Yoyoka

YOYOKA, a 15-year-old drummer, has been playing the drum since she was 1 year old. Born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan, she started performing live at the age of 4 and formed a band with her family when she was 5. At the age of eight, YOYOKA covered Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and surprised the world when Robert Plant recognized her ability.

She has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show twice and is the youngest drummer ever selected as one of the “World’s Top 500 Drummers” by Drummerworld and was chosen as the youngest ever in NewsWeek Japan’s “100 Japanese People the World Respects”. She has also performed with Cyndi Lauper, Fall Out Boy, Jack Black and more while receiving admiration from notable figures such as Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Tom Morello, Chad Smith, Narada Michael Walden, Bootsy Collins, Anderson.Paak and Dave Grohl.

At the age of 8, she signed endorsement deals with Pearl, Zildjian, VIC FIRTH and others and participated in the recording of 18 songs for the famous video game Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. In 2024, she landed an endorsement contract with renowned drum manufacturer Ludwig.

Additionally, she has been chosen for worldwide commercial campaigns by brands like Nike, Moncler, Google and UNIQLO.

In September 2022, YOYOKA moved to the U.S. with her family to pursue her passion for drumming and love of music. Initially settling in San Francisco, she attended the Oakland School for the Arts, where she learned English while excelling in advanced music classes, exploring different genres of music and playing styles.

Her debut album, 'For Teen,’ featuring numerous musicians and producers, including Narada Michael Walden, members of Jamiroquai, Roman Morello, and Marco Mendoza, released in October 2024. To celebrate, she performed a sold-out concert at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, with approximately 300 attendees.

She and her family currently reside in Los Angeles.

Awards

Drummerworld "World's Top 500 Drummers" (the youngest in history)

Newsweek Japan "100 Most Respected Japanese in the World"

Gear

Ludwig Drums

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