Reira Ushio
Reira Ushio is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Tokyo who is affiliated with ENS Entertainment. Originally starting her career as a street performer, she made her professional debut in 2021 with the release of the digital single "Sayonara City". She gained attention after her song "Sentimental Kiss", which was used as background music in the Abema reality series Who is a Wolf?, went viral on social media. Her songs have also been used in anime series such as Food for the Soul and The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity.
Biography
Ushio was born in Edogawa, Tokyo on February 9, 2002. Her interest in music began at an early age when her parents took her to music bars. When she was in elementary, she wanted to write novels, but decided to stick with music as she felt that opportunities in writing were more limited. When she was in high school, she joined her school's light music club. They originally performed covers of other artists' music, but she later decided to start writing her own songs, which her peers preferred.After high school, Ushio studied literature at an art university, wanting to use her education to help her write lyrics. She also became part of a band. Her studies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, which resulted in the novel she was working on as part of her studies not being published. She decided to release the novel digitally instead, writing a song to accompany it. Around this time, talent agency ENS Entertainment contacted her and offered her to join them. At the time, she was considering quitting university and leaving her band, so she took the opportunity.
Ushio initially started her career as a street performer, performing in public in Tokyo as well as at music venues. She made her professional debut in September 2021 with the release of the digital single "Sayonara City", a song inspired by people's experiences during the pandemic. In 2022, the acoustic version of her song "Sentimental Kiss" was used as background music to the Abema reality series Who is a Wolf? The song became viral on social media, with the song receiving hundreds of thousands of plays on TikTok and YouTube.
Ushio made her major debut under Sony Music in August 2023 with the release of the digital single "Darling You". She released the song "Miso Soup and Butter" digitally in October 2023; the song was later used as the ending theme to the 2025 anime television series Food for the Soul. She released the EP "No One" on August 14, 2024; the limited edition includes a booklet featuring short stories written by Ushio. Her song "Hare no Hi ni" is used as the ending theme to the 2025 anime television series The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity.