Cocco

• Name — Cocco • Birth Name — Makishi Satoko • Born — 19 January 1977 • Birthplace — Naha, Okinawa, Japan • Genre — * J-pop • Folk • Pop • Rock • Alternative rock • Grunge • Occupation — Singer-songwriter • Years Active — 1996–2001 2006–present • Label — Speedstar Records • Past Member Of — Singer Songer • Website — www.cocco.co.jp

Cocco attended numerous ballet auditions in pursuit of becoming a professional ballerina. To cover travel expenses for a ballet audition in Tokyo, she also participated in singing auditions. Although she did not pass the ballet audition, she impressed the judges and was later signed by Victor Entertainment.

Cocco made her debut on an indie label under the name "Cocko" with a self-titled EP Cocko on November 21, 1996. A track from the EP, Sing a Song ~No Music, No Life~, was used in an advertising campaign for Tower Records Japan. On March 21, 1997, Cocco changed the official spelling of her name to "Cocco" and released her major label debut single Countdown. A full-length album followed shortly after. It was not until 1998 when she scored a big hit in Japan with Tsuyoku Hakanaimonotachi, which sold more than 250,000. Cocco went on to record three more albums – Kumuiuta in 1998, Rapunzel in 2000, and Sangurōzu in 2001. Before the release of Sangurōzu, Cocco announced she was retiring from the music business. Later that year, her label released a career retrospective, Best + Ura Best + Mihappyōkyokushū, which contained her singles, some b-sides and five unreleased tracks. Her retirement did not last long. In 2002, she published her first art book, Minami no Shima no Hoshi no Suna. In August 2003, she organized a benefit concert to raise awareness about cleaning up beaches in Okinawa. A DVD documentary entitled Heaven's Hell followed in December. 2004 saw her appearance on the Yutaka Ozaki cover album "BLUE" and the publication of her second book, Minami no Shima no Koi no Uta, which was accompanied by a limited edition single, "Garnet/Celeste Blue". In 2005, Cocco collaborated with photographer/singer Nanaco on a CD/book combination titled The Bird. In late 2004, Cocco teamed up with Shigeru Kishida of the Japanese rock group Quruli to re-record "Sing a Song" for Tower Records' 25th Anniversary in Japan. The sessions inspired the formation of Singer Songer, a band featuring Cocco, Kishida, Quruli bassist Masashi Sato, Cornelius support keyboardist Hirohisa Horie and former FEED drummer Dai Taro. Singer Songer made its live debut as special guests at Quruli's year-end concert in December 2004, and in May 2005, the band released a single, "Shoka Rinrin". An album, Barairo Pop was released in June 2005. It contains a selection of country-flavored tracks that are much happier than Cocco's previous works. In April 2006, she wrote a series of essays for Mainichi Shimbun. Since then, Cocco has continued to write for various newspapers and magazines. On July 7, 2007, Cocco performed at the Japanese leg of Live Earth at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba. After releasing the album Kira Kira, she started living in the UK and went to college to learn photography. In 2010, Cocco published her first long novel, Polomerria. She performed at the World Happiness 2010 rock festival in Tokyo on August 8 and released Emerald, her first self-produced album, on August 11. She also provided the theme song, Yagi no Sanpo, for 14-year-old director Ryugo Nakamura's debut feature film Yagi no Boken. She got a letter from the youngest film director in Japanese film history, and she decided to help the boy. In 2011, the no-budget indie film Inspired movies produced by Cocco and her fellow video artists was released. In 2011, Cocco made her acting debut, starring in KOTOKO, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. She was also responsible for the art direction and music. She covered "Good Bye" for the June 6, 2018 hide tribute album Tribute Impulse.

• Year — Album details — Chart positions — Total sales • 1997 — Bougainvillea * Released: May 21, 1997 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-60037) * Formats: CD — 33 — 122,000 • 1998 — Kumuiuta * Released: May 13, 1998 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-60205) * Formats: CD — 1 — 878,000 • 2000 — Rapunzel * Released: June 14, 2000 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-60576) * Formats: CD — 1 — 380,000 • 2001 — Sangu Rose * Released: April 18, 2001 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-60723) * Formats: CD — 5 — 226,000 • 2006 — Zancyan * Released: June 21, 2006 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-61954) * Formats: CD — 3 — 127,000 • 2007 — Kirakira * Released: July 25, 2007 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-62411) * Formats: CD — 6 — 91,000 • 2010 — Emerald * Released: August 11, 2010 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-63648) * Formats: CD — 5 — 39,000 • 2014 — Pas de Bourrée * Released: March 12, 2014 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-64138) * Formats: CD • 2014 — Plan C * Released: October 8, 2014 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-64214) * Formats: CD • 2016 — Adan Ballet * Released: August 24, 2016 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-64616) * Format: CD • 2019 — Star Shank * Released: October 2, 2019 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Format: CD — 14 — 6,403 • 2021 — Kuchinashi * Released: February 17, 2021 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Format: CD — 9 • 2022 — Prom * Released: March 23, 2022 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Format: CD — 15 • 2024 — Beatrice * Released: February 14, 2024 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Format: CD — 19 — 3,375

• Year — Album details — Chart positions — Total sales • 2001 — "Best, B-side Best and Unreleased Songs Collection" * Best of album * Released: September 5, 2001 * Re-released: July 25, 2007 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-60770/1) * Formats: CD, digital download — 1 — 504,000 • 2011 — The Best Ban * Best of album * Released: August 15, 2011 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: CD, digital download — 4 • 2017 — 20 Shuunen Request Best+Rare Tracks * Best of album * Released: March 21, 2017 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: CD, digital download

• Year — Title • 1996 — "Cokco" * Label: bounce (indie label)

• Year — Title — Oricon singles sales chart — Album • peak position — total sales • 1997 — "Countdown" — 98 — 2,200 — Bougainvillea • "Tsuyoku Hakanai Monotachi" — 18 — 361,000 — Kumuiuta • 1998 — "Raining" — 17 — 128,000 • End of the Road Through the Clouds — 6 — 144,000 — Rapunzel • 1999 — Threads in the Deep Forest — 3 — 182,000 • "Plumeria" — 9 — 97,000 • 2000 — "Mizu Kagami" — 10 — 68,000 • "Kemono Michi" * Re-cut single. — 10 — 37,000 • When You Wish Upon a Star — 25 — 32,000 — Sangu Rose • 2001 — "Hane: Lay Down My Arms" — 16 — 38,000 • Burial in the Elements * Okinawa only VHS+8 cm single. — — — — • "Yakeno ga Hara" * Released on same day as Sangu Rose. — 12 — 55,000 • 2006 — Speed of Sound Punch — 5 — 80,000 — Zancyan • "Hi no Teri Nagara Ame no Furu" — 4 — 48,000 • 2007 — The Hill Where Dugong Can Be Seen * September Okinawan release, November all-Japan release. — 14 — 32,000 — — • 2009 — "Cocco-san no Daidokoro CD" * Four season-themed EP with lead track "Kinuzure." — 6 — 18,000 — Emerald • 2010 — "Nirai Kanai" — 20 — 12,000

Cocco-chan to Shigeru-kun is a prototype of Singer Songer, and the member doesn't change. • Year — Album details • 2004 — Sing a Song (No Music, No Love Life) * Single * Released: November 23, 2004 * Label: Tower Records (limited release) * Formats: CD

Singer Songer is a musical group consists of five musicians, featuring Cocco as a lead singer. • Year — Album details • 2005 — The dignified first bloom of flowers * Single * Released: May 25, 2005 * Label: Speedstar Records * Formats: CD • Barairo Pop * Album * Released: June 29, 2005 * Label: Speedstar Records * Formats: CD

• Year — Album details — Notes • 2001 — Pleasure Treasure Video + All Single Clips = 16 Planned Song Collection * Released: September 5, 2001 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VIBL-37) * Formats: VHS, DVD — * Includes the music videos of singles. *Released on same day as Best + Ura Best + Mihappyōkyokushū. • 2011 — Cocco Inspired movies * Released: June 8, 2011 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: DVD — * Contains the videos which the video creators inspired by the Cocco's songs made and was shown on Ustream for a limited time. * Released to aid the disaster victims of the Tohoku earthquake. • The best clip collection * Released: December 21, 2011 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: DVD — * Best of music crips of Cocco associated with the album "The Best Ban".

• Year — Album details — Notes • 2008 — "Kira-Kira Live Tour 2007/2008 ~Final at Nippon Budokan 2 Days~" * Released: March 26, 2008 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: DVD — * Contains Kira-Kira Live Tour, shot live from Nippon Budokan. * The first day is the band performance and the second day is the acoustic live. * Limited Edition includes special DVD • 2011 — Emerald Tour 2010 * Released: April 13, 2011 * Label: Victor Entertainment * Formats: DVD — * Contains Emerald Tour 2010, shot live in Tokyo on November 11, 2010. * Limited Edition includes key case and clear box.

• Year — Album details — Notes • 2003 — Heaven's Hell * Released: December 24, 2003 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VIZL-103) * Formats: VHS, DVD — * Contains "Gomi Zero Daisakusen" broadcast on TBS "NEWS23" and Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation "Ryū no Hige." * Limited Edition featured bonus 12 cm CD "Heaven's hell". • 2009 — Daijōbu de Aru Yōni: Cocco Owaranai Tabi * Released: November 18, 2009 * Label: Victor Entertainment (VIZL-352) * Formats: DVD — * Documentary following Kira-Kira Live Tour. * Released in theaters on December 13, 2008. * Limited Edition featured bonus 12 cm CD Song of the Birds & photobook.

• Year — Film Name — Character Name — Film director • 2008 — Daijōbu de Aru Yōni: Cocco Owaranai Tabi — (documentary) — Hirokazu Kore-eda • 2011 — Kotoko — Kotoko — Shinya Tsukamoto • 2016 — A Bride for Rip Van Winkle — Mashiro Satonaka — Shunji Iwai