Hitoe Arakaki
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- In this Japanese name, the family name is Arakaki.
| HITOE | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hitoe Arakaki |
| Born | April 7, 1981  Okinawa, Japan |
| Genre(s) | J-pop, Pop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, artist, yoga instructor |
| Years active | 1996-2000 (SPEED) 1999-2003 (Solo) |
| Label(s) | Toys Factory / Avex |
| Associated acts | SPEED |
Hitoe Arakaki (新垣仁絵 Arakaki Hitoe?) (born April 7, 1981) was the oldest member of the JPop group SPEED, which disbanded in 2000. She was born in Okinawa, Japan, and is also known purely by her first name, HITOE. During the Speed days, she was popularly known for her enthusiastic dancing as well as her wild and eccentric hairstyles.
In 1999, Hitoe released her first solo single, "INORI", which topped the Oricon charts at number 2. On December 2002, she released her second single "I Got You" and the album I'll Do It My Way. Besides, INORI all tracks on the album were co-written by her. In February 2003, she released her third single, "I'll Do It My Way".
Hitoe is also known as an artist. Unlike her fellow band members who all continued on with their music careers, upon the disbandment of Speed, Hitoe moved to New York City to attend art school. Hitoe once admitted that whilst attending art school she would often paint things contrary to the assignments set by her instructors due to her lack of English comprehension. She is an accomplished artist known for her trademark graffiti styled paintings often depicting members from minority societies. She has published an art book called "Vibe Art", and has held private exhibitions in Tokyo and New York. Her work has also been featured on the covers of various American Hip Hop compilation cds.
Hitoe also became active in yoga in which she has obtained the license to teach yoga in Japan. In June of 2007, she published a book and DVD combo of yoga lessons. Hitoe is currently teaching yoga in Shibuya, Japan's Star Light Studio.
Hitoe plays the drums and saxophone. She shares the same birthday as fellow SPEED member Hiroko Shimabukuro, who is three years younger than her.
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