Himeka
Encyclopedia
Catherine St-Onge better known by her stage name
Himeka (stylized as HIMEKA) is an anime song singer of French Canadian
descent. While fluent in English and her native French, she is moderately proficient in Japanese. Her stage name, Himeka, comes from a character she created in a story she wrote when she was 13 years old.
, St-Onge was very interested in theater and music. At the age of 12, St-Onge taught herself English by singing Disney songs. Soon after at 13, she began writing her own stories in which Himeka was the main character. Her interest in Japanese culture started at the age of 15 when she saw an episode of the anime
series Sailor Moon
. In 2008, St-Onge moved to Japan in order to pursue her singing career. She was the winner of the Second Annual Animax Anison Grand Prix
, which gathers aspiring singers from all over Japan for the chance to make a professional debut and sing a theme song in an anime television show. Her debut single "Asu e no Kizuna
", released on May 27, 2009, was the opening theme to the anime adaptation of the PlayStation 3
video game Valkyria Chronicles
. The single debuted at number 28 on the Oricon
single charts.
Her second single was named "Hatenaki Michi
" and was released on November 25, 2009.It was the featured ending song for a new anime named Tegamibachi. The singled peaked at #33 on the weekly Oricon chart.
Then St-Onge's announced her first cover album, Anison: Utattemita, was released on 3 March 2010.
And after 2 months her third single, named "Mirai e...
", was released on May 26, 2010. It was featured as the ending theme in the anime Senkō no Night Raid
.
After a short while, St-Onge announced her first digital single, named "La la la, Sekai o Hitotsuni", to be released on 14 July 2010. The song is an official support song for the World Cosplay Summit
2010 in Nagoya, Japan. It was the first song St-Onge composed by herself.
After a very long period of no releases and barely any performances, St-Onge's official website confirmed, on 19 October, 2011, that her first original album is going to be released on 30 November 2011. The title of the album is "himekanvas
" and it will include all her released singles, 7 original songs and 2 cover songs.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Himeka (stylized as HIMEKA) is an anime song singer of French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
descent. While fluent in English and her native French, she is moderately proficient in Japanese. Her stage name, Himeka, comes from a character she created in a story she wrote when she was 13 years old.
Biography
Born in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, St-Onge was very interested in theater and music. At the age of 12, St-Onge taught herself English by singing Disney songs. Soon after at 13, she began writing her own stories in which Himeka was the main character. Her interest in Japanese culture started at the age of 15 when she saw an episode of the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
. In 2008, St-Onge moved to Japan in order to pursue her singing career. She was the winner of the Second Annual Animax Anison Grand Prix
Animax Anison Grand Prix
The is a Japanese anime song music competition, organized by Animax, in association with Jupiter Telecommunications.-Outline:The annual competition is first held across a series of preliminaries in several Japanese cities, with the chosen finalists performing at a final round, which will be...
, which gathers aspiring singers from all over Japan for the chance to make a professional debut and sing a theme song in an anime television show. Her debut single "Asu e no Kizuna
Asu e no Kizuna
is the debut Japanese single by French Canadian Himeka. The single was released on May 27, 2009 under her label Sony Music Japan International. "Asu e no Kizuna" is the opening theme song for the anime adaptation of PlayStation 3 game Valkyria Chronicles. The B-side, "Sayonara Solitaire" is a cover...
", released on May 27, 2009, was the opening theme to the anime adaptation of the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in 2008.The game is set in Europa, loosely based on Europe in 1935...
. The single debuted at number 28 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
single charts.
Her second single was named "Hatenaki Michi
Hatenaki Michi
is the second Japanese single by French-Canadian singer Himeka. The single is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2009 under her label Sony Music Japan International...
" and was released on November 25, 2009.It was the featured ending song for a new anime named Tegamibachi. The singled peaked at #33 on the weekly Oricon chart.
Then St-Onge's announced her first cover album, Anison: Utattemita, was released on 3 March 2010.
And after 2 months her third single, named "Mirai e...
Mirai e...
-Charts:...
", was released on May 26, 2010. It was featured as the ending theme in the anime Senkō no Night Raid
Senkō no Night Raid
, is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Aniplex and directed by Jun Matsumoto. The 13-episode anime aired in Japan on the TV Tokyo television network starting April 5, 2010. Senkō no Night Raid is the second project of Anime no Chikara...
.
After a short while, St-Onge announced her first digital single, named "La la la, Sekai o Hitotsuni", to be released on 14 July 2010. The song is an official support song for the World Cosplay Summit
World Cosplay Summit
, also known as WCS, is an annual international cosplay event that promotes friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture. The event is hosted by TV Aichi and held in Nagoya, Japan...
2010 in Nagoya, Japan. It was the first song St-Onge composed by herself.
After a very long period of no releases and barely any performances, St-Onge's official website confirmed, on 19 October, 2011, that her first original album is going to be released on 30 November 2011. The title of the album is "himekanvas
Himekanvas
Himekanvas is the first full length original album released by Catherine St-Onge under her new label Sony Music Japan International under the mononym HIMEKA on November 2, 2011.The album has 2 versions: A Cd-only version and a limited CD+DVD version...
" and it will include all her released singles, 7 original songs and 2 cover songs.