Miwa (singer)
Encyclopedia
Miwa is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She debuted in 2010 with the single "Don't Cry Anymore
", used as the theme song for the drama Nakanai to Kimeta hi.
, however moved to Tokyo
at a young age. Since her father had a great love for a music, Miwa naturally began to enjoy music as she grew up.
Miwa began writing songs at 15. She started self-learning how to play the guitar after she entered high school, but gave up and paid for professional lessons after finding she could not make a lot of progress learning by herself. Her High School had a ban on students having part-time jobs. Despite this, Miwa secretly worked, and eventually used these savings by her second year of high school to buy a Gibson J-45
guitar. After this, Miwa played live concerts mostly around Shimokitazawa
in Tokyo and in Okinawa in the summer (her parents had a house there). Due to her high school also having a ban on students working in the entertainment business, she had to do these lives in secret (without even telling her school friends). In this time, Miwa released two self-published independent singles, "Song for You/Today" and "Soba ni Itai Kara" in 2007 and 2008.
Miwa was signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan
during her third year of high school. She debuted as an artist in 2010, while attending Keio University
. Her debut single, "Don't Cry Anymore
," was chosen to be used for the drama Nakanai to Kimeta His theme song. The single was a minor commercial success, breaking the top 20 on Oricon
's single charts and being certified by the RIAJ as selling 100,000 full length cellphone downloads a month after its release. In April 2010, the song won the award for best drama theme song at the 64th The Television Drama Academy Awards, beating out songs such as Arashi
's "Troublemaker
" and Mr. Children
's "Hanabi."
Miwa released her second single, "Little Girl
," in late June. Her third single, "Change
," was the twelfth opening theme song for the anime Bleach, and was a top 10 single.
For the animated film adaptation of Eto Mori's novel Colorful, Miwa covered two songs by famous Japanese artists. Yutaka Ozaki
's "Boku ga Boku de Aru Tame ni" was used as the film's image song, and The Blue Hearts
' song "Aozora
" was used as the ending theme song of the film. Both songs were released as digital downloads on August 12, 2010.
Miwa considers her favourite Western musicians to be Sheryl Crow
, Deep Purple
, Carole King
, Avril Lavigne
and Taylor Swift
. Her favourite Japanese musicians are Aiko
, Angela Aki
, Radwimps
and Yuki.
Miwa previously DJed a monthly radio show on All Night Nippon
, Miwa no All Night Nippon R (miwaのオールナイトニッポンR), every third Monday from 3:00am to 5:00am. It has since then been changed into a weekly show, now known as Miwa no All Night Nippon (miwaのオールナイトニッポン), airing every Tuesday (early Wednesday) from 1:00am to 3:00am.
Miwa released her first album Guitarissimo
on April 6, 2011 (was scheduled to release a week earlier on end of March but was delayed due to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
and its aftereffects). The charts performance was Miwa's best overall: the album reached No. 1 in the Oricon's album charts, making Miwa the first Heisei period-born solo singer to reach a No. 1 on the album charts in the history of the Oricon.
Don't Cry Anymore
"Don't Cry Anymore" is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's debut major label single, released on March 3, 2010. It was used as the Nana Eikura starring drama Nakanai to Kimeta Hi's theme song. It was certified gold by the RIAJ for full-length cellphone downloads.-Writing:The song is an upbeat pop...
", used as the theme song for the drama Nakanai to Kimeta hi.
Biography
Miwa was born in Hayama, KanagawaHayama, Kanagawa
is a town located in Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture, on central Honshū, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 32,386 and a density of 1,900 per km². The total area was 17.06 km²...
, however moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
at a young age. Since her father had a great love for a music, Miwa naturally began to enjoy music as she grew up.
Miwa began writing songs at 15. She started self-learning how to play the guitar after she entered high school, but gave up and paid for professional lessons after finding she could not make a lot of progress learning by herself. Her High School had a ban on students having part-time jobs. Despite this, Miwa secretly worked, and eventually used these savings by her second year of high school to buy a Gibson J-45
Gibson J-45
The Gibson J-45 is an acoustic guitar model manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. It is part of Gibson's round-shoulder, dreadnought acoustic "jumbo" line, begun in 1934 with the Gibson Jumbo Flattop which was to compete with C.F. Martin & Company's "D" line.The J-45 is generally regarded...
guitar. After this, Miwa played live concerts mostly around Shimokitazawa
Shimokitazawa
is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo. It consists of the neighborhood immediately surrounding Shimo-Kitazawa Station, where the Odakyū and Keiō Inokashira Lines intersect. Also known as "Shimokita", the district is a center for stage theater and live music venues. It is home to the historic Honda...
in Tokyo and in Okinawa in the summer (her parents had a house there). Due to her high school also having a ban on students working in the entertainment business, she had to do these lives in secret (without even telling her school friends). In this time, Miwa released two self-published independent singles, "Song for You/Today" and "Soba ni Itai Kara" in 2007 and 2008.
Miwa was signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
during her third year of high school. She debuted as an artist in 2010, while attending Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
. Her debut single, "Don't Cry Anymore
Don't Cry Anymore
"Don't Cry Anymore" is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's debut major label single, released on March 3, 2010. It was used as the Nana Eikura starring drama Nakanai to Kimeta Hi's theme song. It was certified gold by the RIAJ for full-length cellphone downloads.-Writing:The song is an upbeat pop...
," was chosen to be used for the drama Nakanai to Kimeta His theme song. The single was a minor commercial success, breaking the top 20 on 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...
's single charts and being certified by the RIAJ as selling 100,000 full length cellphone downloads a month after its release. In April 2010, the song won the award for best drama theme song at the 64th The Television Drama Academy Awards, beating out songs such as Arashi
Arashi
is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
's "Troublemaker
Troublemaker (Arashi song)
"Troublemaker" is a song recorded by Japanese boy band Arashi. It was released on March 3, 2010 by their record label J Storm. "Troublemaker" was used as the theme song to the drama starring Arashi member Sho Sakurai...
" and Mr. Children
Mr. Children
, commonly called , is a Japanese rock band formed in 1988 by Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki. As a group, they are one of the most successful Japanese rock artists, having sold over 50 million records and creating the in the mid 1990s in Japan...
's "Hanabi."
Miwa released her second single, "Little Girl
Little Girl (Miwa song)
is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's second major label single, released on June 23, 2010. The B-side "Soba ni Itai Kara" is a re-recording of Miwa's second independently released single from 2008.-Writing and inspiration:...
," in late June. Her third single, "Change
Change (Miwa song)
"Change" is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's third major label single, released on September 1, 2010.- Writing and inspiration :The song is an upbeat pop rock song...
," was the twelfth opening theme song for the anime Bleach, and was a top 10 single.
For the animated film adaptation of Eto Mori's novel Colorful, Miwa covered two songs by famous Japanese artists. Yutaka Ozaki
Yutaka Ozaki
was a popular Japanese musician.He is ranked at No. 23 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians by HMV.-Biography:He was born in Tokyo Setagaya Ward SDF Central Hospital to Kinue and Kenichi Ozaki. He has one older brother, Yasushi. Early in life, he was hospitalized with intestinal torsion and...
's "Boku ga Boku de Aru Tame ni" was used as the film's image song, and The Blue Hearts
The Blue Hearts
was a popular Japanese punk rock band that performed from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. In 2003, they were ranked by HMV Japan as number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts...
' song "Aozora
Aozora (song)
was the eighth single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. The song was recut from the group's third album Train-Train. This song was written in opposition to the continuing apartheid of the time. Mashima said that the actual reading for the tile is Aoi Sora...
" was used as the ending theme song of the film. Both songs were released as digital downloads on August 12, 2010.
Miwa considers her favourite Western musicians to be Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
, Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
and Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. Her favourite Japanese musicians are Aiko
Aiko (singer)
Aiko is a J-Pop singer-songwriter and vocalist. She studied popular music vocals at the Osaka College of Music, and after graduating in 1996, she became a DJ on FM Osaka...
, Angela Aki
Angela Aki
, born Kiyomi Angela Aki on September 15, 1977, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Itano, Tokushima, Japan.-Early life:...
, Radwimps
Radwimps
is a Japanese rock band, who debuted independently in 2003 and later on major label Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band achieved great commercial success in 2006 album their album Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan, and are best known for their later singles "Order Made" and "Dada" , both of which hit number...
and Yuki.
Miwa previously DJed a monthly radio show on All Night Nippon
All Night Nippon
All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am . It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming.The highest ratings were achieved on the night of October 1, 1967.-DJs:...
, Miwa no All Night Nippon R (miwaのオールナイトニッポンR), every third Monday from 3:00am to 5:00am. It has since then been changed into a weekly show, now known as Miwa no All Night Nippon (miwaのオールナイトニッポン), airing every Tuesday (early Wednesday) from 1:00am to 3:00am.
Miwa released her first album Guitarissimo
Guitarissimo
Guitarissimo is the debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa. The album was released on April 6, 2011....
on April 6, 2011 (was scheduled to release a week earlier on end of March but was delayed due to the 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 its aftereffects). The charts performance was Miwa's best overall: the album reached No. 1 in the Oricon's album charts, making Miwa the first Heisei period-born solo singer to reach a No. 1 on the album charts in the history of the Oricon.
Album
| Year | Album Information | 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... albums charts |
Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | guitarissimo Guitarissimo Guitarissimo is the debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa. The album was released on April 6, 2011....
|
1 | 66,000 |
Major label singles
| Release | Title | Notes | Chart positions | Oricon sales |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... singles charts |
Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
RIAJ digital tracks RIAJ Digital Track Chart The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads .... |
|||||
| 2010 | "don't cry anymore Don't Cry Anymore "Don't Cry Anymore" is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's debut major label single, released on March 3, 2010. It was used as the Nana Eikura starring drama Nakanai to Kimeta Hi's theme song. It was certified gold by the RIAJ for full-length cellphone downloads.-Writing:The song is an upbeat pop... " |
Gold certification for full-length cellphone downloads | 11 | 2 | 3 | 22,000 | guitarissimo Guitarissimo Guitarissimo is the debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa. The album was released on April 6, 2011.... |
| "Little Girl Little Girl (Miwa song) is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's second major label single, released on June 23, 2010. The B-side "Soba ni Itai Kara" is a re-recording of Miwa's second independently released single from 2008.-Writing and inspiration:... " |
18 | 84 | 59 | 8,200 | |||
| "chAngE Change (Miwa song) "Change" is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's third major label single, released on September 1, 2010.- Writing and inspiration :The song is an upbeat pop rock song... " |
8 | 12 | 4 | 20,000 | |||
| "Otoshimono Otoshimono (song) is Japanese singer-songwriter Miwa's fourth major label single, released on December 1, 2010.- Track listing :- Chart rankings :- Reported sales :... " |
14 | 39 | 19 | 18,000 | |||
| 2011 | align="left"| | 10 | 22 | 12 | 16,000 | ||
| "441" | 7 | 11 | 21 | 21,000 | TBA | ||
| "FRiDAY-MA-MAGiC" | 9 | 15 | |||||
Other released songs
| Release | Title | Notes | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100 |
RIAJ digital tracks |
||||
| 2007 | "Song for You/Today" | Self-released independent singles | — | — | — |
| 2008 | align="left"| | — | — | ||
| 2010 | align="left"| | Digital download, Yutaka Ozaki Yutaka Ozaki was a popular Japanese musician.He is ranked at No. 23 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians by HMV.-Biography:He was born in Tokyo Setagaya Ward SDF Central Hospital to Kinue and Kenichi Ozaki. He has one older brother, Yasushi. Early in life, he was hospitalized with intestinal torsion and... cover |
— | 42 | |
| align="left"| | Digital download, The Blue Hearts The Blue Hearts was a popular Japanese punk rock band that performed from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. In 2003, they were ranked by HMV Japan as number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts... cover |
— | — | "Haru ni Nattara" (single) | |
| 2011 | align="left"| | Noriyuki Makihara Noriyuki Makihara , nicknamed by his fans, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter.- Biography :He was born on May 18, 1969 in Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan. He attended Aoyama Gakuin University to study English literature. In addition to creating songs for his own music career, he has written, produced and performed songs... cover |
99 | — | We Love Mackey |
| "Chasing Hearts" | — | 60 | "441" (single) | ||