Kaori Uesugi, born Ayumi Igi on October 20, 1975, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, is a renowned enka singer affiliated with Teichiku Entertainment. She made her musical debut on June 21, 1995, with the single "Kazemure" under BMG JAPAN, now known as Ariola Japan. Following the discontinuation of BMG JAPAN's Enka division, she moved to Teichiku Entertainment in 1999 with her release "Nonbee." Uesugi was part of the radio personality trio G-Pan Musume on the show "Hashire! Kayōkyoku" on Cultural Broadcasting, alongside Hiroko Kashima and Ryūko Mizuta, which significantly raised her profile. In the early 2000s, Uesugi formed "Rainbow Usagi Gumi" with fellow Teichiku artists Miyuki Nagai and Hiromi Yamaguchi, all born in the Year of the Rabbit. She famously appeared in an outfit representing the Olympic Japanese team during the release of her hit single "Onna Sake" on February 15, 2006, which sold over 200,000 copies. On May 20, 2013, she was appointed as a PR ambassador for her hometown of Tsubame City, where she was involved in various promotional activities. In 2020, she announced a hiatus from her singing career to focus on raising her child, stepping away from her agency, Sun Music Production. Her journey is highlighted by the release of the single "Izakaya Hotaru"(2014) adding to her prolific career.