Rihwa

Rihwa
リファ
Rihwa; リファ
Born	October 4, 1989 (age 35)
Origin	Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Genres	J-pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Singing, acoustic guitar
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Toy's Factory (2012–present)
Website	www.rihwa.net

Rihwa (リファ) (born October 4, 1989 as Pak Rihwa (Korean: 박리화; Kanji: 朴梨華; Japanese: パク・リファ Paku Rifa) is a Japanese pop singer. She is represented by Toy's Factory and managed by Amuse, Inc.

Biography

Rihwa was born and raised in Sapporo until she graduated junior high school. She is considered to be Zainichi Korean.^[1] She then went on to study overseas in Belleville, Ontario for her high school education. She returned to Japan in 2009 after she graduated.^[2] She started her career as a singer by releasing her first of three singles entitled 'Private' on May 18, 2010^[3] In January 2012 Rihwa release her first album "private #0" and moved to Tokyo to launch her career.^[4]

On April 20, 2012 it was announced that Rihwa had been signed to major label Toy's Factory.^[5] She then made her major label debut with the single 'CHANGE'.

Discography

Singles

Title	Release Date	Peak chart positions
Title	Release Date	Oricon^[6]	Japan Hot 100^[7]
Indie Label
"Private #1"	May 18, 2010	—	—
"Private #2"	December 8, 2010	—	—
"Private #3"	June 8, 2011	—	—
Major Label
"Change"	July 11, 2012	68	24
"Promise" (約束)	October 3, 2012	14	30
Hide and Seek with a Monster/GOOD LOVE with Michelle Branch (モンスターのかくれんぼ)	February 20, 2013	80	55
"Last Love"	June 5, 2013	13	9
"Spring Breeze" (春風)	February 26, 2014	7	2
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. "×" denotes periods where charts did not exist or were not archived.

Albums

Release Date	Title	Format	Peak Position
Indie Label
January 1, 2012	private#0	CD	—
Major Label
April 2, 2014	Borderless	CD, CD&DVD, Digital	10

References

^ "言葉と関係なくつながれることに感動 Rihwa デビューシングル「CHANGE」" (in Japanese). MSN Sankei News. July 18, 2012. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "Rihwaオフィシャルサイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "RihwaがインディーズラストCDを元旦リリース" (in Japanese). Ule Pia Research Institute. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ 札幌発カナダ経由のワールドワイドシンガーソングライター (in Japanese). SAPPORO MUSIC NAKED. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "Rihwa（リファ）、札幌発カナダ経由のシンガーソングライターメジャーデビュー決定" (in Japanese). BARKS. April 23, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2014. (subscription only)
^ "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2014.

External links

[1] "言葉と関係なくつながれることに感動 Rihwa デビューシングル「CHANGE」" (in Japanese). MSN Sankei News. July 18, 2012. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[2] "Rihwaオフィシャルサイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[3] "RihwaがインディーズラストCDを元旦リリース" (in Japanese). Ule Pia Research Institute. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[4] 札幌発カナダ経由のワールドワイドシンガーソングライター (in Japanese). SAPPORO MUSIC NAKED. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[5] "Rihwa（リファ）、札幌発カナダ経由のシンガーソングライターメジャーデビュー決定" (in Japanese). BARKS. April 23, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[Oricon-6] "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2014. (subscription only)

[Billboard-7] "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]