Imaichi Ryuji (今市隆二) is a Japanese singer and performer. He is a member of the group Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE.
He passed the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 2 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~ as one of two winners in 2010 and was selected as a vocalist of Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS.
He made his debut as a soloist in January 2018 with the digital single "ONE DAY" under the stage name RYUJI IMAICHI.
Early Life[]
Imaichi Ryuji was born on September 2, 1986 in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan and raised in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. He has an older brother and a younger sister.[1]
In his youth, he played baseball.[2]
Imaichi is an Inukura Junior High School graduate. He dropped out of high school.[3] At age 18, he worked as a craftsman in pressure welding.
Inspired by EXILE whom he was a big fan of, Imaichi decided to take on his first audition to become a singer at the age of 19 but failed.[2][4] Afterwards, he started taking vocal lessons and continuously went to voice training auditions. "I was really serious about making my dream come true, so I went to various voice training courses. [...] I went to every single voice training audition every week, and I just wanted to make my debut in any way I could. [...] I really went to about 100 auditions." He later recalled that despite his failures in those auditions, he didn't feel like he was going to give up and was always determined to make his debut.[4]
Career[]
2006[]
In 2006, Imaichi participated on the EXILE VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 2006 ~ASIAN DREAM~, however he did not pass the second round.[2]
2009[]
In 2009, he won the runner-up Grand Prix at the artist category of the avex WORLD AUDITION 2008.
2010[]
In 2010, Imaichi participated in the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 2 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~.
On September 15, it was announced that Imaichi had successfully passed the audition alongside Tosaka Hiroomi out of 30,000 contestants and was selected as vocalist of Sandaime J Soul Brothers.
2018[]
On January 12, he made his solo debut with the digital single "ONE DAY".
On February 16, he released his second digital single "Angel".
On March 16, he released his third digital single "Thank you"
On March 26, he released his first photo essay TIMELESS TIME.[5]
On April 20, he released his fourth digital single "Alter Ego".
RILY logo (2018)
On August 1, he released his first album LIGHT>DARKNESS.
On August 29, he launched his personal brand RILY.[6]
2019[]
Imaichi made his acting debut in fall 2019 on the short film Sono Shunkan, Boku wa Nakitaku Natta -CINEMA FIGHTERS project- "On The Way".[7]
On October 30, he released his first CD single "RILY".
2020[]
On January 15, RYUJI released his second album ZONE OF GOLD.
From January 23 to February 24, RYUJI and HIROOMI TOSAKA held the special showcase live tour LDH PERFECT YEAR 2020 SPECIAL SHOWCASE RYUJI IMAICHI / HIROOMI TOSAKA.
2021[]
On July 21, he released his third album CHAOS CITY.
2022[]
On May 13, he released his fifth digital single "Tsura".
On May 28, his fourth album was announced, with its release slated to be on November 2[8] as well as his sixth digital single "RILY'S NIGHT -Hyakugouenya-" which was released on June 3.[9]
From June 4 to December 7, he held his second solo live tour RYUJI IMAICHI CONCEPT LIVE 2022 "RILY'S NIGHT".[10][11]
On November 2, he released his fourth studio album GOOD OLD FUTURE.
2023[]
On October 6, his podcast program "J-WAVE RYUJI IMAICHI VINTAGE "R" IFE" about "vintage" items started being distributed on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other listening services.[12]
2024[]
On March 17, he held his first fanmeeting overall as well as first overseas fanmeeting in Taiwan titled RYUJI IMAICHI 「"R"OAD」 ~1st FAN MEETING IN TAIPEI~.[13][14][15]
From April 4 to May 31, he held his third solo live tour RYUJI IMAICHI CONCEPT LIVE 2024 RILY'S NIGHT / LOST"R".[16][14][15]
On June 26, he released his fifth studio album R. Prior to its release, he pre-released digitally the song "REALLY LOVE" on April 1.[17][18][19][20][21]
From June 29 to August 25, he held his fourth solo live tour RYUJI IMAICHI LIVE TOUR 2024 "R"ED.[22]
On September 2, he will hold the special concert RYUJI IMAICHI ~ANNIVERSARY STAGE 2024~ "R" in BUDOKAN.[23]
On October 6, he will hold the special concert and first overseas RYUJI IMAICHI "R"OAD THE FINAL in TAIPEI, followed by the event RYUJI IMAICHI "R"OAD THE FINAL in TAIPEI ~After Party~.[24][25]
Personal Life[]
- Family
His older brother, Imaichi Naoyuki, is a former actor and the manager of the male host club TOPDANDY TOKYO.[26]
Discography[]
- Studio Albums
- [2018.08.01] LIGHT>DARKNESS
- [2020.01.15] ZONE OF GOLD
- [2021.07.21] CHAOS CITY
- [2022.11.02] GOOD OLD FUTURE
- [2024.06.26] R
- Joint Albums
- [2018.06.06] FUTURE (Disc 2)
- Other Albums
- [2016.06.15] HiGH&LOW ORIGINAL BEST ALBUM
- Singles
- [2019.10.30] RILY
- Digital Singles
- [2018.01.12] ONE DAY
- [2018.02.16] Angel
- [2018.03.16] Thank you
- [2018.04.20] Alter Ego
- [2022.05.13] Tsura
- [2022.06.03] RILY'S NIGHT -Hyakugouenya-
- Pre-release Digital Singles
- [2019.10.18] RILY
- [2019.12.27] ZONE OF GOLD
- [2021.06.25] FUTURE LOVERS
- [2024.04.01] REALLY LOVE
- Digital Songs
- [2019.02.15] Yoake Mae / Kore ga Unmei Nara
- Collaborations/Others
- [2015.08.05] DANCE EARTH PARTY - "BEAUTIFUL NAME" (feat. Imaichi Ryuji from Sandaime J Soul Brothers and The Skatalites)
- [2015.12.16] Crystal Kay - Shine (#3 Very Special feat. Imaichi Ryuji from Sandaime J Soul Brothers)
- [2017.06.21] JAY'ED - Here I Stand (#8 P.B.E feat. Imaichi Ryuji (Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE))
- [2017.07.07] CRAZYBOY - NEOTOKYO Ⅱ EP (#4 No more cry feat. Ryuji Imaichi)
Works[]
Music[]
- Lyrics/Composition
- Solo Songs
- [2015] All LOVE
- [2016] Over & Over
- [2016] FOREVER YOUNG AT HEART
Filmography[]
- Movies
- [2019] Sono Shunkan, Boku wa Nakitaku Natta -CINEMA FIGHTERS project- "On The Way"
- Digital Dramas
- [2017] LOVE or NOT
- TV Shows
- [2012-2013] EX-LOUNGE
- Radio
- [2011-2013] Keep On Dreaming
- [2014-present] SPARK
- [2023.10.06-present] J-WAVE RYUJI IMAICHI VINTAGE "R" IFE
Publications[]
- Photo Essays
- [2018.03.26] TIMELESS TIME
Concerts/Tours[]
- Tours
- [2018.08.11-2018.12.24] RYUJI IMAICHI LIVE TOUR 2018 "LIGHT>DARKNESS"
- [2020.01.23-2020.02.24] LDH PERFECT YEAR 2020 SPECIAL SHOWCASE RYUJI IMAICHI / HIROOMI TOSAKA (joint tour with HIROOMI TOSAKA)
- [2022.06.04-2022.12.07] RYUJI IMAICHI CONCEPT LIVE 2022 "RILY'S NIGHT"
- [2024.04.04-2024.05.31] RYUJI IMAICHI CONCEPT LIVE 2024 RILY'S NIGHT / LOST"R"
- [2024.06.29-2024.08.25] RYUJI IMAICHI LIVE TOUR 2024 "R"ED
- Concerts
- [2024.09.02] RYUJI IMAICHI ~ANNIVERSARY STAGE 2024~ "R" in BUDOKAN
- [2024.10.06] RYUJI IMAICHI "R"OAD THE FINAL in TAIPEI
- Events
- [2024.03.17] RYUJI IMAICHI 「"R"OAD」 ~1st FAN MEETING IN TAIPEI~
- [2024.10.06] RYUJI IMAICHI "R"OAD THE FINAL in TAIPEI ~After Party~
Trivia[]
- Member Color: Red
- Likes listening to and performing city pop music.[27]
- His musical background is R&B from the 90s.[28]
- Looking back at his childhood, he described himself as a loud and joking child, that was very close with his older brother.[28]
- According to himself, live performances and music are the best thing that ever happened to him.[28]
- According to himself, conveying love is a major theme for him as an artist. "I think love is the most important thing in my own life, and it would be great if people could feel that."[28]
- In an interview in June 2022, he revealed that he aspires to compete on the world stage: "I have been thinking about this ever since my debut, but I have started to think more about how I can be world-class. I used to think that I should sing in English and make world music to compete, but now I feel that I have to make original Japanese music to have a chance."[29]
- Likes old-school things, and has always thought that the only way to create something new is to revive the past, not only in music but also in fashion.[28]
- Has been interested in acting for a long time and would like to act in a feature film at least once. In general, he likes movies a lot.[30]
- Was a huge fan of EXILE ATSUSHI in his youth and even copied his style.[2]
- Friends with Kis-My-Ft2 member Kitayama Hiromitsu and actor Ichihara Hayato.[31]
- His looks are sometimes compared to that of Taiwanese actor Tony Yang (Yang You-ning).[32]
Playlists[]
References[]
- ↑ https://news.j-wave.co.jp/2019/04/411-jsb.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/4222542
- ↑ 三代目ＮＡＯＴＯ、母の魔女コスプレに驚がく 今市は「怖かった親方が…」
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3884936
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/Cts/book/2018/imaichi/timeless_time/index
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RyujiJSB_3/status/1696352367992869295
- ↑ 三代目ＪＳＢ今市隆二が今秋公開映画で俳優デビュー
- ↑ Ryuji Imaichi's new album to be released on 11/2 (Wed.)!
- ↑ 今市隆二 Digital Single『RILY’S NIGHT -百合演夜-』が6/3(金)リリース決定！
- ↑ https://realsound.jp/2022/10/post-1147729.html
- ↑ https://realsound.jp/2022/12/post-1219515.html
- ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/543224
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=45551
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 https://natalie.mu/music/news/554203
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.tokyoheadline.com/729114/
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=45479
- ↑ 今市隆⼆が1年7ヶ月ぶり通算5作目オリジナルアルバムを2024年6月にリリース決定！
- ↑ https://www.thefirsttimes.jp/news/0000401135/
- ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/566368
- ↑ 【本日配信スタート!!】2024/4/1(月)Digital Release!! 今市隆二『REALLY LOVE』
- ↑ 今市隆二 NEW ALBUM 『R』 2024/6/26(wed)Release決定！
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=46448
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=47627
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=47660
- ↑ https://m.tribe-m.jp/news/detail?news_id=48075
- ↑ https://groupdandy.com/staff/topdandy_tokyo/nao/
- ↑ https://realsound.jp/2022/05/post-1029655.html
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 https://rollingstonejapan.com/articles/detail/38740
- ↑ https://screenonline.jp/SCREEN_Plus/17540574
- ↑ https://nordot.app/1036807337608102045?c=516798125649773665
- ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/4084161
- ↑ https://tw.nextapple.com/entertainment/20240316/4265A5C882715304DC93A5D72472DE5B
External Links[]
- Official Website
- Profile on Sandaime J Soul Brothers website
- Official YouTube channel
- Official Instagram
- Official Twitter
- Official TikTok
- Agency Profile
- RILY
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