Do any of you know a music group called “EGOIST”? With Inori Yuzuriha on lead vocals, the group made their major debut in Winter of 2011. Inori Yuzuriha is a persona voiced by singer chelly, who has a relaxing yet stout singing voice. The group have released a total of 6 singles to date, all of which have entered the Top 10. They never fail to gain tremendous support from their listeners. Some of you reading this might feel a little uncomfortable. That’s right. The truth is, EGOIST are a fictional band that were born from a certain title. Let us take a look at the true identity of this girl.
The Existence of “Inori Yuzuriha”, the Heroine
Inori Yuzuriha is the vocalist of the popular internet group EGOIST in the anime series “Guilty Crown” which originally aired on noitaminA. The story tells of protagonist Shu Ouma who encounters the girl singer, and the adventure begins from there.
The person in charge of the sound production was none other than ryo of the famous music group supercell, who has created many popular Vocaloid songs with the Hatsune Miku voicebank, such as “Melt” and “Black★Rock Shooter”.
Additionally, the original illustrations for the anime were provided by popular illustrator Redjuice, who is also a member of supercell. However, the requests for both ryo and Redjuice to participate in the project were very different.
Vocalist chelly was even picked as top in a supercell vocal audition in June 2011. She was only 17 at the time she was chosen, but Inori was fittingly 16-years old, so her age was perfect.
Her refreshing voice was amply demonstrated in their first single “Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~” which also served as the ending theme for the series.
chelly’s whispering-like voice that sounds like she is talking develops through the first and second verses of the song as the sound gradually becomes more and more dramatic, and when the chorus drops we are hit with an overwhelming climax as chilly sings at the top of her voice, almost as if had been pent up and is now gushing out. She manages to synchronise perfectly with character Inori Yuzuriha, whose mysterious aura and expressionless face is brought to liberation with through the singing.
The details regarding Inori’s personality and her role in the series are a spoiler so I won’t mention them here, but her persuasive power that comes from her charisma lies in chelly’s vocals.
The Girl from the Scenario: Toward a Unique Artist
Just when people wondered if the her project was really going to end there after Guilty Crown had finished airing, it was announced that they would be providing the ending theme for the anime series “PSYCHO-PASS”, which also aired on noitaminA. But it was not to be chelly performing as an individual artist, but in fact her continuation as part of EGOIST.
It can be said that this example as seen from the music market nowadays is unprecedented with its blurring of both a real world and fantasy artist/idols.
There have been examples of characters in stories that are musicians that have gone on to become very popular in the real world. For example, the talented singer May’n grew popular as a result of providing the singing voice for the “Galactic Fairy” Sheryl Nome from the Sci-fi anime series “Macross Frontier”. There were subsequently many live performances held to celebrate Sheryl, however it wasn’t Sheryl’s name that graced people for each one, but May’n’s.
It is a rare thing for the vocalist in charge to not reveal their face to the point where even after the series has finished airing, the original character’s face is used as the lead member.
Experiencing a Fantastical Live Performance
As new songs continued to be released, the curtain to a new stage was lifted for EGOIST as they began their march to delivering energetic live performances, starting with Anime Festival Asia Singapore back in 2013.
The show was publicised as a fictional artist who was to perform. The performance made use of a screen that displayed the 2D anime character, completely captivating the enchanted audience. However, EGOIST did not stop there.
They used real-time CG synthesis system “LiveAR” and high precision motion capture system “MVN” to link together chelly’s movements with Inori Yuzuriha in real time, which successfully enhanced the realism of Inori on stage.
Talk of EGOIST is constantly growing. They toured live houses around Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka throughout 2014, and held their first one-man live overseas in Hong Kong in 2015.
They have started this year’s tour “EGOIST Greeting Tour 2016” already, beginning on May 4th. It is predicted that they will gain a lot more slaves to their music this time around too.
EGOIST aren’t supported solely for their uniqueness.
ryo creates the music and chelly sings.
And their charming synergy with Inori Yuzuriha and her charisma also gains them countless fans.
Their ability to be so well-received may as a result of all of this may very be what makes them different from regular artists.
EGOIST are certainly a “living” virtual artist. Their new single “KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS” will be hitting shelves on May 25th, so be sure to check it out!
EGOIST http://www.egoist-inori.jp/
Original Text: Kakoi (SHUTTER)
RELATED ENTRIES
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Niconico Chokaigi 2020 is set to run from April 12 to 19, and online tickets have now gone live for the opening acts: Hatsune Miku and EGOIST.
Niconico Chokaigi is an annual festival held by Japan’s largest video streaming site "Niconico" which aims to recreate Niconico's virtual world in real life. The event is a melting pot of Japan's internet culture and the biggest internet festival in the country. It teams up with various media platforms and businesses to further promote Japan's internet culture to the people. Hatsune Miku are set to perform as the opening acts on the first day of the festival, April 12, at 17:00 (JST) and 19:00 (JST) respectively. Information
Niconico Chokaigi 2020 Supported by NTT
Running: April 12, 2020 – April 19, 2020開催日時:2020年4月12日(日)〜19日(日)
Official Website: https://chokaigi.jp/
Opening Act 1 | April 12, 2020 @ 17:00
Niconico Chokaigi 2020 x HATSUNE MIKU LIVE – UNTITLED 0 –
Watch Here: https://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv325003070
Buy Tickets: https://secure.live.nicovideo.jp/event/lv325003070
Ticket Price: 4,800 Niconico points (¥4,800 including tax)
Ticket Window: April 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 at 23:59 (JST)Opening Act 2 | April 12, 2020 @ 19:00
Niconico Chokaigi 2020 x EGOIST LIVE TOUR 2020 side-A「chrysalizion code 404」
Watch Here: https://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv324988333
Buy Tickets: https://secure.live.nicovideo.jp/event/lv324988333
Ticket Price: 3,000 Niconico points (¥3,000 including tax)Ticket Window: April 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 at 23:59 (JST)
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EGOIST, produced by ryo (supercell) have announced that they will release their ninth single Sakase ya Sakase on May 15, 2019. The record will be released in three editions: a Limited Pressing Edition which comes with anime packaging, a Limited Edition which comes with original merchandise, and a Regular Edition. The single's title track Sakase ya Sakase will be used as the main theme for the upcoming anime film Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato which is releasing on May 10, 2019. Described as a "killer tune," the song was performed during the group's ongoing fan club tour EGOIST showcase*005 and plunges EGOIST into new musical territory with the use of traditional Japanese instruments that reflect the animated film. The tour was set to end at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo on March 31, but due to demand from the tickets selling out a follow-up show will take place at the same venue on April 6.
The other tracks on the single include a cover of the traditional English nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down as well as The Everlasting Guilty Crown Nightcore mix, a remix of one of the duo's most famous songs from their early days. The illustration above released for the new record was drawn by redjuice. Information
Sakase ya Sakase
First Press Limited Edition (CD+DVD+GOODS): ¥3,000 (Tax Included) [VVCL-1440〜1442]
Regular Edition (CD-Only): ¥1,300 (Tax Included) [VVCL-1443]
Limited Pressing Edition (CD+DVD): ¥1,800 (Tax Included) [VVCL-1444~1445]Fan Club Tour
2019/3/31 @ Zepp DiverCity Tokyo (OPEN 16:00 / START 17:00) *SOLD OUT
2019/4/6 @ Zepp DiverCity Tokyo (OPEN 16:00 / START 17:00) *Additional show added due to demandEGOIST Official Website: http://www.egoist-inori.jp/
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Pop music duo EGOIST produced by member Ryo (Supercell) released their greatest hits album Greatest Hits 2011-2017 "Alter Ego" at the end of last year which has gone on to perform successfully in both the physical and digital versions. Songwriter Ryo and vocalist Chelly performed at Kitec-Star Hall in Hong Kong on June 23. At the very end of the show, they announced a 2018 Asia tour which earned wild applause from the crowd.
The venue was packed with 1,500 fans, and a strange air of excitement filled the room as they waited for the anticipated arrival. Everything cut to black, signalling the start of a memorable night, as Euterpe began to play. The song is popular as one of the insert songs heard in the anime series Guilty Crown. EGOIST are known for originating in the anime series where they performed as a fictional band, eventually going on to huge success in the real world. With the song over, and the crowd already fallen into the world of EGOIST, The Everlasting Guilty Crown began to play. The instant it came on, there were howls of joy so fierce it almost felt like the building was coming down. A string of popular hits followed, including Extra terrestial Biological Entities, Ame, Kimi o Tsurete, and Suki to Iwareta Hi. The set was hit after hit, leaving no time to breathe and leading the excitement to an ever-growing rise. When a breather finally came, the duo greeted fans in Chinese. This was their second performed in Hong Kong. They spoke warmly to fans, who clapped over and over. Things cranked up into full gear as they performed some of their most well-known songs, including Reloaded, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and Namae no Nai Kaibutsu. To finish up the main part of the show they played their treasured ballad Kimi Sora Kiseki which brought fans together as one. Cries and clapping sounded through the room as fans called for an encore. Chelly stepped out onto stage once more, and surprised everyone with some covers. First up was Désir by GARNiDELiA which she co-performed together at a previous concert. This was followed by the famous Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari by Supercell, another band spearheaded by Ryo. The Hong Kong fans couldn't predict there would be surprise covers like this, and it showed in their explosive excitement. The concert finished with EGOIST's debut single Departures ~Anaya ni Okuru Ai no Uta~. Just when everyone thought there couldn't be anymore surprises, the words "EGOIST ASIA TOUR 2018" appeared on screen, satisfying the anticipation of fans already waiting for the next show. EGOIST will begin their 2018 Asia tour at the end of August, which also includes dates in Japan. ■Information EGOIST ASIA TOUR 2018 August 31, 2018 @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition, Indonesia Open TBA / Start TBA http://sozo.sg/home/ September 2, 2018 @ Zepp Osaka Bayside, Osaka Open 16:00 / Start 17:00 Enquiries: 0570-200-888 September 3, 2018 @ Zepp Nagoya, Aichi Open 18:00 / Start 19:00 Enquiries: 052-320-9100 September 8, 2018 @ Zepp BIG BOX Singapore, Singapore Open 18:00 / Start 19:00 http://sozo.sg/home/ September 16, 2018 @ Fukuoka Civic Hall, Fukuoka Enquiries: 092-714-0159 September 22, 2018 @ SENDAI GIGS, Miyagi Open 16:00 / Start 17:00 Enquiries: 022-217-7788 September 24, 2018 @ Zepp Sapporo, Hokkaido Open 16:00 / Start 17:00 Enquiries: 011-614-9999 October 6, 2018 @ 信義劇場Legacy MAX, Taipei Open 17:00 / Start 18:00 Enquiries: contact@abigart.com October 19, 2018 @ Zepp DiverCity Tokyo, Tokyo Open 18:00 / Start 19:00 October 20, 2018 @ Zepp DiverCity Tokyo, Tokyo Open 16:00 / Start 17:00 Enquiries: 050-5533-0888 Ticket Prices Japan Dates 1F Standing / 2F Reserved Advance: ¥5,400 (Includes Tax / Separate Drink Fee Applies) Door: ¥6,000 (Includes Tax / Separate Drink Fee Applies) *The Fukuoka Civic Hall, SENDAI GIGS and Zepp Sapporo concerts are all reserved seating. The Fukuoka Civic Hall concert does not charge a mandatory drink fee. Overseas Dates Indonesia: TBA Singapore: VVIP SG$158 / VIP SG$128 / GA SG$98 Taipei: A Area NT$3,800 / B Area NT$2,800 / C Area NT$2,200 / Wheelchair Area NT$1,400 *A Area Bonus: Original USB stick and poster. Taiwan concert only. Age Restrictions Japan Dates No restrictions. However, those aged 5 and below must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Overseas Dates Taipei: Children preschool age and younger not permitted entry. Others: TBA Ticket Purchasing (Japan Only) Official Fan Club Pre-Sale - Long Term Payment Members Ticket Window: June 25 at 10:00 - July 2 at 23:59 (Via CN Play Guide. Tickets allocated randomly.) *2 tickets per person, per concert. *Target: Long-term members of the EGOIST fan club EGOISTix*fam at 1 year or more. Must have applied before July 1, 2017. Official Fan Club Pre-Sale - Regular Payment Members Ticket Window: July 3 at 10:00 - July 9 at 23:59 (Via CN Play Guide. Tickets allocated randomly.) *2 tickets per person, per concert. Official Fan Club Pre-Sale - Free Members Ticket Window: July 17 at 10:00 - July 23 at 23:59 (Via CN Play Guide. Tickets allocated randomly.) *4 tickets per person, per concert. General Pre-Sale Tickets Family Mart Pre-Sale Ticket Window: July 10 at 10:00 - July 16 at 23:59 *4 tickets per person, per concert. Official Homepage Pre-Sale Tickets Ticket Window: July 17 at 10:00 - July 23 at 23:59 (Via CN Play Guide. Tickets allocated randomly.) *4 tickets per person, per concert. General Sale Tickets Available from August 4. -
EGOIST will hold live concerts in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The cover song of “supercell” will be performed
EGOIST is an imaginary artist produced by ryo (supercell).
The best album of EGOIST (CD/Internet distribution) released on the 27th of December (Wed.) is gaining much popularity and the band held, “EGOIST Special gig ‘ALTER EGO’” on the 29th (Fri.) of December last year at Zepp DiverCity.This live was broadcasted at Zepp Osaka Bayside and Zepp Nagoya under the name of “ EGOIST sync*001 / Special gig ‘ALTER EGO.’”
EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” is a special commemorative live of the best album, GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO” which was released on the 27th of December (Wed.). The live was broadcast on Nikoniko Nama Hoso and about 25,000 fans enjoyed their performance.The charm of EGOIST’s live is the fact that they use the latest motion capture technology. The performance of the vocal of the band chelly is detected with special cameras and Cho Inori (the vocal of EGOSIT in the animation), the heroin of the animation “Guilty Clown” resonates to chelly’s movements.
Shouts of glee went up from the audience as soon as the intro of “The Everlasting Guilty Crown” was played. After that, the band performed two popular songs, “Extra terrestrial Biological Entities” and “Ame, Kimi wo Tsurete” which are not included in the best album. The audience of the venue were filled with excitement with a rapid rendition.
The forth song was “Sukito Iwareta Hi,”a fast-tempo digital song which was distributed on the Internet and the audience were drawn into the world of EGOIST. After the song was finished, they performed MC performance and inflamed the fans. The voice of the audience in the venues of Nagoya and Osaka could be heard at the venue in Tokyo and the whole venue was filled with a sense of unity.They also performed some popular songs including,“Reloaded” and “Namae no Nai Kaibutsu” and the audience were filled with excitement! After that, they performed “KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS” and “Eiyu Unmei no Uta.” The strong voice of chelly heated up the venue. Lastly, they performed superb ballads such as“Ghost of a smile,” “Kono Sekaide Mitsuketa Mono,” “Kimisora Kiseki” and the live was finished.
After the anchor, the vocal cehlly reappeared on the stage and performed a fast-tempo rock number “It’s all about you.” The set list of the live included many B-side songs, not just songs included in the best album based on chelly’s wish to reflect on the history of EGOIST.The live successfully delivered the charms of the band to many people who listened to EGOIST’s music for the first time, not just old fans.
As a second and third song of the anchor part, they performed a cover song which are “The Bravery” and “Kokuhaku” of supercell lead by the producer of the band ryo. The audience went wild while the songs were performed. “Kokuhaku” is the latter ending theme of the animation“Guilty Crown”which is a message song given from the main character of the animation Shu to the heroin/vocal of the band Cho Inori. The venue was filled with excitement with this surprise and the live ended with “All Alone With You.”
chelly reappeared on the stage in response to the applause of fans and performed the debut single of EGOIST “Departures ~Anatani Okuru Ai no Uta~.” The voice of chelly singing this song gently filled the venue and some of the fans were crying. EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” ended on a high note.Keep your eyes focused on EGOIST’s storm of activities in store for this new year.
◼︎Information2017/12/27(Wed.) release
GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO”
URL:https://egoist.lnk.to/greatesthits2011-2017alteregoProducts
[Fully included limited edition] ※quantity limited
CD + Blu-ray + EGOISTAG 2011-2017(original dog tug – 10 set)
Price: 9,500 yen (tax included)
[First limited edition A]
CD + Blu-rayPrice: 4,500 yen (tax included)
[First limited edition B]
CD + DVDPrice: 4,000 yen (tax included)
[Normal edition]
CD OnlyPrice: 3,000 yen (tax included)
LIVE
EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO”
2017/12/29 (Fri.)
Tokyo・Zepp DiverCity Tokyo
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START
EGOIST sync*001 / Special gig “ALTER EGO”
2017/12/29 (Fri.)
Osaka・Zepp Osaka Bayside
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START
Aichi・Zepp Nagoya
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START -
EGOIST released their greatest hits album GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO” this week on December 27th. On Christmas Day, in the run up to the release of the CD, EGOIST also performed a special Christmas street concert simultaneously in seven cities across Japan.
EGOIST is a pop music duo produced by ryo (supercell) that spawned from the anime series Guilty Crown. Originally, EGOIST existed as a fictional band solely within the Guilty Crown universe, with EGOIST's other half Chelly acting as the vocalist for the character Inori Yuzuriha. However, even after the anime's broadcast the music unit have continued to put out content together and have even brought EGOIST to perform the main theme songs for other anime series.
The greatest hits album Christmas live show saw EGOIST steal the spotlight on giant advertising screens across Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. It was recently revealed that a strange countdown clock with the words “Present for the fam*” had appeared on EGOIST's official website which was set to end on Christmas day. The Christmas present for the EGOIST fans was revealed to be the Christmas live show titled EGOIST christmas exhibition “Present for the *fam”. The concert was also streamed live on YouTube. Together with the street watchers and the audience at home, a total of around 7,000 people participated in this special night.
Once the clock turned 18:00 the title of the concert appeared simultaneously on all platforms, revealing the mystery surrounding the countdown clock. Shortly afterwards, Inori Yuzuriha stepped into view which sparked a chain reaction of uncontrollable excitement across fans in all locations. The first song to be performed was an a cappella of Silent Night to set the Christmastime mood. The people walking by in the street also found themselves stopping spontaneously from the beautiful voice of Inori Yuzuriha. After a short talk, the performance continued with two more songs: All Alone With You and Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~. To close the 15-minute performance, a handwritten sign by both ryo (supercell) and Chelly was displayed onscreen together with the message "Merry Christmas." You could catch glimpses of fans moved to tears by the show. It was one Christmas present they will never forget.
EGOIST are set to perform their EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” show on December 29th, a concert to commemorate the release of their greatest hits album. The concert will be performed simultaneously in Nagoya and Osaka, titled EGOIST sync*001 / Special gig “ALTER EGO”. Full details for this unprecedented show can be found here.
■Information
▶︎Release Information
GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO”
On sale December 27, 2017
[Limited Pressing Edition] *Limited stock
CD + Blu-ray + EGOISTAG 2011-2017 (set of 10 original dog tags)
Price: ¥9,500 (tax incl.)
VVCL-1148~1150
[First Press Limited Edition A]
CD + Blu-ray
Price: ¥4,500 (tax incl.)
VVCL-1151~1152
[First Press Limited Edition B]
CD + DVD
Price: ¥4,000 (tax incl.)
VVCL-1153~1154
[Regular Edition]
CD Only
Price: ¥3,000 (tax incl.)
VVCL-1155
▶︎Tour Information
EGOIST Special Gig – “ALTER EGO”
Friday December 29, 2017
Zepp DiverCity Tokyo (Tokyo)
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START
*Tickets on sale from December 2nd
[Planning & Production]
INCS toenter inc. / Sony Music Labels / LIFE
EGOIST sync*001 / Special Gig – “ALTER EGO”
(Osaka & Nagoya venues to be synced with EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO”)
・Friday December 29, 2017
Zepp Osaka Bayside (Osaka)
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START
Contact: Kyodo Information (0570-200-888)
・Friday December 29, 2017
Zepp Nagoya (Nagoya)
17:00 OPEN / 18:00 START
Contact: Sunday Folk Promotion (052-320-9100)
[Planning & Production]
INCS toenter inc. / Sony Music Labels / LIFE
EGOIST Official Homepage: http://www.egoist-inori.jp/
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EGOIST will release their first best album “GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO”on the 27th of December and in advance of this release, they will release the content of the album from the 22nd of December (Fri.).
They are distributing the content of the album in high-resolution sound. The album won the first place in mora’s high-resolution chart and the animation category of iTunes. The album is gaining much popularity because the songs sound great (all songs included in the album are remastered).
In addition, EGOIST announced that they will hold “christmas exhibition“Present for the *fam”in seven big cities in Japan on the 25th of December right before the release date of their best album (the 27th of December (Wed.)).
Also, they will hold a live commemorating the release of their best album called EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” on the 29th of December (Fri.) in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Don’t miss this hot live!
Be sure to check out information RE EGOIST’s future work.
■Information
▶︎Release information
GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO”
2017/12/27(Wed.)
<Full production limited edition> ※quantity limited
CD + Blu-ray + EGOISTAG 2011-2017 (it comes with 10 original dog tags)
Price: 9,500 yen (tax included)
<First limited edition A>
CD + Blu-ray
Price: 4,500 yen (tax included)
<First limited edition B>
CD + DVD
Price: 4,000 yen (tax included)
<Normal edition>
CD Only
Price: 3,000 yen (tax included)
▶︎Live information
EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO”
2017/12/29 (Fri.)
Tokyo Zepp Diver City Tokyo
17:00 open / 18:00 start
Contact: Disc Garage 050-5533-0888
EGOIST official HP:http://www.egoist-inori.jp/