Yukika, Our Generation's City Pop Queen

City pop derives from ‘80s Japanese pop music and has easily influenced artists all over the globe, even regaining popularity in our current generation. There are even K-Pop songs that have been inspired by the retro sounds found in city pop. One artist in particular, YUKIKA, combines her smooth vocals with a blend of city pop-inspired music in a way that easily makes her our generation’s “City Pop Queen.” Through her diverse career, YUKIKA has left a mark in the entertainment industry before becoming the artist she is today. Here's some background about YUKIKA!

Early Career 

Yukika Teramoto, from Shuzuoka, Japan, began her career in 2006 where she was an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Nicola for three years. In 2007, she entered the entertainment field with her acting debut in the live-action adaptation of ChocoMimi and released songs like “Happy Happy!” for her character in the adaptation. In 2008, YUKIKA continued on and made her film debut in Handsome Suits in a small role and appeared in various commercials from Pocari Sweat to Otsuka Pharmaceutical ads. From 2009 to 2012, YUKIKA continued in entertainment by pursuing voice acting in various anime and video games like K-ON!, Dog Days, and Gal Gun. However, she went on hiatus in 2012 to attend university and resigned from her company, I’m Enterprise, Co., to pursue her education. 

Pre-Debut

By 2015, YUKIKA returned to the entertainment industry with more appearances in commercials and stage plays. However, she had her eyes on a different part of the entertainment field. 

In 2016, she auditioned for The Idolmaster KR, the South Korean drama adaptation of the original Japanese game series, and was the only Japanese cast member selected for the program. In addition to her role on the program, she was part of the Real Girls Project, a Korean idol group formed for the drama with 10 members. Aside from the drama, she was a contestant on the 2017 competition show Mix Nine with the members of Real Girls Project, where she finished at No. 34. Unfortunately in 2018, Real Girls Project disbanded and YUKIKA left her company, Mole Entertainment, to sign with the label Estimate Entertainment. By 2018, YUKIKA was cast as the supporting character Yui for the South Korean web drama Hello, Stranger! as well as voiced characters Athena and Palas and sang the new theme song for the mobile game, Destiny Child. 

Debut

In 2019, Estimate Entertainment revealed that YUKIKA would be debuting as a solo artist and releasing her first digital single soon. On February 22, 2019, YUKIKA released her debut Korean single “NEON,” a track that contained a new retro style and city pop-inspired sound that would soon influence her ongoing discography. 

Since her debut, she released the tracks “Cherries Jubiles” and “Yesterday” in addition to her first Korean studio album SOUL LADY. However, on November 30, 2020, she terminated her contract with her label and signed with Ubuntu Entertainment a month later. She released her first mini-album titled timeabout on March 25, 2021 featuring the title track “Insomnia” and pre-release single, “Lovemonth.” 

With the tracks she’s released in the entirety of her career, fans are quick to remember her for immersing city pop into her Korean tracks and excelling with this style of music. In each of her music videos, she makes use of the stylistic aesthetic, fashion, and visuals that were popularized in city pop. In addition to the visuals, it’s undeniable how nostalgic her vocals sound. Her rapid popularity as a solo artist even led to her receiving two nominations at the 2021 Korean Music Awards: “Best Pop Album” and “Best Pop Song.” For her most recent update, YUKIKA released the Japanese version of “Insomnia” in May 2021, which she translated herself, and a track featuring Pat Lok titled “The Moment” in July. 

Overall, with her multitude of skills, YUKIKA’s talent is no surprise for anyone. There's no doubt that she can take the music industry by storm with her romantic vocals and city pop visuals that are like no other of this generation. 

YUMIZ can continue to show support for YUKIKA by streaming her music on Spotify and YouTube Music or following her on Instagram! Check out the music video for the Korean version of "Insomnia" below!