Kahimi Karie

Biography

Mari Hiki (比企 真理, Hiki Mari; born March 15, 1968), better known by her stage name Kahimi Karie (カヒミ・カリィ, Kahimi Karii), is a retired Japanese singer, songwriter and photographer. Her music is closely associated with the Shibuya-kei aesthetic. Karie sings in English, French and Japanese, among other languages.
Karie began her music career in 1990 at the encouragement of fellow Shibuya-kei artist Cornelius, whom she collaborated with on many of her early works, and whose trendy Trattoria label released many of her EPs in the mid-1990s. Karie later moved to Paris and released several studio albums on the Crue-L and Polydor labels. She now lives in New York City.

Career

Kahimi Karie was born Mari Hiki on March 15, 1968. Her mother died early in Kahimi's childhood. Kahimi was thereafter raised by her father, a prominent doctor in Utsunomiya.
Karie moved to Tokyo after graduating high school and entered a vocational college to study photography. After graduating college, she made a short career as a freelance photographer. In the late 1980s, Karie became an avid listener of French musicians such as Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, and Jane Birkin, who would serve as formative influences on her own music. In 1990, at the suggestion of her then-boyfriend Keigo Oyamada (later known as Cornelius), Karie began her musical career performing vocals for a house band signed to his friend's record label. She later performed vocals alongside Takako Minekawa as the duo Fancy Face Groovy Name. In 1992, Karie issued her first solo single, "Mike Alway's Diary×Mike Alway's Diary21 December 1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Mike Alway's Diary (Japanese)3:202Mike Alway's Diary3:193Get Out of Your Lazy Bed4:174Shower to Shower0:46", which was produced by Oyamada. At this time she was referred to as "Shibuya-kei Princess", and her personal relationship with Oyamada was highly publicized.
Karie later moved to Paris to pursue her career further. During this period she recorded the albums Larme de Crocodile×Larme de crocodile25 March 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Alcohol5:522Superfreak4:373David Hamilton4:164Electrophone2:375Paris, Texas2:596Lolitapop Dollhouse4:107Tiny King Kong5:188Cat From the Future5:149私の人生、人生の夏4:4610Les leçons de français1:43 (1997), K.K.K.K.K.×K.K.K.K.K.15 July 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11One Thousand 20th Century Chairs2What Are You Wearing?3Qu'est-ce que tu veux ?4Clip Clap5Kahimi Karie et moi6Harmony Korine7The Harder They Come8The Symphonies of Beethoven9Orly - Narita10What Is Blue?11Kahimi au téléphoneDisc 21The Harder They Come (Crue-l Entertainment mix)2The Harder They Come (Crue-l Entertainment mix instrumental)3Harmony Korine (dub)4Harmony Korine (dub instrumental) (1998) and Tilt (2000) for Crue-L Records and Polydor Records, working with a variety of collaborators, including Momus and Philippe Katerine.
In 2003, Karie released her fourth studio album Trapeziste on her new record label Victor Entertainment. The album found Karie pursuing a more experimental musical direction. She has released three subsequent albums for Victor: Montage×Montage21 May 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1When will you be back?2:182Making our world9:153Free line7:004Pancartes <蟻の行列>3:535柔らかい月3:396Send me your sun3:257Divers7:368Gila Gila4:039I call you call me5:1810NANA3:00 (2004), Nunki×Nunki25 October 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1呼続6:152I’m in the rain5:143All is splashing now5:334He shoots the sun2:465Le cheval blanc5:116Night train4:107そのほかに3:238太陽と月6:289Mirage4:3310CAMELIA5:2011Plastic bag2:1112You are here for a light4:5513歩きつづけて4:14 (2006) and It's Here (2010).
Her song Blue Orb appears in the 2005 video game We Love Katamari

Personal life

Karie is married to tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai, with whom she has one daughter. She currently lives in New York City.