is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 popular singer. Her nickname is Mico (also spelled Miko).

Hirota was born in Setagaya, Tokyo

Setagaya, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...

. She grew up listening to pops and jazz in places like Tachikawa

Tachikawa, Tokyo

is a city located in western Tokyo, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 178,064 and the density of 7,303.69 people per km². The total area is 24.38 km²...

 frequented by Occupation troops. She made her debut in 1961 at age 14. In 1965, Mico became the first Japanese singer to appear at the Newport Jazz Festival

Newport Jazz Festival

The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...

.

Mico appeared on the NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 New Year's Eve Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen

, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...

spectacular eight times. Her first performance was in 1962, when she sang the Connie Francis

Connie Francis

Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...

 tune "Vacation." NHK tapped her for the next four years in succession, and again in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

She sang the theme song, "Leo no Uta," for the animated television series Kimba the White Lion

Kimba the White Lion

, known in the United States as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized...

.

Hirota's commercial career has included endorsements for Nescafé

Nescafé

Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé's flagship powdered coffee product was introduced in Switzerland on April 1, 1938 after being developed for seven or eight years...

, Nippon Oil

Nippon Oil

The , or NOC or Shin-Nisseki is a Japanese petroleum company. Its businesses include the exploration, importation, and refining of crude oil; the manufacture and sale of petroleum products, including fuels and lubricants; and other energy-related activities.Its products are sold under the brand...

, Daikin Industries

Daikin Industries

is a Japan-based multinational corporation present in Japan, China, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.The company was founded in 1924 by Akira Yamada in Osaka, Japan. Daikin has centrally been a chemical corporation, where its focus has been on air conditioning systems...

, Fujiya

Fujiya Co.

Fujiya Food Service Co., Ltd. is a nationwide chain of confectionery stores and restaurants in Japan. Its first shop was founded in 1910 in Yokohama.-Mascot:...

, Renown

Renown (company)

is a Japan-based company mainly involved in textile and clothing production. It manufactures textile products, and their raw materials, and sells men's and women's clothing. Renown also operates retail stores throughout the world. It also has interests in store design, real estate, and food...

, and Sapporo Beer.

Source

This article incorporates material from 弘田三枝子 (Hirota Mieko) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on February 10, 2008.

External links

• TEZUKA OSAMU @ WORLD : ANIME STATION ジャングル大帝 site
• Official blog