Hiroko Shimabukuro

Infobox musical artist
Name = hiro


Img_capt = A promotional photo from her latest single, "HERO"
Img_size = 185
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Hiroko Shimabukuro
Alias =
Born = Birth date and age|1984|4|7|mf=y
Died =
Origin =
Instrument =
Genre = J-pop, Pop, R&B
Occupation =
Years_active = 1996-2000(SPEED)1999-present(Solo)
Label = SONIC GROOVE
Associated_acts = SPEED, Coco d'Or
URL = [http://www.avexnet.or.jp/hiro Official Website]
Notable_instruments =

Hiroko Shimabukuro (島袋 寛子 "Shimabukuro Hiroko", aka hiro) is a Japanese musician. She was born on April 7, 1984 in Okinawa, Japan, and debuted as a member of the popular 4-girl group, SPEED in 1996. In 1998, hiro released her first solo song "Mitsumete Itai" as a b-side to SPEED's single "ALL MY TRUE LOVE." She made her official solo debut in 1999 with the single, "AS TIME GOES BY", which sold 800,000 copies in Japan. Since SPEED disbanded in 2000, hiro has remained the most popular member. However, she has kept a relatively low profile preferring to solely work on musical endeavors.

In August 2004 Hiro released an all-English jazz band under the name of Coco d'Or .

Biography

She has won three consecutive awards in the Japan Record Awards for "Treasure" (2000), "Your innocence" (2001), and "Eternal Place" (2002).

In terms of CD sales, hiro is the most popular amongst the four SPEED members. "Treasure" sold about 600,000 copies while "Your Innocence" sold more than 200,000 copies. Her first album, "Brilliant", was ranked at #4 solidly for about five weeks, selling 400,000 copies. Her second album, "Naked and True", is the only solo album by a SPEED member to be ranked #1 in the first day of Oricon. The recent best singles album she released also reached the top 10 rankings. Her popularity may also have increased slightly in the west as Avex decided to send her to perform in the United States at Seattle's Sakura-Con in April 2004. Her songs range from soothing ballads to quick, catchy songs with fine-tuned dance choreographies.

Since the beginning of SPEED, hiro has played a crucial role in the group with her skilled vocals. Despite their young age, SPEED was seen as an authentic artist thanks to hiro's vocals. When SPEED performed "White Love" in 1997, the audience was deeply impressed by her powerful voice when she was just thirteen.

Hiro also has the reputation of being an excellent dancer. Typically, SPEED's dances are very strenuous, but hiro's voice retains stability while dancing also impresses audiences.

Although SPEED debuted when hiro was just twelve years old, the youngest in the group, hiro did not look very childish. As hiro herself said, she had always been seen as older than she actually was because she was relatively tall and matured early. In interviews, Hiro stated that she wanted to become a singer when she was five years old and never imagined becoming anything else.

In 1999, SPEED announced that it was going to disband in March 2000. Their respective career development was the formal explanation as their reason for disbanding. However, it is well-known that hiro's relationship with Naoki Takahashi triggered SPEED's break-up. Hiro had dated him for three years since she was twelve. However, hiro and her management had disputes over their relationship. Hiro also complained about lack of time they could spend together due to SPEED's activities. As a result hiro's relationship with Takahashi forced SPEED to disband.

In August 2004 Hiro released an all-English jazz album under the name of Coco d'Or . Her single "Hikari no naka de" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Devilman. A year later, she released another song, "clover" tied to anime "Black Jack", selling 20,000 copies. Her two CDs released in 2006 sold considerably less; "Hero" taking in 7,000 copies and 9,000 copies of "Itsuka Futari de".

Personal

Shimabukuro shares the same birthday as fellow SPEED member Hitoe Arakaki, who is three years older than her. She was rumored to have dated Hitoshi Matsumoto from Hey! Hey! Hey! who is 21 years her senior. Some of hiro's good friends include COLDFEET.

Discography

Albums

* [2001.01.31] BRILLIANT #2, 7 weeks, 430,000 copies
* [2002.08.07] Naked and True #2, 7 weeks, 236,000 copies
* [2006.02.01] 寛 シングル・コレクション (hiro SINGLE COLLECTION) #7, 6 weeks, 47,000 copies

ingles

* [1999.08.18] AS TIME GOES BY #2, 13 weeks, 812,020 copies
* [2000.02.16] Bright Daylight #2, 10 weeks, 427,770 copies
* [2000.10.25] Treasure #2, 15 weeks, 602,390 copies
* [2001.08.01] Your innocence #3, 9 weeks, 227,970 copies
* [2001.11.21] Confession #3, 9 weeks, 172,180 copies
* [2002.04.17] love you #3, 5weeks, 103,750 copies
* [2002.06.05] Eternal Place #2, 7 weeks, 85,430 copies
* [2002.07.17] Notice my mind #8, 4 weeks, 37,600 copies
* [2003.02.26] Baby don't cry #9, 6 weeks, 38,056 copies
* [2003.07.24] 愛が泣いてる (ai ga naiteru) #12, 6 weeks, 29,546 copies
* [2004.09.23] 光の中で (Hikari no Naka de) #12, 7 weeks, 28,954 copies
* [2005.08.03] clover #18, 5 weeks, 20,358 copies
* [2006.02.01] ヒーロー☆(Hero) #40, 3 weeks, 7,000 copies
* [2006.08.23] いつか二人で / I will take you (Itsuka futari de / I will take you) #18, 7 weeks, 20,000 copies

DVDs

* [2001.04.18] BRILLIANT ON FILMS
* [2003.03.19] Naked and True Clips
* [2006.02.01] 寛 クリップ・コレクション (hiro CLIP COLLECTION)

Photobook

* [2002.04.07] hiroko shimabukuro days

Other

* [2006.02.01] 寛 スペシャル・ボックス (hiro SPECIAL BOX) #26, 2 weeks, 9,000 copies (Limited Release Edition)

Movies

* [2006.09] Backdancers!

External links

* [http://www.avexnet.or.jp/hiro/ hiro's Official Website]
* [http://www.avexnet.or.jp/coco/ Coco d'Or Official Site]
* [http://hiro.vision-blog.jp/ hiro's Official Blog]
* [http://www.asiafinest.com/japanese/hiro.htm AsiaFinest Hiro]
* [http://www.pbase.com/jeffhardy/hiro_days_photobook Days Photobook]