シンガーソングライターの梅原怜子さん【宮がお】

Singer-songwriter Reiko Umehara first came onto our radar when she performed on stage at the “Autumn Gourmet Festival,” which Nishitsu covered.

Since then, we’ve featured her in a few articles.

We Checked Out the 3rd Autumn Gourmet Festival at Amibiki Park!

2019年11月5日

I Went to a Taping of Baycom’s Team Baycom Show!

2019年12月27日

今津高校の卒業イベントに梅原怜子さんがサプライズ登場！

2020年2月28日

Since we had this connection, we took the opportunity to interview Reiko Umehara herself.

So, for our first “Miyagao” in a while, we’re featuring Nishinomiya-born singer-songwriter Reiko Umehara（うめはられいこ）.

Reiko Umehara Profile

Date of birth　December 11, 1994
Blood type　B
Hometown　Nishinomiya City
Current residence　Tokyo
Height　168cm
Hobbies　Cosmetics in general
Favorite foods　Pasta, cheese, yuba
Favorite sayings　“Tomorrow is another day,” “Loyalty and compassion”
Favorite artists　Kumi Koda, Superfly, Chisato Moritaka, aiko, Mao Abe
Dislikes　Exercise
Favorite places in Nishinomiya　Koshienhama, LaLaport Koshien
Recommended shop in Nishinomiya　LA-TOURTIERE（ラ・トゥルティエール）
What kind of singer she wants to be　I want to be a singer who gives people a push forward and stays close to everyone’s hearts!
Dream for the future　To become a tourism ambassador for Nishinomiya City!

Umehara is a graduate of Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya Imazu High School.

After graduating from high school, she moved to Tokyo to pursue her dream and made it all the way to the finals of TBS audition program “Sing!Sing!Sing!” 1st Season.

Although she narrowly lost in the finals, she has since been active as a singer-songwriter, mainly in Tokyo.

Because of her height and outstanding figure, she’s also been called a “beautiful-legged singer-songwriter.”

Here are her PVs↓

This time, we spoke with her at Hamakoshien Sports Park about “places in Nishinomiya that left a lasting impression.”

What made you want to become a singer-songwriter?

I performed in a band at the Imazu High School cultural festival, and that was when I discovered how wonderful it is to sing in front of people. I thought, “This is what I want to do!”

Did you have any musical experience before that?

I had loved singing since I was little, and in junior high school I played percussion in the brass band club, but I only started practicing guitar after moving to Tokyo.

Wait, you started guitar after moving to Tokyo? That’s impressive.

When you go to Tokyo, there are so many people who aren’t just good singers, but can also play instruments and write songs.

I felt that just being able to sing wasn’t enough if I wanted to perform live and audition among people like that, so I worked hard at practicing guitar and started writing my own songs too.

You spent your years up through high school in Nishinomiya. What was your student life like?

In junior high school, I was the head of the brass band club, and we even won a gold prize at the Nishihanshin District Contest for brass bands.

In high school, I wasn’t in any club, but in my third year I was vice president of the student council, and one of my fondest memories is working with everyone to make the cultural festival exciting.

So you’re the leader type.

I’m totally the “eldest daughter” type. Haha.

Did you often come here, to Hamakoshien Sports Park?

Yes. When I was little, I’d walk along the beach with my parents, and when I was a student, I’d talk with friends here or do fireworks. It’s a place I’ve visited often since childhood.

When I was in elementary school, I also frequently took part in school volunteer activities like cleaning up Koshienhama.

Are there any other places you often went to or places that left an impression on you?

I often went to “LaLaport Koshien” with friends after school.

We were students and didn’t have much money, so we’d order a large serving of fries at the food court and share it.

I also went to local family restaurants. One time, after getting my heart broken, I was sobbing in a family restaurant, and an older man sitting next to me got worried and asked, “Are you okay?”

So that happened too…

I also worked a lot of part-time jobs.

Were those part-time jobs around here too?

Yes. The ones I did for a long time were at the KFC in front of Koshien Station and at a concession stand in Koshien Stadium.

Do you have any memories from those jobs?

I was working part-time to earn money for vocal lessons, but my high school didn’t allow part-time jobs.

Just before Christmas, one of my teachers happened to come to KFC and found out I was working there. I ended up having to quit right during Christmas, the busiest time of the year, and I caused trouble for the shop.