Ringo Sheena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ringo Sheena
椎名 林檎
Ringo Sheena at the 2016 Space Shower Music Video Awards
Born	Yumiko Shiina (1978-11-25) November 25, 1978 (age 46) Urawa-ku, Saitama, Japan
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician
Years active	1998–2003, 2006–present
Spouse(s)	Junji Yayoshi ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2002)​ Yuichi Kodama
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	J-pop rock punk art pop jazz experimental avant-garde electronica
Instruments	piano guitar drums bass guitar koto melodica shamisen
Labels	Eastworld Virgin EMI

Yumiko Shiina (椎名 裕美子, Shiina Yumiko, born November 25, 1978), known as Ringo Sheena (椎名 林檎, Shiina Ringo), is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and musician. She is also the leader and main singer of the band Tokyo Jihen.

She describes her style as a "Shinjuku-style writer-performer." In 2003, HMV ranked her among Japan's top 100 musicians.

Ringo Sheena's Early Life

Ringo Sheena was born with a health condition affecting her throat. She had several operations to fix this. These surgeries left scars on her shoulder blades. People sometimes said these scars looked like an angel's wings had been removed.

Starting Her Solo Music Career

Ringo Sheena released her first song, "Kōfukuron", in May 1998. She was 19 years old. After that, she released "Kabukichō no Joō" and "Koko de Kiss Shite". The last one became her first big hit song.

Her first album, Muzai Moratorium, came out in February 1999. It was very popular. Another song, "Honnō", was released as a single. Ringo Sheena filmed its music video in a hospital.

She released two more singles, "Gips" and "Tsumi to Batsu", at the same time. This was before her second album, Shōso Strip, came out in March 2000.

Ringo Sheena had thought about stopping her solo career after three albums. She was one of Japan's most popular female artists. But she didn't like being seen as just a pop star. She wanted to try different kinds of music.

In 2001, she released the single "Mayonaka wa Junketsu". Its music video looked like an old-style cartoon about a spy. In 2002, she released an album called Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi. This album had her singing other artists' songs.

Her third original album, Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana, was released in 2003.

Her last solo single was "Ringo no Uta" ("Apple Song"). A TV show for children, Minna no Uta, used this song. The music video for "Ringo no Uta" showed parts from all her past videos.

Forming the Band Tokyo Jihen

On May 31, 2004, Ringo Sheena started a band called Tokyo Jihen (東京事変, Tōkyō Jihen). This name means "Tokyo Incidents."

The first members of Tokyo Jihen were Ringo Sheena (singing, guitar), Mikio Hirama (guitar), Seiji Kameda (bass guitar), H Zett M (keyboard), and Toshiki Hata (drums). The band first played during Ringo Sheena's "Sugoroku Ecstasy" tour.

In 2005, Mikio Hirama and H Zett M left the band. Two new members joined: Ryosuke Nagaoka (also known as Ukigumo) on guitar, and Ichiyo Izawa on keyboards. The band released their second album with the new members in January 2006. They also played big concerts in Osaka and Tokyo.

Returning to Solo Music

In late 2006, Ringo Sheena announced she would start working on solo music again. She became the Music Director for the 2007 movie Sakuran. Her album Heisei Fūzoku (2007) is the soundtrack for this film.

She also wrote music for a kabuki play called Sannin Kichisa in 2007. Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater.

Ringo Sheena has written songs for other Japanese artists. In 2008, she wrote two songs for the boy band Tokio. In 2009, she wrote music for the rock duo Puffy AmiYumi.

In March 2009, Ringo Sheena received an award for her art from the Japanese government. In May, she released a solo song called "Ariamaru Tomi". This song was used as the theme for a TV drama called Smile. In June, she released her solo album Sanmon Gossip.

Ringo Sheena's Music Style

Ringo Sheena is a talented musician and songwriter. She creates music that uses many different styles. She is known for her unique style and for making music videos with cool visuals.

She plays rhythm guitar most of the time. But she can also play other instruments. In live shows, she sometimes plays the piano or bass guitar. When recording, she might play piano and drums. She also uses unusual instruments like a melodica and a shamisen.

How She Got Her Stage Name

When Ringo Sheena auditioned in 1996, she used the name "Sheena Ringo" for the first time. "Ringo" means "apple" in Japanese. She said she got the nickname "Ringo" in school because she often blushed. She also got inspiration from the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.

She recently said she also liked how her favorite manga artist, Sensha Yoshida, chose his pen name. His first name is also an object, like "Ringo" (Sensha means "tank"). She thought her name would surprise people.

Awards and Achievements

Ringo Sheena has won many awards for her music and videos. Here are some of them:

Ringo Sheena's Family Life

Ringo Sheena's older brother, Junpei Shiina, is also a musician. He sings R&B music. They have worked together on songs many times. For example, they sang duets and covered English songs.

In November 2000, Ringo Sheena married guitarist Junji Yayoshi. He played in her band. They had a son in July 2001. They later divorced in January 2002.

In 2013, Ringo Sheena announced that she had given birth to her second child, a daughter, in the spring of 2013. She had kept it private at the time because it was close to a new song release.

Ringo Sheena's Music Albums

• Muzai Moratorium (1999)
• Shōso Strip (2000)
• Utaite Myōri (2002)
• Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana (2003)
• Heisei Fūzoku (2007)
• Sanmon Gossip (2009)
• Gyakuyunyū: Kōwankyoku (2014)
• Hi Izuru Tokoro (2014)
• Gyakuyunyū: Kōkūkyoku (2017)
• Sandokushi (2019)
• Carnival (2024)

Concerts and Music Tours

Tours

• Senkō Ecstasy (1999)
• Manabiya Ecstasy (1999)
• Gekokujō Xstasy (2000)
• Gokiritsu Japon (2000)
• Sugoroku Ecstasy (2003)
• Dai Ikkai Ringo-han Taikai: Adults Only (2005)
• (Nama) Ringo-haku '08: Jūshūnen Kinen-sai (2008)
• Tōtaikai: Heisei Nijūgo-nen Kaneyama-chō Taikai (2013)
• Hantaikai: Heisei Nijūgo-nen Hamarikyū Taikai (2013)
• Chotto Shita Recohatsu 2014 (2014)
• Ringo Haku '14: Toshionna no Gyakushū (2014)
• Shiina Ringo to Kyatsura ga Yuku Hyakkiyakō 2015 (2015)
• Shiina Ringo to Kyatsura no Iru Shinkūchitai (2018)
• (Nama) Ringo Haku' 18: Fuwaku no Yoyū (2018)

One-off concerts

• Zazen Ecstasy (2000)
• Baishō Ecstasy (2003)

See also

• Tokyo Jihen
• Space Shower Music Awards