Profile
Stage Name: YUI
Real Name: Yoshioka Yui
Birthdate: 26 March 1987
Birthplace: Fukuoka (Japan)
Profession: Singer, Composer, Songwriter, Actress
Height: 155 cm
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Movies, reading, acoustic guitar, badminton
YUI began writing poems in ninth grade. At the age of 16, by recommendation of a friend, she began studying singing, songwriting, and guitar at a private music school in her native Fukuoka.
Aspiring to become professional, she carried her guitar around and performed at local areas like the seashore of Shingu and the middle of Kaminofu's rice fields.
In March 2003, at an audition hosted by Sony Music Japan, all of the judges evaluated her with the highest score, which caused a fierce scramble among labels. At this audition, she sang three songs: "Why me" (which was later coupled with her debut single), "It's happy line", and "I know" - though the audition rules stated that a participant could only sing two songs.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she strummed her guitar and sang. The judges and the others present at the audition claimed that "the performance created a tremendous aura from her heavenly voice, and captured the hearts of the whole audience". It's happy line was then released as an indie single in December 2004, with "I know" as the second track.
Upon leaving Fukuoka for Tokyo, YUI wrote the song "feel my soul". She was planning to release it on an indie label as a tribute to her hometown, when the song caught the ears of Fuji TV producer, Mr. Yamaguchi, who happened to see the demo video clip. He claimed YUI's voice haunted him so much that he went out of his way to visit the recording studio himself. He even made his channel's prime-time drama "Fukigen na Gene" an extraordinary tie-in with YUI's debut track.
She honed her acting skills to star in the movie "Taiyou no Uta" (Midnight Sun, or Song to the Sub). Although she is not the most comfortable when it comes to talking to people, YUI enjoys communicating with her audience at street performances in the Tenjin district of Fukuoka. She also hosts a radio show called "YUI LOCKS", which airs every week.
Credit: [theppn.org]
