Akio Suga is an enka singer born on June 8, 1999, in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture. He grew up listening to enka music played at his grandparents’ home and aspired to become a singer after being inspired by Saburo Kitajima. He began competing in karaoke contests in the first grade of elementary school and went on to win numerous competitions. In 2019, he won the national championship at the “Nationwide Karaoke Grand Prix: Singing Junpei Oda” and was presented with an original song by Junpei Oda himself. In 2021, he was selected as one of 20 contestants from 17,015 applicants for Nippon TV’s “Singing King” and advanced to the final six. In 2022, upon graduating from university, he moved to Tokyo and began pursuing his career as an enka singer in earnest. Starting in 2023, he held numerous solo concerts at live houses in Tokyo and performed street performances, expanding his fan base with his resonant voice and warm banter delivered in his Tohoku accent. Through these activities, a video of him singing reached Saburō Kitajima himself, paving the way for his debut. On May 21, 2025, he made his debut with his first single, “Furusato Shunjū” (em) and “Furusato Shunjū” (/em), released by Nippon Columbia. The song depicts a young person who has left their hometown to pursue a dream, as well as their feelings toward their grandfather—a narrative that resonates with his own life journey. His stage name, “Ryo Suga,” was created by combining “Suga” from his local Suga Shrine with “Ryo” from his real name, and “O” (meaning “valiant” or “strong will”).