 LP Smooth Jam - Quiet Storm.
With the renewed popularity of city pop, and her songs having been sampled by many new artists of the vaporwave and future funk genres, Anri has also enjoyed new popularity outside of Japan.

Discography

Studio Albums

Compilations