MISIA (Japanese singer)
Encyclopedia
, commonly stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese R&B
singer originally from Fukuoka
. She debuted in 1998 on BMG Japan, but has since moved to Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan
imprint. All nine of her studio albums to date have cracked the top 5 and she is one of the most successful touring artists in the 2000s, the first female artist to play all five of Japan's largest stadiums.
Misia is also a committed philanthropist who has founded the charity Child Africa and was named an honorary United Nations ambassador in 2010.
, Kyushu
, to parents who were both doctors. BusinessWeek
reported in 2002 that her real name was "Misaki Ito", though her her official site lists only her stage name. 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 to Tsushima, Nagasaki
on account of her parents' jobs. She began to learn 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 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 who went to the university of Fukuoka 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 African-American vocal trainers there while she was in the eleventh grade. She began training with them 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.
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
, 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
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", 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. 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 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.
to return to her former record label, BMG Japan. "Any Love
" was released on July 4, 2007, 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 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 very first digital single, "Catch the Rainbow
" (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
.
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
. 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.
, 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 "Biodivesity 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.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer originally from Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
. She debuted in 1998 on BMG Japan, but has since moved to Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan
Ariola Japan
, is a Japanese record label precedently part of BMG Japan and now subsidiary of Sony Music Japan. It is home to both former BMG Japan artists and new artists, including Buck-Tick, The Cro-Magnons, Deen, GO!GO!7188, Kenichi Asai, AZU, Takako Matsu, Misia, Kazumasa Oda, Seamo, Shikao Suga, Sukima...
imprint. All nine of her studio albums to date have cracked the top 5 and she is one of the most successful touring artists in the 2000s, the first female artist to play all five of Japan's largest stadiums.
Misia is also a committed philanthropist who has founded the charity Child Africa and was named an honorary United Nations ambassador in 2010.
Early life
Misia was born on July 7, 1978, in FukuokaFukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, to parents who were both doctors. BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
reported in 2002 that her real name was "Misaki Ito", though her her official site lists only her stage name. Her father loved jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and mother loved Western music. Originally both her parents studied vocal music
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
. She is the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister.
She moved to Tsushima, Nagasaki
Tsushima, Nagasaki
is a city governed by Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the only city of Tsushima Subprefecture and it encompasses all of Tsushima Island Archipelago, which lies in the Tsushima Strait north of Nagasaki on the western side of Kyūshū, the southernmost mainland island of Japan. the city has an...
on account of her parents' jobs. She began to learn 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 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 who went to the university of Fukuoka 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 African-American vocal trainers there while she was in the eleventh grade. She began training with them in gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and R&B, but failed all her auditions in high school. In April, 1997, she was accepted into Seinan Gakuin University
Seinan Gakuin University
is a Christian university in Fukuoka, Japan. Seinan Gakuin, founded in 1916 by Rev. C. K. Dozier, a Southern Baptist missionary from the United States, includes , , a as well as the University . The chancellor of Seinan Gakuin is Yoshiki Terazono, and Gary W. Barkley, a former Baptist missionary,...
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. She was conscious of the image of an R&B singer and styled her hair in dreadlocks that November. She used the stage name "MISIA" at the beginning her music career.Establishing her popularity: 1998–2002
Misia debuted on February 21, 1998, with "Tsutsumikomu You ni..." which peaked at number 11 on the OriconOricon
, 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 "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 Sister
Mother Father Brother Sister is Misia's debut album, released on June 24, 1998. It debuted at #3 on the weekly albums chart with 330,660 copies sold. The album stayed in the Top 3 the next two weeks and on its fourth week, reached the top of the charts with 277,990 copies sold...
, 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 Message
Love Is the Message is Misia's second studio album, released on January 1, 2000. It sold 1,349,650 copies in its first week, making it the 23rd highest debut in Japanese history, and peaked at #1 for two consecutive weeks...
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", 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. Masato Nakamura
Masato Nakamura
is a Japanese musician, bass guitarist, and record producer.- Life and music career :Nakamura was originally a session musician before forming the "Cha-Cha & Audrey's Project" with Miwa Yoshida. In 1988, they formed the band Dreams Come True....
, the leader of DCT and her created the song 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
Kokoro Hitotsu
is Misia's 12th single. It was released on August 27, 2003. It peaked at #7 selling 36,771 copies in its first week. The song served as theme song for the movie Dragon Head, starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Sayaka.-Track list:-Charts:-External links:...
" 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
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
is the third main game in the Star Ocean series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February of 2003 by Enix, its penultimate...
and also appears within the game as an orchestral arrangement. Also, "Sea of Dreams" was used as the Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
is a 176-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. It opened on September 4, 2001. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in...
5th Anniversary theme song.
Misia became the first female solo act to tour the five major dome stadiums of Japan (Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
, Nagoya Dome
Nagoya Dome
Nagoya Dome , constructed in 1997, is a baseball field, located in the city of Nagoya, Japan. The dome has the capacity to seat up to 38,414 people . It is an example of a geodesic dome....
, Osaka Dome
Osaka Dome
Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka...
, Sapporo Dome
Sapporo Dome
The is a stadium located in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan, and is primarily used for baseball and football. It is the home field of the baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the football club Consadole Sapporo.-History:...
and Fukuoka Dome
Fukuoka Dome
The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium can accommodate 35,695 spectators and was Japan's first stadium with a retractable roof....
) 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 TraxAvex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
to return to her former record label, BMG Japan. "Any Love
Any Love (Misia song)
"Any Love" is the seventeenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 4, 2007 as the first single from Misia's eighth studio album Eighth World.- Background :...
" was released on July 4, 2007, 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
Ichiro Suzuki
, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
(Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
), a major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player, chose "Ishin Denshin" and "Royal Chocolate Flush" by Misia as an at-bat music of 2008 with Sayuri Ishikawa
Sayuri Ishikawa
, is a Japanese enka singer. She is a popular contestant on the annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast, having appeared 32 times since 1977. Ishikawa made her name performing the classic "Tsugarukaikyo-Fuyugeshiki"...
's "Amagi-goe".
In May 2008, Misia joined Sadao Watanabe, Juanes
Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
, Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
, and Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
for the 'One For All' event on May 29, 2008 for 1,500 in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan.
Misia put out three new releases from April to June 2008: Yes Forever
Yes Forever
"Yes Forever" is the nineteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on April 30, 2008 as the first single from Misia's ninth studio album Just Ballade.- Background :...
in April, Yakusoku no Tsubasa
Yakusoku no Tsubasa
is the twentieth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on May 28, 2008 as the second single from Misia's ninth studio album Just Ballade.- Overview :...
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 very first digital single, "Catch the Rainbow
Catch the Rainbow (Misia song)
"Catch the Rainbow" is the twenty-first single by Japanese recording artist Misia.- Background :The song "Catch the Rainbow" was first released digitally Asia-wide on August 30, 2008. It was later released as a physical CD single on December 17, 2008. "Catch the Rainbow" is Misia's only non-album...
" (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
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
in the number of concert-goers for a solo female artist in Japan.
The June 2009 single "Ginga/Itsumademo
Ginga/Itsumademo
is the twenty-second single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on June 10, 2009 as the third single from Misia's ninth studio album Just Ballade.- Overview :...
" 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...
Hoshi no Yō ni...
is the twenty-fourth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was simultaneously released with her ninth studio album Just Ballade as its fifth and final single and is Misia's first and only re-cut single.- Background :...
", 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 Ballade
-Personnel:* Misia – producer, arranger, vocals, background vocals, vocal producer* Herb Powers Jr. - mastering* Hiroto Tanigawa – executive producer* Shigenobu Karube – co-executive producer* Kazuyuki Kobayashi – co-executive producer...
.
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
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa, Misia recorded the song "Maware Maware
Maware Maware
"Maware Maware" is a song by Japanese recording artist Misia featuring M2J and French-Cameroonian singer Francis Jocky...
" and performed it at Nelson Mandela Square
Nelson Mandela Square
Nelson Mandela Square is a shopping centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. Formerly known as Sandton Square, it was renamed Nelson Mandela Square on 31 March 2004 after a 6-metre statue of Nelson Mandela was installed on the square to honour the former South African president...
in Johannesburg before the Japan vs Cameroon game. She was also inspired by the International Year of Biodiversity
International Year of Biodiversity
The International Year of Biodiversity was a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth, taking place around the world in 2010...
and wrote the song "Life in Harmony
Life in Harmony
"Life in Harmony" is a song by Japanese recording artist Misia from her tenth studio album, Soul Quest. The song was released as a digital single on September 15, 2010...
", eventually chosen by the Convention on Biological Diversity
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
to be the song for the conference.
In 2011, Misia returned to recording with the song "Ashita e
Ashita e
is a song by Japanese recording artist Misia from her tenth studio album, Soul Quest.- Background :A live recording of the song originally performed on April 8, 2011 at the NHK Hall in Tokyo was digitally released on April 27, 2011 to benefit victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami...
" to raise money for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
and "Kioku
Kioku (Misia song)
is the twenty-fifth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on May 25, 2011 as the lead single from Misia's tenth studio album Soul Quest.- Background :...
", 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 Quest
Soul Quest is the tenth studio album by Japanese R&B singer MISIA, released on July 27, 2011. It will be released in a standard CD-only edition and as a limited 2-CD edition featuring a 77-minute DJ mix of various fan favorite songs by MISIA as mixed by MURO. Soul Quest debuted on the Oricon's...
. She followed up Soul Quest with the cover album Misia no Mori: Forest Covers
Misia no Mori: Forest Covers
is an upcoming cover album by Japanese R&B singer MISIA. It is to include her cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", among covers of songs by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye....
, which includes a cover of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's "Smile" which is used as the theme song for the film Friends: Mononokejima no Naki.
Philanthropic work
Misia began getting involved in fund-raising in 2002 and went on to visit KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, and Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, 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
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
(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 "Biodivesity 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.
Discography
- Mother Father Brother SisterMother Father Brother SisterMother Father Brother Sister is Misia's debut album, released on June 24, 1998. It debuted at #3 on the weekly albums chart with 330,660 copies sold. The album stayed in the Top 3 the next two weeks and on its fourth week, reached the top of the charts with 277,990 copies sold...
(1998) - Love Is the MessageLove Is the MessageLove Is the Message is Misia's second studio album, released on January 1, 2000. It sold 1,349,650 copies in its first week, making it the 23rd highest debut in Japanese history, and peaked at #1 for two consecutive weeks...
(2000) - MarvelousMarvelous (Misia album)Marvelous is Misia's third studio album and first self-produced album, released on April 25, 2001. It sold 881,150 copies in its first week, peaked at #1 for two consecutive weeks, and spent five weeks in the Top 5. The first pressing of the album came in sleeve case packaging. Marvelous is the...
(2001) - Kiss in the SkyKiss in the SkyKiss in the Sky is Misia's fourth studio album and first under Avex Trax subsidiary label Rhythmedia Tribe, released on September 26, 2002. It sold 410,060 copies in its first week and peaked at #1 for two consecutive weeks...
(2002) - Mars & RosesMars & RosesMars & Roses is the fifth studio album by Japanese R&B singer Misia, released on February 11, 2004. It debuted at #3 with 151,087 copies sold. The album was recorded in London, New York and Tokyo. The song Little Rose, the title and theme of the album were inspired by Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The...
(2004) - Singer for SingerSinger for SingerSinger for Singer is Misia's sixth studio album and first conceptual one, released on December 8, 2004, only ten months after Mars & Roses. It sold 167,518 copies in its first week and peaked at #3...
(2004) - AscensionAscension (Misia album)-Oricon sales charts:- Physical sales charts :-Release history:...
(2007) - Eighth WorldEighth World-Oricon Sales Chart:- Physical Sales Charts :-External links:**...
(2008) - Just BalladeJust Ballade-Personnel:* Misia – producer, arranger, vocals, background vocals, vocal producer* Herb Powers Jr. - mastering* Hiroto Tanigawa – executive producer* Shigenobu Karube – co-executive producer* Kazuyuki Kobayashi – co-executive producer...
(2009) - Soul QuestSoul QuestSoul Quest is the tenth studio album by Japanese R&B singer MISIA, released on July 27, 2011. It will be released in a standard CD-only edition and as a limited 2-CD edition featuring a 77-minute DJ mix of various fan favorite songs by MISIA as mixed by MURO. Soul Quest debuted on the Oricon's...
(2011) - Misia no Mori: Forest CoversMisia no Mori: Forest Coversis an upcoming cover album by Japanese R&B singer MISIA. It is to include her cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", among covers of songs by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye....
(2011)