Emi Aramaki: Spreading Japanese City Pop to the World

Emi Aramaki, a city pop artist born and raised in the UK and based in London, has signed a distribution deal with The Orchard Japan and will release her first single in Japan, “Purple Dream,” digitally on September 18, 2024.

Emi Aramaki grew up in London, England, and was heavily influenced by the J-POP she was exposed to from an early age. She was particularly inspired by legends of the Showa era music scene, such as Mariya Takeuchi, Anri, and Akina Nakamori, and has attracted attention for her unique nostalgic and danceable musical style that evokes the image of a cool, urban Showa era woman who hides her sad true feelings.

Photography: Kenji Ishida/Atsuki Otsuka Hair and makeup: Yuka Takamatsu (Office SABFA) Design: Konoko Ogawa (Toyo Art School)

Release Information

• Title: Purple Dream (Lyrics and Composition: Emi Aramaki Arrangement: A-dream)
• Release date: Wednesday, September 18, 2024
• Format: Digital distribution (iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, LINE Music, etc.)
• Distributor: The Orchard Japan

About “Purple Dream”

This new city pop song represents Emi Aramaki’s unique style, combining complex and sad emotions with a soothing rhythm, and is based on the concept of “crying and dancing,” making listeners want to dance even as they shed tears.

The pleasant-to-the-ear vocals and the nostalgic yet sophisticated melody create an invigorating worldview that suggests the song has the potential to appeal not only to the city pop generation, but to a wide range of people, both young and old, both in Japan and overseas.

About the Artwork

The artwork, which exudes a Showa retro feel, was created through a competition held at the Toyo Art School (Shinjuku, Tokyo) where Amano Ikuo, a famous graphic designer and former Shiseido art director who is a top creator of the Showa era, teaches. Out of many excellent works submitted by current students, we have selected the design by Ogawa Konoko. We intend to continue to collaborate proactively with up-and-coming young designers in the future.

Artist Profile

EMI ARAMAKI

Singer-songwriter. Spent her childhood in Fukuoka, and moved to the UK at the age of 9. Interested in music from an early age, started playing piano at the age of 3. Belonged to a chorus group during middle and high school. Grew up listening to J-POP and Western music (soul, jazz, etc.), influenced by soulful female singers such as Akina Nakamori and Sade. Majored in history at UCL (University College London), and after graduating began her career as an artist, traveling between Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles.

In July 2021, she released the city pop single “Lonely Night,” which attracted attention for its retro music video reminiscent of the Showa era. She then released the single “Night Ride.”

She writes all of her songs herself, and uses both English and Japanese lyrics to suit the atmosphere of the song.

She also studied acting at a drama school in the UK. In the future, in addition to her work as an artist, she is considering working as an actress, and aims to actively promote the excellent Showa era music culture that Japan produced to the world.

She is a big anime fan.