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Rikako Kakiuchi, born on July 31, 1980, in Higashiōsaka, Osaka, Japan, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. After spending her high school years working as a model, she won the first season of the Super Starlight Contest, in 1999, securing a recording contract with Giza Studio. In March 2000, Kakiuchi debuted as Rina Aiuchi with her first single "Close to Your Heart," the theme song for the Japanese animated TV series Monster Rancher. The single saw moderate success, reaching number 19 on the Oricon charts. Her eurobeat-inspired debut album, Be Happyt (2001), was certified gold in Japan and included the top-5 single "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense," the theme song for the anime series Case Closed. Aiuchi's second album, Power of Words, became her best-selling album, with over 419,000 copies sold in Japan, earning a platinum certification, and earning her a Japan Gold Disc Award for New Artist of the Year. Double A-side single "Sincerely Yours"/"Can You Feel the Power of Words?" followed shortly after and peaked at number 4. Aiuchi's third studio album, AIR, was released on October 15, 2003, along with its 6th single, "Kūki." The album became her second Number 1 hit and included five top-3 singles, such as "Deep Freeze," "Kaze no nai Umi de Dakishimete," and "Full Jump." The lead single from her fourth album, Playgirl, titled "Dream×Dream," released in April 2004, served as the theme song for the animated movie Detective Conan: Magician of the Silver Sky and peaked at number 6, while the album itself, peaked at number 7. Her next two albums, Delight (2006) and Trip (2008) attained similar success, coming in at number 4 and 10, respectively. After 2009 record Thanx failed to make the top 10, Kakiuchi announced her retirement from the music industry, releasing Last Scene, in September 2010, featuring farewell ballad "Hanabi." The album peaked at number 8. After a brief hiatus, Aiuchi resumed her musical activities in 2015, releasing the album Ring under the stage name R in 2020, which she later changed back to Rina Aiuchi in 2021. In May 2023, she released her 10th studio album Ring+.
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