MISIA (pronounced M¨©sha, born July 7, 1978, in Fukuoka, Japan) is a female Japanese R&B singer

Her real name is Misaki Itou. Her record label is Rhythmedia tribe and she belongs to Rhythmedia. She debuted February 21, 1998, with the song "Tsutumikomu Youni¡­"

MISIA, unlike many come-and-go artists in the Japanese music industry, has managed to take a strong hold on the music scene in Japan. With her soulful voice and funky looks (including, but not limited to, her awesome dreads and trendy goggles & visors), MISIA is and continues to be one of Japan's top female musicians.

Her music is best described as "full of soul", and for the most part resides in the R&B category. Her voice is one that's rare for Japanese singers, being as deep as it is. However, that's what makes her music so unique and memorable.

Vocal Profile

• Voice type : Lyric Colorotura Soprano
• Lowest note : E3
• Highest note : A6 ("Loving You"), G6("Toki wo Tomete")
• Highest note in chest voice : B5
• Vocal range : approx. 3.3 octaves

Biography

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 Seinangakuin University but decided to pursue a music career instead.

She finally passed a BMG 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 "Asia") She debuted February 21, 1998, with "Tsutsumi Komu Youni¡­" which sold well but did not make the Oricon charts. Her second single, "Hi no Ataru Basho",however, reached ninth place and was used in the soundtrack of the movie Hood. The album Mother Father Brother Sister was released in June 1998 in third place and reached number one after 4 weeks. In March 1999, she won Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year from Nihon Gold Disc Award.

In 2000, one of MISIA¡¯s dreams came true with the release of "I miss you ~Toki o Koete with Dreams Come True, her favorite band. Masato Nakamura, the leader of DCT, created the songs and MISIA wrote the lyrics. The single was released January 1, 2001. The album also included a live version of the famous Whistle Register theme, Lovin' You, which she sang it as a tribute to singer Minnie Riperton, as Misia is well known for using such vocal techniques in many of her original materials. Misia hit a high A6 in her live rendition of the song. Her single "Kokoro Hitotsu"  released August 27, 2003, was used as the theme song to the hit movie Dragon Head.

The single "Namae no Nai Sora wo Miagete" , released July 7, 2004, was used as the theme song for the drama Tenka. "Kiss in the Sky" was used in the soundtrack of the hit PlayStation 2 role-playing game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and also appears within the game as an orchestral arrangement.

Discography

Singles

1. Tsutsumi Komu Youni- 2/21/98
2. Hi no Ataru Basho- 5/21/98
3. BELIEVE- 4/21/99
4. Wasurenai Hibi- 11/25/99
5. Sweetness- 11/25/99
6. Escape- 7/7/00
7. Everything- 10/25/00
8. MISIA + DCT: I miss you ~ Toki wo Koete~ - 1/1/01
9. Hatenaku Tsudzuku SUTO-RI- - 1/30/02
10. Nemurenu Yoru wa Kimi no Sei- 8/8/02
11. BACK BLOCKS- 11/20/02
12. Kokoro Hitotsu- 8/27/03
13. IN MY SOUL / SNOW SONG FROM MARS & ROSES- 12/3/03
14. Namae no Nai Sora wo Miagete- 7/7/04
15. SHININ¡¯¡«nijiiro no RHYTHM¡« 2/2006

Albums

1. Mother Father Brother Sister- 6/24/98
2. The Glory Day- 11/21/98
3. LOVE IS THE MESSAGE- 1/1/00
4. MISIA REMIX 2000 LITTLE TOKYO- 4/19/00
5. MARVELOUS- 4/25/01
6. MISIA REMIX 2002 WORLD PEACE- 11/21/01
7. MISIA GREATEST HITS- 3/3/02
8. KISS IN THE SKY- 9/26/02
9. MISIA REMIX 2003 KISS IN THE SKY - NON STOP MIX- -4/23/03
10. Hoshizora no LIVE - Best Of Acoustic Ballade- 10/22/03
11. MISIA SINGLE COLLECTION -5th Anniversary- - 12/3/03
12. MARS & ROSES- 2/11/04
13. MISIA LOVE & BALLADS -The Best Ballade Collection- 6/16/04
14. SINGER FOR SINGER- 12/8/04

External links

• Rhythmedia MISIA WEB Official site (in Japanese)
• Rhythmedia Official site (in Japanese)
• Rhythmedia Tribe Label Site (in Japanese)