Biography
Stage Name: JYONGRI (ジョンリ)
Real Name: Jyongri Cho (Korean: 초졍리 Cho Jyong Ri)
Birthday: 1988.09.30
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Blood Type: O
Height: 161cm (5'3.4")
Favorite Movies: Sister Act 1 & 2
Weaknesses: Sports, compliments, holding in a laugh, insects
Motto: "Don't worry, be happy!," "Your dreams will come true!," "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and to be loved in return."
First CD Bought: "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"
Favorite Artists: aiko, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, BoA, Dreams Come True, Jamie Cullum, Jewel, John Mayer, Ketsumeishi, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Norah Jones, Ozaki Yutaka, Sarah McLachlan, Spitz, Utada Hikaru, Whitney Houston.
Favorite Books: "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom, "1 Litre no Namida"
Jyongri comes from a multi-cultural background. Brought up in Osaka, she attended Osaka Senri International School (the same school that CORE OF SOUL vocalist Nakamura Fukiko attended) from when she was four until she was 18, hence becoming fluent in both English and Japanese. Where music was concerned, she started taking classical piano lessons at four years of age. Later she took up the violin (at age 10) and the guitar (at age 16) as well.
After seeing the Whoopi Goldberg films Sister Act and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit when she was eight years old, Jyongri developed an interest in gospel. It wasn't until Jyongri was 11 when she decided to become a singer; she started writing her own lyrics at this age.
In the summer of 2005, Jyongri traveled to Boston to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music for a five-week summer performance program. During this period Jyongri started to write her own music. Jyongri started working on her musical activities in June 2006 after graduating from Osaka Senri International School. In September a music video for a ballad titled Wherever started airing on music video channels, despite the fact that Jyongri had not debuted yet. In October, Jyongri enrolled in the famed Waseda University.
Two months after the enrollment, Jyongri released her debut single, Possession / My All For You. Possession is an upbeat dance track while My All For You is a ballad. The single itself featured nine tracks, including instrumentals, remixes and a cappella tracks. The single debuted at #16 on Oricon charts and so far has sold over 30,000 copies.
A second single was quickly announced with the mid-tempo Hop, Step, Jump! for February, and a debut album Close To Fantasy following it exactly a month after. Hop, Step, Jump! was not as successful as her debut, only ranking at #32 on the charts.
Her debut album, Close to Fantasy, was released in March 2007, peaking at #25 on Oricon Charts. The album has sold so far 30,000 copies.
A third single, Lullaby for You, was released in July, and peaked #12, her best position in Oricon to date. Lullaby for You is also the main theme of Square-Enix's videogame The World Ends With You. In January 30, 2008 she released her fourth single Kissing Me. The title track was used as ending theme for five TV programs in Japan. The single's B-side, "You're the One" was used as the ending theme for the TBS program "Yaradeki! Sekai Daichousen". The single featured an English version of her previous A-side "Lullaby for You" The single debuted at #11 on the Oricon chart and has since sold 11,513 copies.
Jyongri's next single was called "Unchanging Love: Kimi ga Ireba" and was released on June 4, 2008. "Unchanging Love: Kimi ga Ireba" was used as the ending theme for various TV programs around May to July 2008. "Unchanging Love: Kimi ga Ireba" debuted at #12 in Japan and has since sold a total of 21,496 copies. The single featured of cover of "Your Song", by Elton John. The single was soon followed by the release of Jyongri's second album "Love Forever" on July 2, 2008. The album outpeaked her debut album when it debuted at #17 on the Oricon chart. "Love Forever" sold 12,792 copies in its first week.
On December 3, 2008, Jyongri released her sixth single, "Winter Love Story". The title track was used as ending theme for various NTV programs from October to December 2008. The single featured two B-sides, "Tender Touch" and "Blue Destiny". "Tender Touch" had previously been released on her second album "Love Forever" as track two. "Blue Destiny" was the theme song for the movie "Yasashii Senritsu". "Winter Love Story" debuted at #31 on the Oricon chart.
Her next single, which debuted on April 29, 2009, "Maybe Someday", was used as the ending theme for NTV programs "Soukai Jouhou Variety Sukkiri!!" and "Countdown Document Byouyomi!" in April. "Special" is the CM song for DHC's "Platinum White Make-up Series", among other tie-ins. The single peaked at #23 in Japan and sold 4,290 in its first week. Jyongri released her eighth single "Muteki na Ai" (無敵な愛) on August 19th, 2009. The title track was be used as the theme song for the drama "Maid Deka" that started from June 26th, 2009. The single featured a piano version of Jyongri's previous single "Maybe Someday".