Misia (Japanese singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Misia | ||
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 Still from Misia's latest live concert.
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | 伊藤美咲 (Misaki Itō?) | |
| Born | July 7, 1978 (age 28) | |
| Origin |  Fukuoka, Fukuoka Kyūshū, Japan |
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| Genre(s) | Japanese Pop, R&B | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, Piano, Guitar, Trumpet | |
| Years active | 1998 — Present | |
| Label(s) | BMG Japan 1998 — 2001 Rhythmedia Tribe 2002 — Present |
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| Website | Rhythmedia Misia Web | |
Misia (ミーシャ Mīsha?), born on July 7, 1978, in Fukuoka, Japan) is a female Japanese R&B singer. Her real name is Misaki Itō (伊藤美咲?) (not to mistake with the actress, (伊東美咲) Misaki Ito). Her current record label is Rhythmedia Tribe (part of music conglomerate Avex Trax) and she belongs to Rhythmedia management company.
She debuted on February 21, 1998, with the song "Tsutsumikomu Youni…".
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[edit] Biography
Misia (not to be confused with European singer Mísia) was born Misaki Ito on July 7, 1978, in Fukuoka, Kyūshū, to parents who were both singers. She is the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister. She discovered her five-octave singing voice while at her older sister’s private music lessons. From then on she dreamed of becoming a singer and later won a contest in Fukuoka. She moved in with her sister before middle school to work toward her goal. During middle and high school, she sang and played the trumpet in a brass band club. She began training with two African-American trainers in gospel and R&B, but failed all her auditions in high school. She was accepted into Seinan Gakuin University in commercial science but decided to pursue a music career instead.
She finally passed a BMG Japan audition in May 1997 and styled her hair in dreadlocks that November. Her name Misia is a combination of "Misaki" and "Asia."(other saying goes "Messiah" and/or "Asia") She debuted on February 21, 1998, with "Tsutsumikomu Youni..." which peaked at #11 on the Oricon single charts and became a long seller. Her second single, "Hi no Ataru Basho" reached #9 and was used in the soundtrack of the movie 'hood. Her first album "Mother Father Brother Sister" was released on June 24, 1998, entered the charts at #3 and reached #1 after 4 weeks. In March 1999, she won Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year at the Nihon Gold Disc Awards.
In 2000, one of Misia's dreams came true with the release of "I miss you ~Toki wo Koete~" with Dreams Come True, her favorite band. Masato Nakamura, the leader of DCT, created the song while Misia wrote the lyrics. The single was released on January 1, 2001. Her album "LOVE IS THE MESSAGE" includes a live version of the famous song, Lovin' You. Her single "Kokoro Hitotsu" released on August 27, 2003 and was used as the theme song to the hit movie Dragon Head.
The single "Namae no Nai Sora wo Miagete", released on July 7, 2004, was used as the theme song for the drama Tenka. "Tobikata wo Wasureta Chiisana Tori" is used as the theme song of the PlayStation 2 role-playing game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and also appears within the game as an orchestral arrangement. Also, "SEA OF DREAMS" was used as the Tokyo DisneySea 5th Anniversary theme song.
She is one of the few artists in Japan to have never performed on any TV music shows and even fewer to be so popular. Her live performance is acclaimed by many. She became the first female solo act that toured five major domed stadiums of Japan in 2004.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Mother Father Brother Sister (6/24/98) – #1
- Love Is The Message (1/1/00) – #1
- Marvelous (4/25/01) – #1
- Kiss In The Sky (9/26/02) – #1
- Mars & Roses (2/11/04) – #3
- Singer For Singer (12/8/04) – #3
- Ascension (2/07/07) – #2
[edit] Compilations and other albums
- The Glory Day (mini album) (11/21/98) – #6
- Misia Remix 1999 (6/9/99) – #36
- Misia Remix 2000 Little Tokyo (4/19/00) – #1
- Misia Remix 2002 World Peace (11/21/01) – #3
- Misia Greatest Hits (3/3/02) – #1
- Misia Remix 2003 Kiss In The Sky – Non Stop Mix (4/23/03) – #3
- Hoshizora no Live – Best Of Acoustic Ballade (live album) (10/22/03) – #2
- Misia Single Collection -5th Anniversary- (12/3/03) – #8
- Misia Love & Ballads -The Best Ballade Collection- (6/16/04) #1
[edit] Singles
- Tsutsumi Komu Yō ni (2/21/98) – #11
- Hi no Ataru Basho (5/21/98) – #9
- Believe (4/21/99) – #2
- Wasurenai Hibi (11/25/99) – #4
- Sweetness (11/25/99) – #7
- Escape (7/7/00) – #7
- Everything (10/25/00) – #1
- Misia + DCT: I miss you ~Toki wo Koete~ (1/1/01) – #3
- Hatenaku Tsuzuku Story (1/30/02) – #3
- Nemurenu Yoru wa Kimi no Sei (8/8/02) – #1
- Back Blocks (11/20/02) – #7
- Kokoro Hitotsu (8/27/03) – #7
- In My Soul / Snow Song From Mars & Roses (12/3/03) – #7
- Namae no Nai Sora wo Miagete (7/7/04) – #9
- Luv Parade / Color of Life (7/5/06) – #16
- Sea of Dreams (7/12/06) – #13
[edit] Trivia
- Height: 153 cm
- Weight: 40 kg
- Blood Type: O
- Shoe size: 23 cm
- Trademark: Dreadlocks
- Favorite artists: Dreams Come True
- Hobbies: Cooking
- Measurements (in cm.): 83-56-80
[edit] External links
- Rhythmedia Misia Web Official site (in Japanese)
- Rhythmedia Official site (in Japanese)
- Rhythmedia Tribe Label Site (in Japanese)
- Wiki.theppn page on Misia
