Rie fu

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Rie fu


Img_capt = Rie fu's self-titled debut album cover
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = 舩越りえ
Alias = Rie fu
Born = birth date and age|1985|1|11
Died =
Origin = Tokyo, Japan
Instruments = Singing
Genre = J-pop, Pop, Folk rock, Folk pop, J-rock, soft rock
Occupation(s) = singer-songwritter
Years_active = 2004 - Present
Label = Sony Japan
Notable_albums = Rie fu
Notable_songs = Life Is Like A Boat, 5000 Mile
Related_acts =
URL = [http://www.riefu.com/ Rie fu.com] nihongo|Rie fu|リエ フゥ|Rie fū, born nihongo|Rie Funakoshi|舩越 りえ|Funakoshi Rie on January 11, 1985 in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She regularly commutes between the United Kingdom and Japan to record and promote her work.

Biography

From 1992 to 1995, Rie fu lived in Maryland with her family. It was during this time that she began playing the piano and where she gained the majority of her inspiration for music, namely Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch and 1970s pop musicians such as The Carpenters as notable influences.

After returning to Japan, from 1995 to 2003, Rie finished her primary and secondary education in Tokyo. In 2002 she learned guitar, and almost immediately began coming up with songs and recording them with a small tape recorder. She sent the demo tape off to a record company (Sony) and they signed her. Her first single was released in March 2004. Later that year, her song "Life is Like a Boat" was chosen as the "Bleach" ending theme, garnering her widespread recognition and demand. In 2005, a year after her debut, another song, "I Wanna Go To A Place..." was used as the Gundam Seed Destiny third ending song, and in 2006 her song "Until I Say" was used as the theme to the Japanese release of the 2005 British movie Heidi. In 2007, she performed the ending theme, "Tsukiakari", to the anime series "Darker than Black".

She graduated from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design of the University of the Arts London [http://blog.excite.co.jp/riefublog/7174101/] in fine art (having shifted in interest from fashion design and graphic design) during 2007. She has stated on her website that she would like to become a student again. Rie often designs much of her own album and single booklets, and Rie's own paintings are often featured in them.

She cites Carole King, Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, and Yumi Matsutoya as influences. [http://riefu.com/e_prof.html]

Rie fu's songs are often bilingual, since she is fluent in both English and Japanese. Although most of her songs are primarily sung in Japanese, many feature entire verses written in English. Of her songs written entirely in Japanese, several have later been released as English language versions.

On March 3, 2008, Rie fu released an album in the U.K. on a label called Tired & Lonesome. The album, a compilation of earlier songs with one never-before-released Joni Mitchell cover, is entitled "Who is Rie fu?" Though the label is based in England, her album will be released in other European countries marking it her European debut. [http://www.tower.com/details/details.cfm?wapi=111871680]

Discography

ingles

* Rie who!? (2004-03-24)
* Life is Like a Boat (2004-09-23) (Used in the anime Bleach as the first ending song)
* I Wanna Go To A Place... (2005-04-27) (Used in the anime Gundam SEED Destiny as an ending song)
* ねがいごと (Negaigoto) (2005-08-31)
* Tiny Tiny Melody (2006-03-08)
* Until I Say (2006-07-19)
* ツキアカリ (Tsukiakari) (2007-05-23) (Used in the anime Darker than Black as the first ending song)
* 5000 Miles (2007-09-05)
* あなたがここにいる理由 (Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyuu) (2007-10-24) (Used in the anime D.Gray-man as the fifth ending song)
* Home (2008-01-23) (Used as the theme song of the film nihongo|Koneko no Namida|子猫の涙|"Koneko no Namida")
* Romantic (2008-11-12)

Album

* "Rie fu" (2005-01-19)
* "Rose Album" (2006-03-24)
* "Tobira Album" (2007-11-21)
* "Who is Rie fu?" (2008-03-03)

External links

* [http://www.riefu.com/ Official website]
*ann name|id=30914
* [http://blog.excite.co.jp/riefublog Rie fu's blog] ja icon
* [http://freckle.tenkeimedia.com/nl/riefu Nostalgic-Lavender.net - Rie fu Lyrics & Translations]
* [http://riefunakoshi.com/ Rie fu's official painting website]