Ryo Okumoto was born in Osaka, Japan. He began playing classical music on the piano at the age of 3 and continued through 13. He became a professional musician at the age of 15 performing at the Live House in Osaka for a year. Because of his great desire to learn more about different styles of music and his strong independence, he moved to Tokyo at the age of 16. Ryo performed in nightclubs and discos for the next 5 years.