Riri Arai (荒井梨里, Arai Riri; born November 5, 1999), known mononymously as Riri (stylized as RIRI or RiRi), is a Japanese singer-songwriter. After winning a talent contest and being scouted by The Mic-a-holics, the agency that represents Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, she released her debut extended play I Love to Sing in 2016. Her second EP Rush was released in 2017, debuting and peaking at number 70 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums Chart. Shortly after, Sony Music Entertainment Japan offered Riri a record contract and she soon was signed to Sony Music Associated Records. Her eponymous major label debut studio album was released in 2018, followed by her second studio album Neo later that year. Riri's fourth EP, the Summertime EP was released in May 2019, serving as her final release under Sony Music Japan.
Early life and career
Riri started singing at 4 years old, inspired by American R&B acts such as Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston. In 2011, she won the Next Generation Star singing competition hosted by David Foster. In 2012 she attended The Dream Support Project Award in New York City, making it her first performance in the US. In July 2016, she debuted officially as a singer under The Mic-a-holics Inc., which also manages singer-songwriter Ai, who produced her first official single, "Gold" and her debut extended play, I Love to Sing.
