Kirei

Erika Matsumoto (松本江梨花 Matsumoto Erika), better known by her stage name Kirei (奇麗) is a Swedish/Japanese pop singer born on February 15th, 1986 in Linköping, Sweden, the daughter of Japanese Formula One race car driver Akihiko Matsumoto and Swedish fashion designer Jenya Aldersson. 
==The Early Years==
At the age of six, Erika moved with her parents and her then nine-month old sister Anna, to Yokohama, Japan. Erika took an interest in music in her early school days, and took Piano and Cello lessons at a young age. Soon, though, she'd find her true niche in singing. At the age of ten, Matsumoto entered J-Wave Radio's Junior Grand Prix singing competition, where she finished first among sixty contestants, singing "Tengoku no Kiss," a popular 1980's Japanese song by Seiko Matsuda. She went on to win numerous other competitions around Japan and Asia until the age of eighteen.
==Becoming "Kirei"==
At twenty years old, Matsumoto recorded a demo of songs written by herself for Japanese record label SoundWave, where she eventually earned the nickname "Kirei," (Japanese for lovely or beautiful) and went to work on her new sound, releasing numerous demo EPs over the next two years. 
==The Warning Sound==
In early 2009, a twenty-three year old Kirei headed back to Sweden, where she signed to record label BTE, and recorded her first major debut album The Warning Sound. The album was finished my megaproducer Mattias Olasson, who has produced albums for major artists such as Eastgate. Upon intial release, the album was a success across Europe, becoming one of the top selling Swedish albums of early 2009. Two successful singles were released from the album.
==Follow-Up==
Kirei announced in mid-July 2009 that she'd be geading back to the studio to begin work on her second studio album. Once again, Mattias Olasson has been tapped to be working on the album, and recording will be done in Sweden, Japan, and Los Angeles.
==Albums==
The Warning Sound 2009 
Untitled Second Album 2009
==Singles==
Clarity, 2009
Cybersex. 2009
==Awards==
1996 J-Wave Junior Grand Prix Singing Competition - Winner 
1997 Kyushu Singing Competition - Winner
2000 J-Wave Future Hitmaker Competition - Winner
2009 Swedish Hit Parade Music Awards - Nominee; Best Song "Clarity"
2009 Swedish Hit Parade Music Awards - Nominee; Best Album "The Warning Sound" - Winner
Category:Artists
Category:Scandinavian artists
Category:Pop
Category:Dance