Ritsuki Nanako, or Rikki as she is commonly known, was born in Amami Oshima, Japan on the 19th of January, 1975. She started singing folk music when she was only four years old. She continued this for many years, and at the age of 15 was rewarded a major honour at a very prestigious Japanese Folk Music award program. She was the youngest ever winner of the award.

Despite this, Rikki didn’t become a household name until she was asked by Nobuo Uematsu to sing the theme to Final Fantasy X, “Suteki da Ne.” The single was released on the 18th of July, 2001 and was instantly deemed a hit. Uematsu claims that he picked her because he found her voice very soothing and because she has a varied vocal range.

Since then, she has produced a picture album alongside Joe Hisashi for the film “Spirited Away.”

Vital Information