This Is Me (Misia song)
Encyclopedia
"This Is Me" is a song by Japanese recording artist Misia
taken from her tenth studio album, Soul Quest
, for which it serves as leading track. On June 26, 2011, a snippet of the song was released on Misia's official website. The full song was released as a promotional single
on July 13, 2011 and made available as a pre-order bonus for people who pre-ordered Soul Quest through the Japan iTunes Store
.
. The song also features English lines originally written by Mike Wyzgowski. "This Is Me" was written in January 2011, right before Misia launched her nationwide tour The Tour of Misia Japan Soul Quest. The song was made the theme song for the tour and also serves as the lead track of Soul Quest. Misia received Sagisu's demo tape with a note that said "Disco masterpiece for Misia." On the official Soul Quest website, Misia wrote, "(Sagisu) has composed many songs for me, such as "The Glory Day," but this song is nothing like he's ever done before. It sounded to me like a song someone in the 80s would have recorded, a very groovy, fast-paced, powerful up-tempo number." "It made me think about how Sagisu is someone who lives by his own accord and who makes the most of the canvas he is given, " she added, "so, I decided to write about my perspective of the real me."
" (2011). The video heavily features CG
and traditional animation
. It depicts Misia and various characters (including flower dancers, a human dog, a caped dancer, and a lion man), portrayed by Misia's tour dancers, members of the dance group Vanilla Grotesque, in an alternative fairyland. In a press release, the duo commented, "We wanted to take a stylish approach, [...] most of the music videos we've directed have been for male hip hop artists, so working with an artist like Misia was a first. It was a challenge but we're glad to have been able to match a great song with a great video." Misia also commented, "I really enjoyed shooting this video with all my dancers and friends. I first worked with (Electrotnik) on the music video for "Kioku" and their work is fantastic. They were very diligent about staying true to the concept of the video throughout the video shoot." The video was styled by Toshio Takeda and features the camera and lighting work of Naoki Noda. The music video premiered on July 7, 2011, Misia's thirty-third birthay, on the official Soul Quest website, and was first televised on July 11, 2011, on Space Shower TV.
, during which "Soul Quest Overture," the instrumental opening track from Soul Quest, is played. After vanquishing the witch, the caped man changes Misia and her dog from their animated forms back to their human forms and frees them from the cage in which they had been locked in. Misia is seen wearing a layered white dress and a belt and head-wrap adorned in gold while her hair is styled in an afro
. The three then dance their way out of the witch's castle as Misia restores it back to its pristine state through magic
. On his way out, the caped man finds the witch's two servant crows and changes them back to their human forms as they join Misia outside. As Misia wonders out of the castle into a forest, five flower dancers emerge from the ground and engage in a dance routine. Misia changes a lion statue found in the forest into a man with the head of a lion. As the second chorus kicks in, Misia is seen resting on large rock, singing, while the flower dancers perform around her. As the chorus ends, the camera quickly pans to the sky where the lion man, who has now duplicated himself, is gesturing while standing on a cloud. The flower dancers end their routine by holding hands and jumping, bending their bodies in unison. As they move away from each other, a horse magically springs from the ground. The video ends with Misia and the supporting characters dancing and singing before a large sun covered with clouds on which the two horses and five flower dancers appear to be standing. The last sequence features Misia, who is surrounded by a radiant halo
of light, and the other characters standing still as they outstretch their arms and raise their heads to the sky.
MISIA (Japanese singer)
, 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...
taken from her tenth 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...
, for which it serves as leading track. On June 26, 2011, a snippet of the song was released on Misia's official website. The full song was released as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
on July 13, 2011 and made available as a pre-order bonus for people who pre-ordered Soul Quest through the Japan iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
Composition
"This Is Me" was written by Misia and the composition and production were handled by Shirō SagisuShiro Sagisu
is a well-known Japanese music producer and composer. With a career spanning over 25 years , he is best known for his work as a record producer for acts including Misia, Satoshi Tomiie, and Ken Hirai...
. The song also features English lines originally written by Mike Wyzgowski. "This Is Me" was written in January 2011, right before Misia launched her nationwide tour The Tour of Misia Japan Soul Quest. The song was made the theme song for the tour and also serves as the lead track of Soul Quest. Misia received Sagisu's demo tape with a note that said "Disco masterpiece for Misia." On the official Soul Quest website, Misia wrote, "(Sagisu) has composed many songs for me, such as "The Glory Day," but this song is nothing like he's ever done before. It sounded to me like a song someone in the 80s would have recorded, a very groovy, fast-paced, powerful up-tempo number." "It made me think about how Sagisu is someone who lives by his own accord and who makes the most of the canvas he is given, " she added, "so, I decided to write about my perspective of the real me."
Background and development
The music video for "This Is Me" was directed by Electrotnik, a directing duo composed of Hiroshi Nakane and Sayaka Nakane, who previously directed the music video for Misia's "KiokuKioku (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 :...
" (2011). The video heavily features CG
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
and traditional animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. It depicts Misia and various characters (including flower dancers, a human dog, a caped dancer, and a lion man), portrayed by Misia's tour dancers, members of the dance group Vanilla Grotesque, in an alternative fairyland. In a press release, the duo commented, "We wanted to take a stylish approach, [...] most of the music videos we've directed have been for male hip hop artists, so working with an artist like Misia was a first. It was a challenge but we're glad to have been able to match a great song with a great video." Misia also commented, "I really enjoyed shooting this video with all my dancers and friends. I first worked with (Electrotnik) on the music video for "Kioku" and their work is fantastic. They were very diligent about staying true to the concept of the video throughout the video shoot." The video was styled by Toshio Takeda and features the camera and lighting work of Naoki Noda. The music video premiered on July 7, 2011, Misia's thirty-third birthay, on the official Soul Quest website, and was first televised on July 11, 2011, on Space Shower TV.
Synopsis
The video begins with a fight between a caped man and a witch, who is depicted in animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, during which "Soul Quest Overture," the instrumental opening track from Soul Quest, is played. After vanquishing the witch, the caped man changes Misia and her dog from their animated forms back to their human forms and frees them from the cage in which they had been locked in. Misia is seen wearing a layered white dress and a belt and head-wrap adorned in gold while her hair is styled in an afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
. The three then dance their way out of the witch's castle as Misia restores it back to its pristine state through magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. On his way out, the caped man finds the witch's two servant crows and changes them back to their human forms as they join Misia outside. As Misia wonders out of the castle into a forest, five flower dancers emerge from the ground and engage in a dance routine. Misia changes a lion statue found in the forest into a man with the head of a lion. As the second chorus kicks in, Misia is seen resting on large rock, singing, while the flower dancers perform around her. As the chorus ends, the camera quickly pans to the sky where the lion man, who has now duplicated himself, is gesturing while standing on a cloud. The flower dancers end their routine by holding hands and jumping, bending their bodies in unison. As they move away from each other, a horse magically springs from the ground. The video ends with Misia and the supporting characters dancing and singing before a large sun covered with clouds on which the two horses and five flower dancers appear to be standing. The last sequence features Misia, who is surrounded by a radiant halo
Halo (religious iconography)
A halo is a ring of light that surrounds a person in art. They have been used in the iconography of many religions to indicate holy or sacred figures, and have at various periods also been used in images of rulers or heroes...
of light, and the other characters standing still as they outstretch their arms and raise their heads to the sky.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 .... |
67 |
| Billboard Japan Hot Top Airplay | 47 |
| Billboard Japan Adult Contemporary Airplay | 55 |