RIKU

RIKU

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RIKUリク
RIKU promoting (R)ENEW (2025)
RIKU promoting BATTLE OF TOKYO Jr.EXILE vs NEO EXILE (2024)
Personal Information
Name	Aoyama Riku 青山(あおやま) 陸(りく) アオヤマ リク
Stage Name	RIKU (2014-present)
Born	August 10, 1994 (age 30)
Birth Place	Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Blood Type	A
Height	174 cm (5 ft 8.5 in)?
Zodiac Sign	♌︎ Leo
Professional Information
Occupation	Singer, performer
Years Active	2014-present
Labels	rhythm zone (2016-present)
Agency	LDH JAPAN
Associated Acts	THE RAMPAGE, EXILE TRIBE, Jr.EXILE
External Links
Profile	EXILE TRIBE mobile
X (Twitter)	@RIKU1994810
Instagram	@_riku_r.m.p.g_ldh
THE RAMPAGE Information
Joined	September 12, 2014
Time in Group	10 Years, 6 Months, 8 Days
Position	Vocalist, performer
Debut Release	"Lightning"

Aoyama Riku (青山陸), better known by his stage name RIKU, is a Japanese singer and performer. He is a member of the group THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE.

He passed the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 4 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~ as one of three winners in 2014 and was selected as one of the vocalists of THE RAMPAGE.

Early Life

Aoyama Riku was born on August 10, 1994, in Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He is an only child.

Ever since he was a little child, he aspired to become a professional soccer player and devoted himself to soccer for many years, first joining a soccer club at the age of 8. However, when he was in the second year of junior high school (8th grade), he went to see an EXILE concert with his mother, leading him to change his dreams and pursue becoming a singer. "When I went to the live concert with my mother, I saw a person sitting next to me crying because they were moved by ATSUSHI's song, and I felt the power of singing [...] I thought, 'This is it'". Additionally, his friends complimented his singing when they went to karaoke and he received high scores, making him realize his potential as a vocalist. "Anyway, I wanted to be someone's "dream". I was in the second year of junior high school when I was thinking about what I could do to make people happy and make them laugh.", "I wondered if I might be a better singer than others, so I decided to take it seriously and started imitating vocalizations on the Internet."

At first, Aoyama practiced singing on his own while studying vocal techniques, and by the time he was in his first year of high school, he told his family that he wanted to pursue a career in music. However, his parents opposed his decision as they wanted him to go to university and find a job, so he persevered in persuading them while playing on the soccer team in high school, until a knee injury forced him to quit. In the same year, he participated in the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 2 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~ alongside one of his friends with the ambition to "sing in front of EXILE and make memories". Ultimately, he made it to the second screening of the audition.

When he was in his second year of high school, at the age of 17, he found an application for an EXPG special student audition on EXPG's website, passed it and started taking lessons at EXPG Tokyo as a scholarship student.

Career

2013

In 2013, Aoyama was introduced as a member of the trainee group EXILE GENERATIONS.

2014

In 2014, Aoyama participated in the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 4 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~, passed the audition as one of three winners out of 30.000 contestants alongside Yoshino Hokuto and Kawamura Kazuma and became a vocal candidate for THE RAMPAGE. In September of the same year, he was chosen as an official member of the group. Until then, he had been performing under his real name Aoyama Riku, but this turning point in his life led him to change his stage name to "RIKU".

2017

On January 25, he made his major debut in THE RAMPAGE with the group's first single "Lightning".

2020

In October, he started his first digital serialization titled "THE RAMPAGE RIKU no "Ongaku Tairiku"" on the entertainment-related website Ongaku Natalie, in which he "meets new music and artists" and interviews his guests.

2021

On December 23, he released his first photobook titled Life is Beautiful.

2022

In early 2022, he played his first leading role in the musical "Tenshi ni Tsuite" ~Daraku Tenshi-hen~.

On August 16, it was announced that RIKU's first solo song "Stand by you" would be included in the soundtrack of the movie HiGH&LOW THE WORST X. The song was written by himself for the first time. The song was later released on December 28, in the best album HiGH&LOW THE WORST BEST ALBUM.

2024

On December 7, he will release a photo & word collection titled RIKU365. The release is part of the 12 books of the project GL-16 ~THE RAMPAGE BOOKS~, which is a collaboration between LDH JAPAN and the publisher Gentosha.

Works

Music

Lyrics/Composition

For the songs he wrote/composed/produced for the artists featured in this wiki, including for his own solo career, see Category:Songs written by RIKU and Category:Songs composed by RIKU.

Solo Songs

• [2022] Stand by you
• [2023] I'll be your (k)night

Filmography

TV Programs

• [2019.06-present] Live wo 100-bai Tanoshimu LIVE YEAH!!! (ライブを100倍楽しむLIVE YEAH!!!) (VJ)
• [2024] Saikyou Sports Danshi Choujou Kessen 2024 (最強スポーツ男子頂上決戦2024) - Supporting Guest

Digital Programs

• [2021.03-05] Kakuto DREAMERS (Navigator and Supporter)
• [2023] Hanataba to Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai (花束とオオカミちゃんには騙されない) (epside 2 guest)
• [2023] Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai (オオカミちゃんには騙されない) (studio MC)

Stages

• [2020] Rodoku Geki BOOK ACT "Mou Ichido Kimi to Odoritai" (朗読劇 BOOK ACT「もう一度君と踊りたい」)
• [2021] REAL RPG STAGE "ETERNAL"
• [2022] "Tenshi ni Tsuite" ~Daraku Tenshi-hen~ (『天使について』～堕落天使編～)
• [2022] REAL RPG STAGE "ETERNAL2" -Kouya ni Moyuru Seigi-
• [2023] Widerstand
• [2024] HiGH&LOW THE Sengoku

Radio

• [2017.10-present] WEEKEND THE RAMPAGE

Publications

Photobooks

1. [2021.12.23] Life is Beautiful

Serializations

• [2020.10.02-present] THE RAMPAGE RIKU no "Ongaku Tairiku" (音楽ナタリー THE RAMPAGE RIKUの「音楽大陸」) (Ongaku Natalie)

Others

1. [2024.12.07] RIKU365 (Photo & Word Collection)

Fashion

Model

• [2024] BLURRED CLOTHING 2024 S/S Lookbook

Advertising

CMs

• [2017] Daiichi Kosho "LIVE DAM STADIUM"
• [2020] DHC "Yakuyo Deep Cleansing Oil Renew Bright"

Trivia

• Hobbies: playing soccer, watching (Disney) movies, going to the gym, boxing and martial arts, karaoke/singing
• Speciality: High-toned singing, Freestyle dancing
• Emoji: 🐶 (Dog Face), 🎹 (Musical Keyboard)
• A very good dancer and known for his ability to dance with the same level of sharpness as a performer while singing stably.
• Likes muscle training and kickboxing. The reason he started the sport which he had admired since childhood in 2016 is because he decided to build up muscles and increase his fitness after HIRO told him that he wanted him to become a vocalist who can dance as well as the performers.
  • Does martial arts, jogging, and weight training.
• Initially viewed his high-pitched voice as a complex. He is often jokingly imitated and teased by the members for it and he consciously keeps his voice low in magazine interviews.
• According to himself, his experiences in musicals and on stage have changed his singing tremendously.
• Taught himself how to play the piano. His first keyboard was gifted to him by SHOKICHI.
• Described as a cheerful and energetic person.
  • Often compared to a golden retriever due to his cheerful, communicative, clumsy and soft nature and muscular physique.
• Went to an all-boys high school for six years.
• Described as a person with his own pace and world view. According to his fellow members, he's natural, cute and childish in a good way.
  • According to Yoshino Hokuto, he is caring person who looks after people very well. However, he sometimes wouldn't be able read the atmosphere. Additionally, he would have a stoic attitude towards everything.
• According to himself, he is the type of person who thinks about work all the time, to the point of even dreaming about it. However, visiting saunas and cooking helps him relax.
• According to himself, he has a lack of self-confidence and a kind of inferiority complex. However, he would be very passionate and reluctant to give up.
• Loves cooking.
  • Enjoys eating out, but prefers cooking for himself.
  • Always keeps a list of restaurants that interest him on his smartphone.
  • In his late 20s, he started to like Japanese food more, especially sushi (salmon roe, conger eel, scallops, and sea urchin). However, he often cooks Japanese food by himself, so he tries to eat food that is difficult to cook when he goes out to eat.
  • Is more adventurous rather than going only to high-end places.
  • He and the other members enjoy cooking at each other's homes.
  • Also very interested in home appliances.
  • Likes cute tableware and sundries, and on his days off, he enjoys collecting them to make his cooking more fulfilling.
• Has a huge sweet tooth.
• He has a friendly rivarly with KAZUKI and Sato Taiki, who attended EXPG Tokyo at the same time as him. Initially, he felt inferior to KAZUKI, which motivated him to practice harder.
• When he was a student, his parents took me to EXILE's big venue gigs and he loved to sing along.
• Loves taking baths and going to saunas since it relaxes him.
  • Is sauna friends with Urakawa Shohei.
• Would like to challange a solo career in the future.
• Loves to take care of children.
• One of his dreams is to sing theme songs and do voice acting for Disney movies.
• Out of the three vocalists of THE RAMPAGE, he was the only one who didn't initially dream of also working as an actor.
• Wanted to provide music for HiGH&LOW THE WORST and entered a competition for a song in the movie, but he was not selected. However, he was later able to provide a song for the sequel HiGH&LOW THE WORST X.
• Tries to pay more attention to accessories than clothes when it comes to his outfits and has a lot of shoes and sunglasses.
• His favorite Pixar work is the Toy Story franchise. In his childhood, he owned a Woody and Buzz doll that were gifted to him by his parents.
• Likes watching variety shows.
• Likes horror stories and has experienced supernatural occurences himself.
• His favorite color is pink.
• According to himself, there were times after he quit soccer that he wasn't that passionate about it emotionally even though he gave up his dream of becoming a soccer player rather early on.
• Believes that a person can't do anything alone. "Especially in this job, we would not be able to do what we do if people did not listen to our music and if we did not have the cooperation of our staff members.", "The reason the moon looks so beautiful is because the sun is on the other side of the moon, and the planets are there to create shadows that make it a crescent moon or a full moon, but if you look at the moon by itself, it's just a circle..."
• Wants to get a motorcycle license.
• Often goes out for drinks with Takechi Kaisei.
• Used to be the centre of the group, but the position was reappointed to Kawamura Kazuma.
• If he wouldn't have become an entertainer/singer, he would've been a psychology teacher.

External Links

• Official Instagram
• EXILE TRIBE mobile page
• Agency Profile