Hitoto Yo

Hitoto Yo was born in 1976 in Taiwan, the child of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother. She lived in Taipei until her father passed away when she was six and afterwards moved to Japan with her mother and sister. Since then she has been using Hitoto as her last name, which is actually her mother’s maiden name.

While she was at Junior High School she made her first musical endeavours as part of a small group however it was later as she was studying at the prestigious Keio University that she became more formally involved in music. She joined an a cappella group, K.O.E with whom she did numerous performances most of which were on the streets. At the same time she also sang as a back-up singer for several artists.

After an encounter with Kitayama Yoichi of the popular a cappella group, the Gospellers, Hitoto Yo, encouraged by the famous vocalist, started to write her own songs. Her efforts definitely paid off with her debut single, Morai Naki, released in late 2002. The single ranked 4th on the Oricon charts and sold over 460,000 copies; it also won several prizes, such as the Best Newcomer of 2003. Her first album, Tsukitenshin was released in December, a few months after her debut. It was another success for Hitoto Yo and secured her position in the Japanese music scene.

In 2003, she also found herself pursuing a side-career, debuting as an actor in the film, Café Lumière, which became an international success.

To date, she has released ten singles and a number of albums with her best-of album BESTYO the most popular and best-selling release thus far earning Platinum status in Japan. She has also written various lyrics for other artists including the female singer, Salyu. She also often collaborates with former My Little Lover member, Kobayashi Takeshi, who wrote the music of her single Yubikiri. The two of them are currently a couple and have plans to get married.