Masami Okui

Masami Okui (奥井雅美; born March 13, 1968 in Itami, Japan) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality whose work has been closely associated with anison since the early 1990s. Her music blends J-pop, rock, and singer-songwriter elements, often with rock-driven arrangements and strong vocals. She began her professional career in 1989 as a backing vocalist for Yuki Saito, Tomoyo Harada, and Wink, and from 1990 to 1994 she sang chorus for Yumi Matsutoya. In 1993, Okui debuted as a solo artist with the single "Dare yori mo zutto..." on King Records' Starchild label. After eight years under producer Toshirou Yabuki, she moved into self-production; in 2004 she left King Records and established the independent label evolution. Alongside her performance work, she has written and composed material for other artists, including "power of love" for Yoko Ishida, and she has also released music through Lantis. From the start of her solo career, Okui recorded numerous anime themes and became especially associated with titles such as Slayers, Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena), and the Yu-Gi-Oh! / Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters franchise. Her songs for those works include "Rinbu Revolution" and "Rose & release" for Shoujo Kakumei Utena, as well as "Shuffle" and "Ano hi no Gogo" for Yu-Gi-Oh!; she later performed "Baby Baby Baby" for Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san. In 2003 she joined JAM Project and formed r.o.r/s with Chihiro Yonekura. From 2005, she became a regular main artist at Animelo Summer Live, and from 2006 to 2009 she hosted the Animax program @Tunes. In 2019, "輪舞-revolution" received the lyric award for the 1989-1999 period at the Heisei Anison Taisho. In 2023 she marked the 30th anniversary of her debut with 奥井雅美 30th Anniversary Live 2023 EVE 〜一夜限りのBirth Live and the streaming release of her King Records-era albums.