中島美嘉

j-pop

中島美嘉 (Mika Nakashima), born on February 19, 1983 in Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, is a popular Japanese singer. Nakashima had dreamed of becoming a singer since she was a child. She decided not to attend high school or college, and pursued her dream in a musical career. She was chosen out of three thousand girls as the heroine of the 2001 fall season drama, 傷だらけのラブソング (Kizudarake no Love Song, Scarred Love Song) from Fuji TV Station. In November, she made her sensational debut under Sony Music Associated Records with the song STARS, which was also the theme song of the drama. STARS is Nakashima's best-selling single to date, with sales nearing 470 000 copies since its release in November of 2001. Her second single, CRESCENT MOON, was limited to only 100 000 copies. Amazingly, it sold out on the first day of its release. In March of 2002, she released her third single ONE SURVIVE and her first video compilation DVD, FILM LOTUS. In May her fourth single HELPLESS RAIN. In August her fifth single, WILL, was released, tying up sales of over 200 000 copies. She released her first album, TRUE, in August of 2002. TRUE peaked at #1 on the Oricon 200 Album Chart in Japan, and has sold 1,174,000 copies since its release. In 2003, she released five singles, 愛してる (Aishiteru, I Love You), Love Addict, 接吻 (Seppun, Kiss), FIND THE WAY and 雪の華 (Yuki no Hana, Flowers of Snow), a mini-album, RESISTANCE, and a full-length album, LOVE. LOVE ...