Rie a.k.a Suzaku
Rie Tomimatsu (born on November 26, 1985[1][2]), known professionally as Rie a.k.a Suzaku (In Japanese, リエ エー・ケー・エー スザク), is a Japanese heavy metal guitarist, singer, and songwriter.[3][4][5] She is the first female to be a solo Japanese heavy metal guitarist.[6] Suzaku won a gold medal at the national Guitar competition. Her record label is Poppin Records. She has released five albums and six mini albums.[7] In 2019, she started a band called the Muses.[8] Suzaku has sixteen solo albums and one album with the Muses.[9] She is one of Shinko Music W100 Guitarist's 100 Females.[10]
Early life[change | change source]
Suzaku was born in Kawasaki Japan.[11] Her sister Emi Tomimatsu important to her childhood life.[12] Her sister got a keyboard when Suzaku was four years old. Her parents taught her about heavy metal music.[12][13] Her father is a guitarist.[12] Her parents played Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Camel in their house.[12]
She liked music by X Japan.[12][14] When a member of X Japan, Hide, visited a sick child, Suzaku learned that music could help sick people feel better.[12] She wanted to play music.[12]
In middle school she joined her school's classical guitar group.[15] The group worked hard.[15] They practiced two times every day.[15] She also started learning to play rock and metal on her guitar.[12] She learned to play rock music by ear.[12][15] This means she listened to music and played what she heard. She did not have sheet music for heavy metal music.[12][15]
In high school Suzaku wanted a band.[15][12] No one wanted to join her band.[15] She kept practicing alone.[15] Boys did not like playing guitar with her.[15]
After high school Suzaku attended the Muse Conservatory of Music.[12][1] Again, none of her classmates played metal music.[12]
Career[change | change source]
Suzaku started her career by winning a gold medal at the national guitar competition. Suzaku then switched to the electric guitar to continue her career. She then entered a music college to learn how to sing.[1] She joined her first band. Suzaku continued her career by signed her songs with Poppin Records.[1] She then decided to continue her career as a soloist.[6]
Suzaku does a lot of composing.[12] Suzaky uses keyboard to compose music, not guitar.[14] She played on an Electone keyboard.[12][14] She was only interested in heavy metal music, but then she started listening to other music.[12] Soon, she began writing many kinds of music.[12][16] Suzaku believes that genre is not important in music.[14]
She works with other popular musicians, for example: Ibuki, Dia, Mitsuru Sutoh, Shingo Tanaka, Mayumu Hidaka and Kanade Sato.[17]
Suzaku has five full length albums and six extended play albums.[7] She released her first album in 2010.[1][6] It was called Messiah.[1][6][17] Her first full album was Kingdom of the Sun.[18] It was all music made with instruments, no people sang on the album.[18] Her second full album, Noah's Ark, had many different people singing songs.[18]
Suzaku started with a band called Ran.[17] She then moved to a solo career.[17] Suzaku created a band called RiViNi in 2017.[19][17] They played together for two years.[20] Their album, Resistance, came out in 2018.[21] In 2019, Suzaku signed with King Records and released Top Runner.[3] She also started a band called The Muses.[8]
Suzaku has an Instrumental Summit concert series.[22] She has also written and performed some music for wrestling competitions.[12] In 2019, Suzaku performed at the first Metal Matsuri in London, UK.[4] [23]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "ポッピンレコード". www.poppin.jp. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ↑ "『Rie a.k.a. Suzaku ｢World Journey｣レビュー』". ミツのロックなライブレポート (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku - Top Runner". JaME. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Kanade Sato – Interview". The All Japan Show. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "JaME's Girls Metal Playlist". JaME. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku". JaME. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "New Band: Muses". JaME. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE". tower.jp. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 書籍W100ギタリスト『女性プロファイル100』2011年1月31日発売P116 - 119
- ↑ Angeline, Myki. "Celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month With These Female Artists You Should Know – the WiMN | The Women's International Music Network". Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku| 激ロック インタビュー". 激ロック ラウドロック・ポータル. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "(旧)キャプテン和田の劇的メタル: 第 230： 初登場！レディース・ギタリスト、Rie a.k.a. Suzaku". airplug.cocolog-nifty.com. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "MARTY FRIEDMAN × RIE A.K.A. SUZAKU SPECIAL INTERVIEW (Part 1)". Jackson Guitars Japan (in Japanese). 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 "MARTY FRIEDMAN × RIE A.K.A. SUZAKU SPECIAL INTERVIEW (Part 2)". Jackson Guitars Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "Rie A.K.A. Suzaku – Interview (Dual Language Interview)". The All Japan Show. 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 "Rie a.k.a Suzaku: Fantastical Guitarchitecture". Raijin Rock. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "New Album from Rie a.k.a. Suzaku". JaME. 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku Joins New Band". JaME. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "RiViNi". JaME. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "Debut Mini-Album from RiViNi". JaME. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "New Mini-Album from Rie a.k.a. Suzaku". JaME. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ↑ "Rie a.k.a. Suzaku at Metal Matsuri, London". JaME. 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2023-02-15.