About
Coronavirus, wars, natural disasters …
It has become more and more difficult to feel
a sense ofpeace and normality these days.
We wanted to do something in our own way to make a difference.
"Let's light someone else's candle through the power of songs and music"
With that in mind, we launched this project.
May this song reach someone, you, and everyone.
Message
We could no longer do the everyday, normal things.
We could not go out to see the people we wanted to see.
But this also allowed us to be grateful for the love of our friends
and family, the warmth of being close to each other,
and for each day that we are here, alive.
So in order to spread our message
"May your future be full of hope"
we began weaving our voices together.
"Thankful" 2022.3.26 Release
Member
After graduating from high school, Ai studied musical theatre in New York City. The following year, in 1998, she passed the audition to join the Shiki Theatre Company, one of Japan's best-known and largest theatre companies. She performed key roles in world-class Broadway musicals, such as Sophie in “Mamma Mia”, Nala in “Lion King”, /Griddlebone, Rumpleteazer, Jemima in “Cats”, Tylette the cat in “The Blue Bird”, and Patsy in “Crazy For You”.
Ai left Shiki Theatre Company in 2009 and is currently an exclusively contracted singer at a major theme-park hotel. Ai also works as a choreographer and artistic director on TV Tokyo’s variety show, “The God Tongue” for Gekidan Hitori.
Minori was born to a German-American father and a Japanese mother in Japan. In 2001, she entered the Nagoya University of Arts Music Division Vocal Performance Course, but as she passed the audition to join the Shiki Theatre Company the following year, at age nineteen, she left the university. She has starred in “Lion King'' as Nala, in “Aida” as Aida and in “Wicked” as Elphaba. After performing a lead role in “The Shiki Theatre Company’s Song & Dance 55 STEPS” in 2010, Minori left the company. In the same year, she got married and moved to Germany. She performed on the German Broadway in “Wicked~Die Hexen von OZ~” and toured in “Cats” as Tantomile (AKA Cassandra), Demeter, and Grizabella in 2011, and played Anita in “West Side Story” at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2012.
Currently, she lives in Mississippi, in the United States. While she performs on numerous stages and events as a guest singer, she is also a sought-after zumba instructor. She is the co-founder of “Madam Momotaro'', an online Japanese playgroup, teaching Japanese language and culture to young children around the world, through arts, read-alouds, songs, and dance.
Born in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. She played the oboe in a brass band, and trained in color guard and won the grand prix when she was in high school. She always dreamt of becoming a performer on stage and
studied singing and dancing under Mary Rogers in New York and Maurice Clarke in London.
After joining the Shiki Theater Company, she was selected as the heroine of “The Lion King”, Nala on her first stage. She played Diana Morales in “A Chorus Line” (Japan’s national tour, 23 cities), Griddlebone-Jellylorum in “Cats”, and performed approximately 300 stages per year. Aki left the Company in 2015.
Currently, she works in a wide range of capacities, including singing at live performances, hosting radio programs, working as a voice-actor (character and narration), as well as a communication consultant for Japanese companies.
Yushio was inspired by music because of her father, who is a guitarist. By the time she was in high school, she began to seriously pursue a career in music. She graduated from Musashino Arts University with a Degree of Visual Communications Design. In 2006, Yushio debuted as an indie artist from Marvelous Entertainment Inc.. Her music was chosen as a theme song for a Nintendo game software. She continued on to release three albums and analog records with Marvelous. Then in 2009, she debuted from a major label, EMI Music Japan, as vocalist and lyricist of the electro artist unit, LIL. LIL’s songs were featured in numerous TV commercials, and they collaborated with many well-known artists. After LIL broke up in 2013, Yushio worked as a freelance music producer, composer and lyricist for other artists, including famous Japanese idols and voice-over talents. Simultaneously, she continued to produce her own songs as “Yushio”, which had a theme focused on families and children. Currently, as a co-founder of Okannooto, she collaborates with an extensive variety of artists, such as musical singers, storytellers, and illustrators from around the world. Recent collaborations lead to completion of English songs, bilingual nursery rhymes, music for picture books, and songs for children and local after school programs. In 2022, she released a new album “Yushio-Uta+”.
Karen was only three years old when she began hula dance. When she was ten, she won 1st place at a hula dance competition in Hawaii. Then at age twelve, she won the national hula dance competition in Japan.
While in middle school, Karen joined JOY Kids’ Theater, a musical theater school, where the founders emphasized “finding one’s unique talent that only he/she can bring to the world” by nurturing curiosity and providing ample opportunities to meet new people through musicals.
In 2020, when Karen was in 9th grade, she played Toffee in “The Bears’ School,” a musical based on a popular picture book. Karen loves to sing, and she is often seen performing on Instagram Live as “EriKaren” with her guitarist friend. She is well versed in many genres of music including J-pop, Japanese golden oldie, Western Pop and has many fans and followers. Karen is not only talented in performing arts, but also good at soccer and has an irresistible beautiful smile. She will start her senior year in high school this spring.
Born in Kyoto, Japan. Tomo became a child actor at Himawari Theatre Group from the age of fourteen and studied musical theatre. While at International Christian University (03), she worked on various film and theatre projects. Upon graduation, she became an actor at Shiki Theatre Company. Her notable works between 2003-2010 include Crazy For You, Westside Story, Mamma Mia, among others. She left Shiki Theatre Company to give birth to her first child, then moved to Jakarta with her growing family. While raising three TCKs in Jakarta, she kept creating musicals on stage as a writer, director and performer with other talents she met in Jakarta. Upon here return to Japan, Tomo joined Theatre Banana to perform in varieties of interactive plays for young children. Her interest in early education pushes her to get certified as a childcare worker in Japan. Co-founder of Okannooto.
<Thankful credit>
Music Producer (Songwriting, Arrangement) : YUSHIO
Lyrics : Hiroko Nagata Bell / Yajitomo / YUSHIO
Singer : Ai Taniuchi/ Aki Kumamoto/ Minori Therrien Imai / KAREN / Yajitomo / YUSHIO
Chorus：Gro-Wing / DOTABATA-BOYS / MINORI's kids school
Project Management : Akiko Fujii（okannooto）