MISIA

Stage Name:MISIA (ミーシャ ,Mīsha),
Birth name :伊藤美咲 (Misaki Itō)
Born: July 7, 1978 (1978-07-07) (age 30)
Origin: Fukuoka, Fukuoka Kyūshū, Japan
Genre(s): Japanese Pop, R&B
Occupation(s): Singer, Songwriter
Instrument(s) :Singing, Piano, Guitar, Trumpet, Flute
Years active :1998 — Present
Label(s): BMG Japan 1998 — 2002
Rhythmedia Tribe 2002 — 2007
BMG Japan 2007 — 2008
Sony Music Japan 2008 — present
Website http://www.misia.jp/

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 be mistaken with the actress Misaki Ito (伊東美咲). Her name is spelled with "MISIA" so that it is not confused with European singer Mísia and with Style Misia. Her current record label is BMG Japan and she belongs to Rhythmedia management company.

She debuted on February 21, 1998, with the song "Tsutsumikomu Youni..."

Biography

Early life

MISIA was born Misaki Ito on July 7, 1978, in Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, Kyūshū, to parents who were both doctors. Her father loved jazz, and mother loved Western music. Originally both her parents studied vocal music. She is the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister.

Ｓｈｅ moved in Tsushima, Nagasaki on account of her parents' works. She began to learn a piano at the age of 4 under the influence of her elder brother and her elder sister. She joined the local chorus at the age of 9, and 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 gradually came to want to leave Tsushima where she wasn't able to get enough information including music, and want to take voice lessons in earnest in Fukuoka. Then, she left her home and moved to Fukuoka with her elder sister who went to the university of Fukuoka when she went on to a high school. During middle and high school, she sang and played the trumpet in a brass band club. While going to the high school, she also began to go to a music academy and met two African-American trainers in succession there at the time of eleventh grade. She began training with two trainers in gospel and R&B, but failed all her auditions in high school. In April, 1997, she was accepted into Seinan Gakuin University in commercial science.

Career Beginnings

In May, 1997, she finally passed a BMG Japan audition. They were looking for the soulful female R&B singer. She sang "Goodbye Darlin'" of Dreams come true, and she was chosen from about 3000. She decided to pursue a music career instead of school education and took a leave of absence from a university. She was conscious of the image of the R&B singer and styled her hair in dreadlocks that November. She bore her stage name, "MISIA" on beginning the music career. MISIA is a combination of MISaki and AsIA. (other saying goes "Messiah" and/or "Asia")

Establish her popularity: 1998–2002

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. She came to represent many R&B singers, so-called "Diva" in Japanese mass media term, whom Japan produced at the time.

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 and her 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.

In the days of Avex Trax: 2002–2007

In 2002, she transferred to new record label, Rhythmedia Tribe affiliated with Avex Group which her entertainment office established from Arista Japan affiliated with BMG Fan House.

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 fewer to be as popular despite this. Her live performance is acclaimed by many. She became the first female solo act that toured five major domed stadiums of Japan in 2004.

Return to the BMG Japan: 2007–present

It was announced on May 1, 2007 that Misia left Avex Trax to go back to her former record label, BMG Japan. Any Love, the first original release on BMG Japan since 2002, was released on July 4, 2007. It was composed by Satoshi Shimano, who also produced her debut hit.

On September 29, 2007 Misia held her first overseas concert in Taiwan.

Her next single, "Royal Chocolate Flush", was released in December 2007, and the first album since returning to BMG, "EIGHTH WORLD", came out in January 2008.

Ichiro Suzuki(Seattle Mariners), a major-leagues player, chose the "Ishin Denshin" and "Royal Chocolate Flush" of Misia as a AT-BAT MUSIC of 2008 with Sayuri Ishikawa's "Amagi-goe".

Misia put out three new releases from April to June 2008. Yes Forever in April, Yakusoku no Tsubasa in May, and Decimo X Anniversario de Misia ~The Tour of Misia 2008 Eight World+The Best DJ Remixes~ in June.

In continuation of her 10th anniversary celebration, MISIA released her very first digital single, "Catch the Rainbow" (produced by SAKOSHIN) on August 30, 2008. She wrapped up THE TOUR OF MISIA DISCOTHEQUE ASIA in early March, a tour that brought her to Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

A new single and tour DVD are planned for simultaneous release on June 10, 2009.

Misia will embark on her fifth acoustic tour, Hoshizora no Live 5, this summer.