KOTOKO

Kotoko Horikawa is a lucid-voiced electronic J-pop singer and songwriter who performs as KOTOKO. A native of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, she's pursued a singing career from childhood, frequently auditioning until she won a spot in 2000 as one of several female vocalists for the trance outfit I've Sound, known for their video game music and anime series theme songs. That same year, she released her debut album, Sora o Tobetara. After signing with label Rondorobe (a Geneon Universal Entertainment imprint) in 2004, she released a second J-pop album, Hane, which included re-recordings of much of her debut. It was followed by 2005's Garasu no Kaze, 2006's Umu-maki, and 2009's Epsilon no Fune. During this time, she wrote many songs for video games and anime series as part of her media contract, including opening themes for Hayate the Combat Butler, as well as the techno-steeped song "Screw" for the 2009 live-action film Assault Girls. In 2010, she left Rondorobe and I've Sound, and signed with Warner in 2011. That fall, she released Hiraku Uchu Poketto, which was followed by 2013's Kuchu Puzzle. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi