1. Eriko Imai is a Japanese pop singer, actress and politician.
42 Facts About Eriko Imai
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Eriko Imai made her debut in the early 1990s as part of the group Speed, which disbanded in March 2000.
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Eriko Imai was the second-youngest member and one of the main vocalists in the female J-pop group Speed.
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Eriko Imai appeared in the drama "LxIxVxE" in 1999 with fellow Speed member Hitoe Arakaki.
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When Eriko Imai began her solo career in early 2000, she teamed up with the dance group Crunch and the unit was named "Eriko Imai with Crunch".
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Also during this year, Eriko Imai participated in her first musical, Ninagawa Hi no Tori, for which she earned a "Best Newcomer in Theatre" award at the Golden Arrow Awards 2001.
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The music video for her third single, "Set Me Free", was shot in Australia, and Eriko Imai performed the song in Kuala Lumpur during the 2001 Asia Music Festival.
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At around this time, Eriko Imai considered changing her hairstyle to an Afro.
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Eriko Imai said that she wanted something new, but was willing to return to a more Japanese-typical hairstyle if the Afro hairstyle reduced her appeal.
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Also in 2002, Eriko Imai appeared in her second musical, Footloose, with V6 member Masayuki Sakamoto, which was extremely well received.
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Between February and March 2004, Eriko Imai performed in the musical Star Tanjo with Hitomi Shimatani and Yukie Nakama.
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Lastly in the message, Eriko Imai asked for guidance on her change from single to a wife and a soon-to-be mother.
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Eriko Imai registered her name as Eriko Kinoshita upon the change.
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On 25 November 2004, Eriko Imai released her first singles collection, Stairway, to mark her new life journey as a mother and wife.
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On 9 June 2005, Eriko Imai announced on her new website that she would return to the music industry as "Elly".
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On 22 September 2005, Eriko Imai performed her 'Elly Live 2005: Rebirth' concert to mark her 22nd birthday and shift to the new name.
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Eriko Imai released her first indies single under as Elly, sold only at her concert venues.
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On 18 October 2005, the first birthday of her son, Eriko Imai released her first photobook, "Egao de Iko", which includes autobiographical thoughts about the periods of her life and career.
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At the festival, Eriko Imai announced to her fans that her new album Neverland was to be released on 27 September 2006.
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Eriko Imai performed her "Elly Live 2006: Neverland" concert tour from October to November, of which one of the performances was attended by fellow Speed members and long-time producer Hiromasa Ijichi.
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In July 2007, it was reported by various sources that Eriko Imai had separated from her husband, Shogo.
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Many fans took it as an indirect reply to the separation reports and that Eriko Imai was trying to indicate the reports were untrue.
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Also in August 2007, Eriko Imai announced she would be releasing her new single "Ude Makura" at a later date.
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Eriko Imai was given custody of their son, but both agreed to take care of the child together.
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Eriko Imai performed at her mini live concert "Elly Live: Instinct" on 25 December 2007.
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Eriko Imai held her next live concert in 2008, "Elly Secret Live in Sabaku no Bara" on 9 February 2008.
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Eriko Imai resumed activities with Speed again starting on 31 August 2008.
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Eriko Imai made her first film appearance in almost five years, in "Yuzuriha: Kimi mo Mata Tsugi no Kimi e", directed by Kentaro Hayase.
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Eriko Imai released her second photobook, Kokoro no Uta: Musuko to Ayunda 4 Nenkan, Soshite Korekara, on 14 February 2009.
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On 10 May, which was Mother's Day, Eriko Imai received a 'Best Mother' award for the second annual 'Best Mother Awards in 2009' in Japan.
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In 2010, Eriko Imai was a host in the sign language education programme NHK Minna No Showa.
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Eriko Imai revealed a new song, temporarily titled "Cowgirl", on her last Ustream announcement.
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Eriko Imai released a new song, "Nankurunaisaa", as a digital and iTunes download on 6 April 2011.
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Eriko Imai released her third book, entitled Oyako Gejiko, on 8 April 2011.
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Eriko Imai continued to be a host for NHK's Minna no Shuwa on 3 April 2011.
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Eriko Imai plays the piano, as well as composing and writing songs.
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Eriko Imai is good friends with Hikaru Utada and called her father on air on behalf of her fans when she underwent ovarian cancer surgery.
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Eriko Imai was once voted as the most popular artist from Japan in Hong Kong, surpassing other popular singers.
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Eriko Imai began to learn sign language with her son during early 2008.
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Eriko Imai is avid in saving the environment by doing bottle-cap collections.
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In 2016, Eriko Imai became a candidate for the Japanese House of Councillors election under the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and won.
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In November 2021, Eriko Imai will be releasing a memoir of her life, a member of SPEED, being a single mother, raising a son with congenital deafness, her activism for children with disabilities, being a politician and more.