Tomiko Van

Tomiko Van
Tomiko Van in Shibuya with Do As Infinity members
Background information
Native name	伴 都美子
Also known as	Ban-chan
Born	January 9, 1979 Yamato, Kumamoto, Japan
Genres	J-pop Rock Jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1999–2005, 2008–present (Do As Infinity) 2005–present (solo)
Labels	Avex Trax
Associated acts	Do As Infinity
Website	avex.jp/van/prof/index.html

Tomiko Van (伴 都美子 Ban Tomiko, born January 9, 1979), is a Japanese J-pop singer and occasional actress, as well as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split.

Career

Do As Infinity

Beginnings as solo artist

Tomiko Van began as a solo artist while she was with Do As Infinity with the song "Again", which appeared on the charity album Song Nation, and later in 2003 with the song "Drive me nuts", which was recorded for trance DJs project Cyber X. Van also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company Lavenus.^[1]

2005

After Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax, Van's label, announced that the singer was going solo.^[2]

2006

In 2006, Van made her debut as a solo artist with her album Farewell. Singles were not released prior to her album, released in March 2006. Her first official single as a solo artist, "Flower", was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top ten of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, "Senkō", in September, and "Yumeji", a late November release.

2007

2007 started out with Van's first cover album titled Voice: Cover You With Love. The album was Van's only release that year. Tomiko van also acted in a movie Heat Island

2008

In 2008, Van's third album and second cover album, Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock, was released in March. In this album, she covered songs performed by male artists, such as Spitz and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one-year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at number 10 on the first day of release. Van's fourth solo single, "Tokyo Biyori", was released on June 18, 2008.^[3] Her second original album, Van, was released in December 2008.

On September 29, 2008, Do As Infinity officially reunited as a band, and released a four-track single on June 17, 2009.

Personal life

Van married a man four years her junior in September 2012, first publicly announcing her marriage at a Do As Infinity concert at Shibuya AX in Tokyo on September 29.^[4] As of 2016 she is the mother of two children.^[5][6]

Discography

Singles

Information	Sales
"Flower" Released: June 7, 2006 Oricon Top 200 daily peak: 7 Oricon Top 200 weekly peak: 10 Weeks on chart: 6	24,230 copies sold
"Senkō" Released: September 27, 2006 Oricon Top 200 Daily peak: 8 Oricon Top 200 Weekly peak: 14 Weeks on chart: 4	13,860 copies sold
"Yumeji" Released: November 29, 2006 Oricon Top 200 Daily peak: 10 Oricon Top 200 Weekly peak: 14 Weeks on chart: 3	10,237 copies sold
"Tokyo Biyori" Released: June 18, 2008 Oricon Top 200 Daily peak: 9 Oricon Top 200 Weekly peak: 18 Weeks on chart: 3	10,500 copies sold

Albums

Information	Sales
Farewell Released: March 29, 2006 Oricon Top 200 weekly peak: 7 Weeks on chart: 10 Oricon Daily Chart: 5	45,409 copies sold
Voice: Cover You With Love Released: March 28, 2007 Oricon Top 200 weekly peak: 22 Weeks on chart: 4 Oricon Daily Chart: 13	14,581 copies sold
Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock Released: March 5, 2008 Oricon Top 200 weekly peak: 28 Weeks on chart:4 Oricon Daily Chart: 10	7,979 copies sold
Van. Released: December 10, 2008 Oricon Top 200 weekly peak: 28 Weeks on chart: 4 Oricon Daily Chart: 9	8,852 copies sold

Music videos

Year	Song	Director
2006	"Flower"	Masaki Ookita
	"Hold Me..."	Ten Shimoyama
	"Farewell"	Naoto Kumasawa
	"Senkō" (閃光, Flash of Light)	Hiroshi Usui
	"Yumeji" (夢路, Dream Road)	Wataru Takeishi
2007	"Yoru ni Kizutsuite" (夜に傷ついて, Hurt in the Night)	Wataru Takeishi
2008	"Cherry"	Ryuuji Seki
	"Tokyo Biyori" (東京日和, Tokyo Weather)	Ryuuji Seki

Featured and collaborative releases

• "Drive Me Nuts" (Cyber X feat. Tomiko Van)
• "Truth'94 -Meets Tomiko Van-" (cover version of TRF's original song)
• "Again" (various artists album, Song Nation, an Avex project consisting of collaborations between many different Avex artists)
• "Music Flower" (Kohey Tsuchiya & various artists)
• "Velvet" (Kikkawa Kouji)

References

1. "Do As Infinity Stories". TV.com. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
2. "Tomiko Van's official profile" (in Japanese). Avex Group. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
3. "News section at Tomiko Van's official website" (in Japanese). Avex Group. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
4. "Do As Infinity's Van Tomiko announces her marriage". Tokyohive. Theory Media, LLC. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
5. "Do As Infinity's Tomiko Van Gives Birth To 2nd Child". JpopAsia. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
6. "Do As Infinity's Van Tomiko announces her pregnancy". Tokyohive. Theory Media, LLC. 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2014-06-14.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Tomiko Van at the Internet Movie Database