Tomiko Van

Biography

Tomiko Van (伴 都美子, Ban Tomiko; born January 9, 1979), is a Japanese pop singer and occasional actress. She is as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split.

Beginnings as solo artist

Tomiko Van began as a solo artist while she was with Do As Infinity with the song "Again", which appeared on the charity album Song Nation, and later in 2003 with the song "Drive me nuts×Drive me nuts3 April 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Drive me nuts3:522Drive me nuts (instrumental)3:51", which was recorded for trance DJs project Cyber X. Van also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company Lavenus.

2005

After Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax, Van's label, announced that Van was going solo.

2006

In 2006, Van made her debut as a solo artist with her album Farewell×FAREWELL29 March 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1farewell4:062morning glory4:373うらら。4:034Essence4:265horoscope6:146complacence4:097鵺の鳴く夜3:598HOLY PLANET5:139Before Sunset5:3510Hold Me...4:5411A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes3:19. Singles were not released prior to her album, released in March 2006. Her first official single as a solo artist, "Flower×Flower7 June 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Flower4:172Brave4:413Flower -Instrumental-4:164Brave -Instrumental-4:38", was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top ten of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, "Senkō", in September, and "Yumeji", a late November release.

2007

Van began 2007 with her first cover album, Voice: Cover You With Love. The album was Van's only release that year. Tomiko van also acted in a movie Heat Island.

2008

In 2008, Van's third album and second cover album, Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock, was released in March. In this album, she covered songs performed by male artists, such as Spitz and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one-year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at number 10 on the first day of release. Van's fourth solo single, "Tokyo Biyori", was released on June 18, 2008. Her second original album, Van, was released in December 2008.
On September 29, 2008, Do As Infinity officially reunited as a band, and released a four-track single on June 17, 2009.

Personal life

Van married a man in September 2012, first publicly announcing her marriage at a Do As Infinity concert at Shibuya AX in Tokyo on September 29. As of 2016, she is the mother of two children. She divorced in July 2018.

Featured and collaborative releases

"Drive Me Nuts×Drive me nuts3 April 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Drive me nuts3:522Drive me nuts (instrumental)3:51" (Cyber X feat. Tomiko Van)
"Truth'94 -Meets Tomiko Van-" (cover version of TRF's original song)
"Again" (various artists album, Song Nation, an Avex project consisting of collaborations between many different Avex artists)
"Music Flower" (Kohey Tsuchiya & various artists)
"Velvet" (Kikkawa Kouji)