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Rachel Rhodes, professionally known as Rei Yasuda, was born on April 15, 1993, in North Carolina, United States, relocating to Japan at the age of 3, where she attended an American school at Yokota Air Base. From a young age, Yasuda aspired to become a singer, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of artists including Hikaru Utada, Mariya Takeuchi, Love Psychedelico, Alicia Keys, and Usher. At the age of 13, she auditioned for a role in Genki Rockets' music video and was not only selected for the video but also recruited as a singer, becoming the image model for Lumi, the band's virtual vocalist, and collaborating with Nami Miyahara on vocals. Their debut single "Heavenly Star" and its accompanying music video gained recognition in the gaming community, featured in Lumines II and No More Heroes. The track was nominated for Best Song at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2006. Despite her junior high school's restrictions on performance activities, Yasuda continued her involvement with Genki Rockets, eventually transferring schools to pursue her activities more freely. After completing high school, Yasuda made the decision to commit to a full-time music career, switching agencies in 2013 and making her solo debut under Sony Records with her Japanese name, Rei Yasuda. Her debut single, "Best of My Love," served as the ending theme for Space Battleship Yamato 2199. Yasuda's first two albums, Will and Prism, achieved notable success on online charts and reached number 15 on the Oricon Albums charts, earning her a nomination for Best New Artist at the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015. In 2020, Yasuda released her third album, Re:I, which reached number 44. She followed this with the EP It’s You and her fourth album, Circle, in 2023, which peaked at number 52. In 2024, Yasuda made a comeback with her next album, Ray of Light, released on February 7, which spawned several singles including the title track as well as “Not the End” and “Circle”.
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