Yumi Shizukusa
Yumi Shizukusa (滴草 由実, Shizukusa Yumi, born on July 9, 1984) is a former Japanese singer, songwriter and artist. Born and raised in Kagoshima, she relocated to Osaka in 2002 after winning the Super Starlight Audition and signing a recording contract with Being. In July 2002, Shizukusa appeared in the compilation album Giza Studio Mai-k & Friends Hotrod Beach Party alongside the other Being artists including Mai Kuraki, Rina Aiuchi, and Yuri Nakamura. Her breakthrough came in early 2003 after appearing Day Track's song "Don't Say Don't Love", which topped the Usen chart.
Yumi Shizukusa 滴草 由実 | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | 滴草 由実 |
| Born | July 9, 1984 |
| Origin | Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop, R&B, rock, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actress, illustrater |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2002–2021 |
| Labels | Giza Studio, Styling Records, Zain Records, Northern Music |
| Website | yumi-shizukusa |
History
2002–2003: Audition and success
In April 2002, she won the 1st place on the audition called "Super Starlight Contest" brought by Giza Studio. After that, she appeared on some compilations like "GIZA studio MAI-K & FRIENDS HOTROD BEACH PARTY" and "DAY TRACK: Lady Mastersoul".
On July 2, 2003, she released her first single "Don't you wanna see me <oh> tonight?". It peaked at No. 35 on the Oricon Singles Chart and gained many radio plays.
On December 3, her debut studio album "CONTROL Your touch" was released.
2004: "Yumi Shizukusa II"
On April 14, she released the lead single from her 2nd album "Yumi Shizukusa II", "Kokoro wa itsumo Rainbow Color". It achieved weak success, charting at No. 84 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
On October 27, 2004, she released her second studio album "Yumi Shizukusa II". It includes "I'm in Love" featuring Wyclef Jean.
2005–2006: Comeback in popularity and "Hana kagari"
On February 9, 2005, she released her 6th single "Hana kagari". It was used in Japanese famous TV mystery drama "Kyoto Chiken no Onna" and gained many airplays.
On December 15, 2005, she released her 1st digital single "Communication break out" on iTunes. It peaked at No. 1 on the iTunes Chart.
On March 1, 2006, her third studio album "Hana Kagari" was released.
2007–2010: "I still believe" and duet with KG
On May 30, 2007, she released her 8th single "I still believe: Tameiki". It was used in one of the most popular Japanese anime Case Closed and peaked at No. 50 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
On October 29, she released 10th single "GO YOUR OWN WAY". It performed moderate success with the usage in Case Closed.
Her 4th studio album "THE PAINTED SOUL" was released on December 3, 2008.
On August 19, 2009, she released her first extended play "ENDLESS SUMMER". It peaked at No. 1 on the iTunes R&B Albums Chart.
On February 24, she appeared on KG's album "Love for you" and sang "Kanawanai Koi demo" with him. This song gained moderate success on iTunes.
After that, she went silent about for 3 years.
2013–2014: Comeback in the music scene
Her 5th studio album "A woman's heart" was released on December 18, 2013. It achieved weak success though it was praised from critics.
On June 11, she released her first compilation album "#10-story: best of Yumi Shizukusa". It includes two new songs.
2015–2017: "BLUE" and "Rouge"
On July 22, 2015, she released her 6th studio album "BLUE", which was acclaimed by critics. It includes the song "Everytime", which was produced by a Grammy-nominated producer starRo. On Marc 22, 2017 she released her 7th studio album "Rouge".
2018-2021: First Art Exhibition and Retirement
On July 31, 2018, she provided music Wanna Be Loved for the image movie of the women's luxury brand "Elza Winkler". The song is available only through the official SoundCloud profile.
In October 2019, two paintings were officially exhibited at the art festival "Salon Art Shopping Paris" held at the Carrousel du Louvre in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
In November 2020, she held first YouTube live stream Atelier Music Room on the Being Inc.'s Official YouTube channel.
In March 2021, her name disappeared from the Being's official website and her paintings were no longer available for the sale on the Being's portal site. On the same year in December, Shizuku announced through her instagram profile about not renewing contract with agency and retired as a singer, however in future claims to be active as an painting artist only. In July 2023, she posted on her instagram photo of giving a birth to a child.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales (JPN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||
| CONTROL Your touch |
|
97 | 4,516 |
| Yumi Shizukusa II |
|
83 | 3,856 |
| Hana Kagari |
|
131 | 1,549 |
| The Painted Soul |
|
191 | 964 |
| A woman's heart |
|
— | |
| Blue |
|
— | |
| Rouge |
|
— | |
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||
| Shiz-tic Covers |
|
— |
| Endless Summer |
|
295 |
| A Limited Edition of Yumi Shizukusa |
|
— |
| Limited Remixes |
|
— |
| Wildfire |
|
— |
| Darkwater |
|
— |
| Maze |
|
— |
| Found |
|
— |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||
| #10-story: Best of Yumi Shizukusa |
|
225 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales (JPN) |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||||
| "Don't You Wanna See Me (Oh) Tonight?" | 2003 | 35 | 9,613 | CONTROL Your touch |
| "Take Me Take Me" | 72 | 2,485 | ||
| "Control Your Touch" | 122 | 1,031 | ||
| "Kokoro wa Itsumo Rainbow Color" | 2004 | 84 | 1,149 | Yumi Shizukusa II |
| "Missing You" | 132 | 1,267 | ||
| "Hana Kagari" | 2005 | 70 | 4,568 | Hana Kagari |
| "Communication Break Out" | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Kimi no Namida wo Muda ni shitaku nai" | 2006 | 151 | 522 | Hana Kagari |
| "I Still Believe: Tameiki" | 2007 | 50 | 4,687 | The Painted Soul |
| "Calling Me" | 2008 | 169 | 417 | |
| "Go Your Own Way" | 77 | 1,580 | ||
| "Katachi Aru Mono" | 2009 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Arigatou, Zutto" | 2010 | — | ||
| "Someday: Watashi wo Wasurete" | — | |||
| "Sakura no Nukumori" | 2014 | — | #10-story: Best of Yumi Shizukusa |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "California Girls" | 2002 | Various artists | GIZA studio Mai-K & Friends Hot Rod Beach Party |
| "Don't Say Don't Love" | 2003 | Day Track "Lady Mastersoul" | |
| "Foggy Night" | Tak Matsumoto | The Hit Parade | |
| "Kanawanai Koi demo..." | 2010 | KG | Love for You |
| "Snow: tetralogy ～Dark snow" | 2014 | Ikuro Fujiwara | quatre saisons series: Scenario de la saison –hiver- |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Heart of Gold[1] | Xiaxue |
References
- "Heart of Gold". August 30, 2010.