Chara

Overview

Chara (born Miwa Watabiki, January 13, 1968) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress and music producer from Kawaguchi, Saitama. Known for her distinctive voice, highly original songs and status as a fashion icon, she is associated with Shibuya-kei, J-pop and J-R&B. She debuted in 1991 with the single "Heaven" and rose to stardom after starring in Shunji Iwai's film Swallowtail Butterfly (1996); "Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)", released under the film's band name Yen Town Band, gave her her first No. 1 on the Oricon singles chart. Her 1997 album Junior Sweet debuted at No. 1 and sold over a million copies.

Career

Early life and path to debut

Chara began piano at age four and started composing in elementary school. In junior high she was influenced by American Graffiti and Diana Ross, and she took up roller skating after being drawn to the roller-skating waitresses in the film. After high school she entered a piano-tuning vocational school but left after a year. She played keyboards in unsigned bands, and at around age 20 became a vocalist so she could sing her own songs, making her first stage appearance at Shinjuku RUIDO while working as a roller-skating waitress.

1991-1995: Early releases

A demo tape led to a deal with Epic/Sony, and she debuted in September 1991 with "Heaven". Her debut album Sweet followed in November and reached No. 64 on the Oricon album chart. After her first tour in May 1992, her second album Soul Kiss won the 34th Japan Record Award for best new artist album in the pop/rock category. In 1993 she appeared in commercials for brands such as Suntory and Shiseido, and her fan club Charakura was founded. Violet Blue (1993) and Happy Toy (1994) both debuted at No. 4. She met actor Tadanobu Asano while filming Iwai's Picnic in spring 1994; they married in March 1995, and their daughter Sumire was born that year.

1996-2001: Mainstream success

In 1996 Chara starred as Glico in Iwai's Swallowtail Butterfly, recording the soundtrack with producer Takeshi Kobayashi in a Beatles-esque style under the name Yen Town Band. The theme song and the concept album Montage both reached No. 1, and she won the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Junior Sweet (1997) topped the charts and was certified million-selling; its single "Yasashii Kimochi" sold over 520,000 copies. In November 1997 she released a single as Chara with The 99 1/2, a project of Kohei Tsuchiya. In 1999 she teamed up with Judy and Mary's Yuki as Chara+Yuki for "Ai no Hi Mittsu Orange" (over 230,000 copies), and her album Strange Fruits debuted at No. 3 and sold over 300,000 copies. Her son was born that year. She released the best-of Caramel Milk in 2000 and the album Madrigal in 2001, which featured two tracks co-written with guitarist James Iha.

2001-2005: Mean Machine and independent years

In 2001 Chara played drums in the twin-drum all-female rock band Mean Machine with Yuki and actress Ayumi Ito, among others, releasing two singles and an album. After her contract with Epic ended in 2003, she worked independently, releasing the limited-run album something blue (2000 copies) in 2005, holding fan-club-only Charakura Party concerts, and performing as cold sugar with Akino Arai and as a quiet alertness.

2006-2016: Return to the major scene

She moved to Universal Music in 2006 and released her 10th album UNION in February 2007, her first major original album in about four years, followed by a national tour. In 2008 she began hosting the music program Ongaku Ba~ka and co-wrote the film theme "Kieru" for Snakes and Earrings with the novel's author, Hitomi Kanehara. She and Asano divorced in July 2009, with Chara retaining custody of their children. She moved to Sony-affiliated Kyun Music in 2012 and released the self-cover album JEWEL in 2013. In 2014 she and her daughter Sumire became ambassadors for the brand KOE. Yen Town Band performed live in September 2015 for the first time in about 12 years, and in December she released "Ainone", her first single in 19 years, along with a remastered Montage. In 2016 she released "my town" featuring Kj of Dragon Ash and the album diverse journey, her first original album in about 20 years.

2016-present: 25th and 30th anniversaries and recent work

For her 25th anniversary in September 2016, she reissued a remastered Junior Sweet with a re-creation tour and released her first 45-song best-of, Naked & Sweet; footage of her 1994 Nippon Budokan show was screened for one day in cinemas on November 11. Her album Sympathy followed on July 19, 2017, with contributions from Shigeru Kishida (Quruli) and Hidefumi Kenmochi (Wednesday Campanella). She also produced artists such as Shiori Niiyama and Koda Kumi. In 2018 she released the dance-oriented album Baby Bump, followed by singles including "Sweet Night Fever" and "Stay!!!" (2019), "Inner Peace" (2020) and "Watashi o Hanasanaide" (2021). In 2021 she served as music director for the first time on the film Zokki, singing the theme with her son Himi. She marked her 30th anniversary in September 2021 with a concert at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA on the 20th, announced a move to Nippon Columbia, and reissued "Heaven" on 7-inch vinyl. A one-day Yen Town Band show marked the 25th anniversary of Swallowtail Butterfly in November, and the book Chara's Time Machine Book appeared in December. In 2022 she performed the orchestral concert billboard classics Chara 30th ANNIVERSARY Premium Symphonic Concert 2022 -Chara's Time Machine- in Hyogo and at Bunkamura Orchard Hall, released as an album in June 2023. She has since issued "ESY" and "A-O-U" (2022), "ohhh!" (2023), "angel" (2024) and "Lush Life" (2025), and released the album The Love Songs of Chara "Lush Life" on November 5, 2025.

Musical style

Chara's roots lie in soul and R&B, and she uses both whisper and strong vocal styles, remarking in 2007 that a voice grows over time. Her lyrics often use hiragana for homophones to create double meanings, and she sometimes sings a melody in nonsense syllables before writing words. Prince was her biggest teenage influence, and she still hopes to collaborate with him. She treats her nine-year-old self as an inner child that fuels her music, and her backing band is called the Aurora Band.