Nariaki Obukuro

Nariaki Obukuro 小袋成彬
Also known as	OBKR
Born	(1991-04-30) 30 April 1991
Origin	Japan
Genres	R&B PBR&B Electronic Experimental music
Years active	2013—present
Labels	Tokyo Recordings Epic Records Sony Music Japan
Website	obukuro.com

Nariaki Obukuro (小袋成彬, Nariaki Obukuro", born 30 April 1991) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, producer and CEO of Tokyo Recordings. He is responsible for producing songs for acts like Wednesday Campanella, Kou Shibasaki, and other famous acts. His music combines musical elements of the R&B, PBR&B, Electronic and experimental tones genres. In 2018, it was revealed that he would make his solo debut as a singer and songwriter under Sony Music's Epic Records label. The album is co-produced by famed Japanese American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada.

History

Obukuro's musical career started in 2013, when he formed the duo N.O.R.K. with Ray Kunimoto while they were university students. In the next year, they released the EP ASDR, which consists of PBR&B and experimental electronica sounds. After the duo parted ways, Obukuro decided to launch his own indie label, Tokyo Recordings.

In September 2016, Obukuro gained fame when J-pop singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada released her sixth Japanese album, Fantôme. His vocals are featured in track 6, Tomodachi, an R&B song. He performed with Utada in NHK the song, making it his television debut.

In January 2018, Obukuro announced his major debut under Epic Records, with his debut single featuring Utada. The song, called "Lonely One", was released in streaming services on January 17, 2018. His debut album, Bunriha no Natsu, was released in April 2018.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak positions		Sales
		JPN Oricon	JPN Billboard
Bunriha no Natsu (分離派の夏)	Released: April 25, 2018 Label: Epic Records Formats: CD, digital download, Streaming	38	22	JPN: 3,300
Piercing	Released: December 18, 2019 Label: Epic Records Formats: Streaming, digital download, Vinyl	-	-
Strides	Released: October 13, 2021 Label: Epic Records Formats: Streaming, digital download, Vinyl	-	-

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles

Title	Year	Album
"Lonely One" (featuring Hikaru Utada)	2018	Bunriha no Natsu

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		JPN Hot 100
"Selfish"	2018	69	Bunriha no Natsu
"Summer Reminds Me"		—

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and directors

Title	Year	Director(s)	Ref.
"Selfish"	2018	Yusuke Ishida

Other appearances

Title	Year	Other artist(s)	Album
"ADD"	2014	XANAX, Jyodan	EP1
"Confessions"	2015	Flammable, VITO	Cosmic Coma
"Doubt"	2016	80KIDZ	5
"Vodka, Lime & Cranberry"		YOSA	ORION
"Yume no Ato (ゆめのあと)"		Tamaki Roy, Taquwami	Nagi (なぎ)
"Tomodachi (ともだち)"		Hikaru Utada	Fantôme
"24"	2017	Mother Tereco	ORACLE
"Neyo (寝よう)"	2018	Giorgio Givvn	Go Outdoor Living: The Moment in the Outdoor Living
"Marunouchi Sadistic (丸の内サディスティック)" (Cover of Ringo Sheena)		Hikaru Utada	Adam to Eve no Ringo (アダムとイヴの林檎)
Summertime	2019	RIRI, KEIJU	Summertime

Writing and/or produced credits

Year	Artist	Title	Album
2013	N.O.R.K.	"The Fall"	ADSR
		"Yell Out"
		"Offense"
		"Umbrella"
		"White Space"	Non-album single
2014	Megumi Wata	"Wakannai"	Sainan Dawa
		"Sainan Dawa"
		"Tokyo no Sora wa Kumori"
		"Tokai"
		"Gohan"
		"Mother"
		"Wakatta"
		"Tanomuzo Kakumeika, Watashi wa Oyogu"
		"Monkey George"
		"Yamanotesen"
2015	Wednesday Campanella	"Napoleon"	Triathlon
	Capeson	"Leave You Alone"	Portrait 1 Hiraeth
		"Latent"
		"Walk Away"
		"Back in the Day"
	Megumi Wata	"Koi ga Aimai"	Sainan Dawa (Repackaged)
2016	Keishi Tanaka	"Hello, New Kicks"	What's A Trunk?
	Megumi Wata	"Blind Man wa Shitteiru"	Blind Man
		"Kono Machi no Yoru wa Akarui Hoshi Dake ga Kirari"
		"Blind Man"
		"Kesshin"
		"Run! Run! Run!"
		"Tsuioku"
		"Invisible Man"
		"Fluff"	Sainann Dawa (Repackaged)
	Kuuchuu Metro	"Δ"	Δ/Boku no Uta
		"Boku no Uta"
	Capeson	"Believe My Eyes"	Hiraeth
	Ko Shibasaki	"Soshite Boku wa Toho ni Kureru"	Zoku Ko Utau
		"Tasogare no Begin"
	Okamoto's	"Rocky"	Non-album single
	Capeson	"The Video, It's Not That Old"	Hiraeth
		"A Tear into the River"
		"Bow And Arrow"
		"Sunshine
		"Track 4, Noisy But"
		"Steerman"
		"Cry Like a Bird"
		"The Ending"
	Awesome City Club	"Cold & Dry"	Awesome City Tracks 4
	BŌMI	"Hello the World"	A_B
		"A_B"
		"Kioku"
		"Super Girl"
		"Good Night!!"
		"Lonely Lonely"
		"Hatsukoi"
		"They Don't Know"
		"Hutatsu no Machi"
		"Sora wo Tadoreba"
2017	Seiko Omori	"Pocky wo Tabenagara"	Non-album single
	adieu	"Narratage"
		"Hana wa Yureru"
	Thylacine	"Yume"
	SIRUP	"Synapse"	SIRUP EP
	Yaffle	"Backlight" (featuring Linnéa Lundgren)	Go Outdoor Living: The Moment in the Outdoor Living
	Keiichi Sokabe	"Kaze to Itawari"
2018	iri	"Corner"	Juice
		"Slowly Drive"
	Loza Reena	"Tarareba Ryūseigun"	TBA
	Hikaru Utada	"Phakchi no Uta"	Hatsukoi
		"Too Proud" (featuring XZT, Suboi, EK (L1 Remix))	Non-album single
2020		"Time"	Bad Mode
		"Darenimo Iwanai"
2021		"Beautiful World - Da Capo Version"	One Last Kiss
		"Find Love"	Bad Mode

Tours

• Nariaki Obukuro Oneman Live Fall (2018)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2018	Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2018	Spotlight Award	"Selfish"	Won
2019	CD Shop Awards 2019	Grand Prix	Bunriha no Natsu	Pending
	Best Alternative Artist	Space Shower Music Awards 2019	Himself