Juju

Juju emerged as a Japanese R&B performer whose early grounding in jazz and direct immersion in the American music world set her apart, even among peers who often followed a similar path in R&B and hip-hop. At age 12 she developed a passion for jazz, and six years later she left Kyoto behind for New York, absorbing a wide range of sounds from the city’s thriving scene. Her first appearances as a guest vocalist occurred in 2001, followed by a contribution to the soundtrack of the film Kyouki no Sakura in 2002. The solo debut single “Hikaru no Naka E.” arrived in 2004, a period when she was already playing live dates across Japan. Despite these activities, both 2004 releases underperformed commercially and prompted a temporary pause in recording. The single “Kiseki wo Nozomu Nara...” from 2006 finally registered on the charts, peaking at number 85 while simultaneously holding the top spot on the USEN chart for an unprecedented 22 weeks. Four subsequent singles, along with the EPs Open Your Heart (Sugao no Mama De) in 2007 and My Life in 2008, likewise failed to move significant units, even though they were tied to projects such as the anime series Mononoke and the video game Valkyria Chronicles. Her first full-length release, Wonderful Life (2007), reached number 13 and marked her initial entry into the Top 20, yet broader success remained elusive. Momentum shifted decisively when she appeared on the Spontania track “Kimi no Subete Ni” in 2008; that collaboration surpassed three million downloads. Capitalizing on the exposure, Juju’s own single “Sunao ni Naretara,” again featuring Spontania, climbed to number 6 and accumulated two and a half million downloads. The follow-up album What’s Love? (2009) entered the chart at number 3 and moved 254,000 copies, while the 2009 single “Ashita ga Kuru Nara,” recorded with Jay’ed, added another 143,000 units. In 2010 the self-titled third album debuted at number 2 on the Oricon ranking, supported by two preceding singles that achieved moderate sales.