Misia

Who is Misia?

Misia, commonly stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in 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, 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 second studio album, Love Is the Message, which earned her another Japan Gold Disc Award and Japan Record Award. Her third studio album, Marvelous, spawned her first number-one single on the Oricon singles chart, "Everything". The song became the fourth best-selling single of the 2000s in Japan, as well as the fourth best-selling single by a Japanese solo female artist of all time. In 2001, Misia and her agency, Rhythmedia, signed a recording contract with Avex and formed their own label, Rhythmedia Tribe.