Misia

Biography

Misaki Itō (伊藤 美咲, Itō Misaki) commonly known as Misia (ミーシャ, Mīsha; born July 7, 1978) and stylized in all caps, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attended Seinan Gakuin University before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She was signed to BMG Japan in 1997, after auditioning for record producer Haruo Yoda.
Misia came to prominence following the release of her debut album, Mother Father Brother Sister×Mother Father Brother Sister24 June 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Never gonna cry! strings overture0:542K.I.T4:233恋する季節5:434I'm over here 〜気づいて〜5:045interlude #10:586Tell me5:077キスして抱きしめて5:128Cry5:449interlude #20:4110小さな恋5:3511陽のあたる場所5:1712星の降る丘5:4213つつみ込むように… (DAVE "EQ3" DUB MIX)5:4814Never gonna cry! / [silence] / Never gonna cry! (JUNIOR VASQUEZ REMIX RADIO EDITION)14:06 (1998), which became the seventh best-selling Japanese debut album of all time, earning her two Japan Gold Disc Awards and one Japan Record Award. In 2000, Misia released her sophomore album, Love Is the Message×LOVE IS THE MESSAGE1 January 2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1OPENING0:362BELIEVE4:503sweetness5:504It's just love6:255Sweet pain6:226アツイナミダ6:267雨の日曜日4:478愛しい人6:319あの日のように5:3210花/鳥/風/月5:4811One!6:0912忘れない日々5:5613LOVIN' YOU (MISIA 1999 LIVE VERSION)6:07, which earned her another Japan Gold Disc Award and Japan Record Award. Her third studio album, Marvelous×MARVELOUS25 April 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Intro1:002Rhythm Reflection4:463愛の歌5:324SUNNY DAY5:105あの夏のままで5:496Nocturne6:117Escape4:538la la la6:009Change for good5:4710Everything7:4711時をとめて4:4612I miss you 〜時を越えて〜3:3513Everything Junior Vasquez Remix4:49 (2001), spawned her first number-one single on the Oricon singles chart, "Everything×Everything25 October 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Everything7:002愛の歌5:373Everything (Club Mix)10:594Escape DJ WATARAI Remix5:18". The song became one of the best-selling singles of all time in Japan, and is the third best-selling physical single by a Japanese solo female artist of all time.
In 2001, Misia and her management, Rhythmedia, signed a recording contract with Avex and formed their own label, Rhythmedia Tribe. Her first album under Rhythmedia Tribe, Kiss in the Sky×KISS IN THE SKY26 September 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1眠れぬ夜は君のせい5:242over bit5:023Destiny's rule4:134LAILA4:345恋唄4:196Don't stop music!4:267Fly away5:238Always5:339風に吹かれて5:2810果てなく続くストーリー6:2611Shining Star5:1612太陽がいるから5:3213飛び方を忘れた小さな鳥4:31, became Misia's fourth consecutive number-one album on the Oricon albums chart. In doing so, Misia became the fourth solo female artist with the longest streak of number-one albums since their debut. Following a series of successful records, including Mars & Roses, Singer for Singer and Ascension, Misia returned to her former record label, BMG Japan. After Sony Music Entertainment Japan's acquisition of BMG Japan, Misia relocated to the Sony subsidiary, Ariola Japan.
Misia has released thirteen studio albums and is among the all-time best-selling Japanese music artists, having sold more than 20 million records. She is one of the top-touring artists in Japan, becoming the first female artist to play all five of Japan's largest stadiums in 2004. Besides her musical career, Misia is also a committed philanthropist and involves herself in humanitarian causes and biodiversity conservation activities.

Early life

Misia was born on July 7, 1978, to parents who were both doctors. BusinessWeek reported in 2002 that her real name was Misaki Ito (伊藤美咲, Ito Misaki) though her official site lists only her stage name. Her father loved jazz, and her mother is Ryukyuan, and loved Western music. Originally both her parents studied vocal music.
She grew up in Tsushima, Nagasaki.
She gradually came to want to leave Tsushima, where she was not able to get enough information about music, and wanted to take voice lessons in earnest in Fukuoka. Subsequently, she left her home and moved to Fukuoka with her elder sister where she attended high school. During junior high and high school she sang and played the trumpet in the brass band club.
While going to the high school, she also began to go to a music academy and met two Black American vocal trainers there while she was in the eleventh grade. She began training with them in gospel and R&B. In April 1997, she was accepted into Seinan Gakuin University in commercial science.

Career beginnings

In May 1997, Misia finally passed a BMG Japan audition to find a soulful female R&B singer. Misia sang "Goodbye Darlin'" by Dreams Come True and was chosen from about 3,000 candidates. She decided to pursue a music career instead of school education and took a leave of absence from university. Her perception of the image of an R&B singer is hair styled in dreadlocks, so she styled her own hair that way that November. She used the stage name "MISIA" at the beginning of her music career.

Establishing her popularity: 1998–2002

Misia debuted on February 21, 1998, with "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni..." which peaked at number 11 on the Oricon single charts.
Her second single "Hi no Ataru Basho" reached number 9 and was used in the soundtrack of the movie Hood. Her first album, Mother Father Brother Sister×Mother Father Brother Sister24 June 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Never gonna cry! strings overture0:542K.I.T4:233恋する季節5:434I'm over here 〜気づいて〜5:045interlude #10:586Tell me5:077キスして抱きしめて5:128Cry5:449interlude #20:4110小さな恋5:3511陽のあたる場所5:1712星の降る丘5:4213つつみ込むように… (DAVE "EQ3" DUB MIX)5:4814Never gonna cry! / [silence] / Never gonna cry! (JUNIOR VASQUEZ REMIX RADIO EDITION)14:06, was released on June 24, 1998, entering the charts at number 3 and reaching number 1 after 4 weeks. In March 1999, she won Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year at the Japan Gold Disc Awards.
Misia's second album, Love Is the Message×LOVE IS THE MESSAGE1 January 2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1OPENING0:362BELIEVE4:503sweetness5:504It's just love6:255Sweet pain6:226アツイナミダ6:267雨の日曜日4:478愛しい人6:319あの日のように5:3210花/鳥/風/月5:4811One!6:0912忘れない日々5:5613LOVIN' YOU (MISIA 1999 LIVE VERSION)6:07 was released on January 1, 2000, which went on to sell over 2 million copies. In October of the same year she released her most well-known song "Everything×Everything25 October 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Everything7:002愛の歌5:373Everything (Club Mix)10:594Escape DJ WATARAI Remix5:18", which sold nearly 1.9 million copies.
In 2001, one of Misia's dreams came true with the release of "I Miss You (Toki o Koete)", a collaboration with Dreams Come True, her favorite band. She and Masato Nakamura, the leader of DCT, created the music while Misia wrote the lyrics. The single was released on January 1, 2001.

Avex Trax: 2002–2007

In 2002, she transferred to a new record label, Rhythmedia Tribe, affiliated with Avex Group.
Her single "Kokoro Hitotsu" released on August 27, 2003, was used as the theme song to the hit movie Dragon Head.
The single "Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete", released on July 7, 2004, was used as the theme song for the drama Tenka. "Tobikata o 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.
Misia became the first female solo act to tour the five major dome stadiums of Japan (Tokyo Dome, Nagoya Dome, Osaka Dome, Sapporo Dome and Fukuoka Dome) in 2004, drawing 357,000 spectators in seven performances.

Return to BMG Japan: 2007–present

It was announced on May 1, 2007, that Misia had left Avex Trax to return to her former record label, BMG Japan. "Any Love×ANY LOVE4 July 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1ANY LOVE2そばにいて…" was released on July 4, 2007; the song was composed by Satoshi Shimano, who also produced her debut hit.
Her song "To Be in Love" is the Japanese theme song to Bridge to Terabithia.
On September 29, 2007, Misia held her first overseas concert, in Taiwan.
Her next single, "Royal Chocolate Flush×Royal Chocolate Flush5 December 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Royal Chocolate Flush3:542太陽の地図5:283Chandelier4:274KISS AND HUG2:32", was released in December 2007, and the first album since returning to BMG, Eighth World×EIGHth WorLd9 January 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1MEGA MISIA MIX 10th Anniversary EDITION12:28, came out in January 2008.
Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners), a major league player, chose "Ishin Denshin" and "Royal Chocolate Flush" by Misia as an at-bat music of 2008 with Sayuri Ishikawa's "Amagi-goe".
In May 2008, Misia joined Sadao Watanabe, Juanes, Youssou N'Dour, and Bono for the 'One For All' event on May 29, 2008, for 1,500 in Yokohama, Japan.
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 Eighth World + The Best DJ Remixes in June.
In continuation of her 10th anniversary celebration, Misia released her first digital single, "Catch the Rainbow×CATCH THE RAINBOW17 December 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1CATCH THE RAINBOW4:222JOYFUL MOMENT6:133CATCH THE RAINBOW [SAKOSHIN 808 MIX]4:544CATCH THE RAINBOW [MEGA RAIDERS ELECTRO MIX]4:575CATCH THE RAINBOW [MEGA RAIDERS FLOOR MIX]3:306CATCH THE RAINBOW [THE LOWBROWS "TURN UP THE BASS" REMIX]4:427CATCH THE RAINBOW [THE LOWBROWS "TURN UP THE BASS" DUB]3:178CATCH THE RAINBOW [GOMI'S OLD SCHOOL REMIX]6:01" (produced by Sakoshin) on August 30, 2008.]
She wrapped up The Tour of Misia Discothèque Asia in early March, a tour that brought her to Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai and opened her eyes to the different responses of crowds as she noted "In Japan, it is like people are melting into one group in their excitement, but in Singapore young couples started to kiss. I often see Japanese couples hand-in-hand, but it is rare to see them showing they love each other in front of others."
In 2008, Misia drew near more than 200,000 spectators, second only to Ayumi Hamasaki in the number of concert-goers for a solo female artist in Japan.
The June 2009 single "Ginga/Itsumademo" was inspired by Misia visiting her grandfather for the last time before his death, for which she stated upon its release, "I thanked him for taking me out for a walk when I was a child, for teaching me how to fold origami and make shadow pictures, and for telling me stories. I couldn't stop saying thank you." This and her later single "Hoshi no Yō ni...", which was used as the theme song for the film Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy were included on Misia's 9th studio album Just Ballade×JUST BALLADE16 December 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1少しずつ 大切に5:092逢いたくていま5:593Work It Out2:484地平線の向こう側へ4:545Call me Love me4:086So Beautiful4:597唇と唇4:538バオバヴの木の下で3:379約束の翼5:2010僕のきもち4:1611Yes Forever (Piano Version)4:5612星のように…4:5813銀河4:3714いつまでも1:29.
Misia's 2010 tour titled "Hoshizora no Live VI" included performances in the open air and within forests in order to raise awareness of biodiversity and to support her anthropological work.
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Misia recorded the song "Maware Maware" and performed it at Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg before the Japan vs Cameroon game. She was also inspired by the International Year of Biodiversity and wrote the song "Life in Harmony", eventually chosen by the Convention on Biological Diversity to be the song for the conference.
In 2011, Misia returned to recording with the song "Ashita e" to raise money for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and "Kioku", Misia's first official single in nearly a year and a half. These songs, along with "Maware Maware" and "Life in Harmony" were included on Misia's 10th studio album Soul Quest×SOUL QUEST27 July 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 31 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11SOUL QUEST OVERTURE1:542THIS IS ME3:563EDGE OF THIS WORLD4:384素晴らしいもの探しに行こう3:395記憶5:136雨のソナタ3:367君には嘘をつけない5:348真夏のカメレオン3:419MAWARE MAWARE3:4210LIFE IN HARMONY5:0211明日へ4:44Disc 21素晴らしいもの探しに行こう2:142Yes Forever (MURO’s “PROMO” Mix)1:383つつみ込むように… (DJ WATARAI REMIX featuring MURO)3:074BELIEVE (DJ WATARAI REMIX)1:465ESCAPE (DJ WATARAI REMIX)1:536真夏のカメレオン (DUB MIX)3:327陽のあたる場所 (ORIGINAL MIX)1:598key of love~愛の行方~ (ACOUSTIC CRAB SOUL MIX)2:249THIS IS ME2:4010CATCH THE RAINBOW (GOMI’S OLD SCHOOL REMIX)5:0411SWEET PAIN (FRANCOIS K. REMIX)6:2812sweetness (SATOSHI TOMIIE SWEETER 12” MIX)6:0313INTO THE LIGHT (DAVID SUSSMAN’S MIX)4:0814Everything (JUNIOR+GOMI CLUB EXTENDED MIX)5:2215太陽の地図 (Gomi’s Vajra Mix)3:3616少しずつ 大切に (Gomi’s The World Is Waiting For A Change Mix)5:1017LIFE IN HARMONY (GOMI’S LOVE & HARMONY REMIX)5:0918星のように… (GOMI’S ULTRA LEGEND MIX)6:0119MAWARE MAWARE (GOMI’S TRIBAL MIX~GOMI’S LAIR CLUB REMIX)4:4120Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You (Extended Version)4:04. She followed up Soul Quest with the cover album Misia no Mori: Forest Covers, which includes a cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which is used as the theme song for the film Friends: Mononokejima no Naki.
In 2012, Misia was invited to perform at the opening ceremonies of the 100th anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., where she sang her songs "Everything×Everything25 October 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Everything7:002愛の歌5:373Everything (Club Mix)10:594Escape DJ WATARAI Remix5:18", "Ashita e", and a medley of "Maware Maware" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Misia stated that she hoped that her appearance at the concert would re-invigorate the bond between the U.S. and Japan to help with the reconstruction from the 2011 earthquake. Misia performed at the 63rd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in a live broadcast from Namibia's Namib Desert singing "Everything" and "Ashita e".

In 2013, Misia released a 15th anniversary triple album Super Best Records: 15th Celebration, featuring 45 remastered tracks which includes the singles "Koi wa Owaranai Zutto", "Deepness×DEEPNESS7 November 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1DEEPNESS4:432恋グラム3:593DEEPNESS (GOMI'S LAIR CLUB MIX)5:094HEAL THE WORLD (GOMI'S UNITY OF LOVE REMIX)4:47", and "Back in Love Again×Back In Love Again19 December 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Back In Love Again4:392Stay Gold2:203The Rose (Misia Candle Night Live)3:39Disc 21Back In Love Again MUSIC VIDEO2The Making Of Back In Love Again", along with the new track "Holiday". Misia and Sony also released an accompanying Blu-ray box set titled THE TOUR OF MISIA BOX Blu-ray 15th Celebration, containing 11 disks, ten of which were Blu-ray editions of her previous DVDs and the 11th being a remastered Blu-ray release of her first tour VHS.
In 2020, Misia made another international appearance on the eighth season of Hunan TV's reality singing competition Singer, along with four previously contested singers from seasons four to six, and along with new singers Mao Buyi and Zhou Shen. Misia made it to the finals aired April 24.
On July 23, 2021, sang the Japanese anthem at the opening of the 2020 Olympics.
On December 30, 2021, Misia won the Best Vocal Performance award at the 63rd Japan Record Awards.

Philanthropic work

Misia began getting involved in fund-raising in 2002 and went on to visit Kenya, Mali, and Malawi, setting up the charity Child Africa. Child Africa holds exhibitions, benefit concerts, collects donations and provides help of educational specialists and advisers. Some of Misia's own tour merchandise available at her shows are made by people she has met on her visits to Kenya.
On March 1, 2010, Misia was appointed Honorary Ambassador for the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) by the U.N. Secretary General. Her role was largely to raise awareness of the issues and she created a website titled Satoyama Basket to encourage education on the issue of biodiversity.
At her 2010 "Hoshizora no Live VI" tour, Misia produced a "Biodiversity Band" (a silicon bracelet) with profits going to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The tour also included a biodiversity booth under the cooperation of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.
During the 2010 World Cup, for which Misia contributed a song, she visited the "Football for Hope Center" to communicate with local children who received football lessons but also advice on HIV & AIDS.
In May 2010, Misia expanded her activities by establishing a foundation named "mudef" (Music Design Foundation) for which she is a board member. The principal aim of mudef is "to raise awareness on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to accelerate its accomplishment". Within eight major goals of MDGs that are to be met by 2015, the conservation of biodiversity and the achievement of universal primary school, her two major focuses, are included.