LiSA

Overview

LiSA (stylized from Lisa) is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Seki, Gifu, signed to SACRA MUSIC under Sony Music Artists. She made her major debut in 2010 as a vocalist for Girls Dead Monster, the fictional band in the anime Angel Beats!, and her solo debut in 2011 with the mini-album Letters to U. Her song "Gurenge" (紅蓮華) became the first 2019 female solo artist download to pass 300,000 and exceeded one million downloads in July 2020.

Career

Early years

She began piano lessons at three, joined a musical class, and passed an audition for the Okinawa Actors School in elementary school. In junior high she sang in a band covering Avril Lavigne and Love Psychedelico. She formed the band CHUCKY, which disbanded in July 2008, then moved to Tokyo and formed Love is Same All with members of Parking Out; her stage name is an acronym of that band's name.

Girls Dead Monster and solo debut (2010–2015)

In 2010 she sang the part of Yui (voiced by Eri Kitamura) for Girls Dead Monster, releasing the singles "Thousand Enemies", "Little Braver" and "Ichiban no Takaramono (Yui final ver.)" and the album Keep The Beats!. She first appeared at Animelo Summer Live on August 28, 2010, and the band's activities ended with a final live on December 27, 2010.

She debuted solo on April 20, 2011 with Letters to U from Aniplex; she wrote its lyrics and composed its first song, "Believe in Myself". "Oath Sign", the Fate/Zero opening, followed on November 23, 2011 and peaked at No. 5 on the Oricon weekly chart. Her first album, LOVER"S"MiLE, came out in February 2012, and "Crossing Field", the first Sword Art Online opening, on August 8, 2012, also reaching No. 5 on Oricon. In 2013 she released "Best Day, Best Way", "Träumerei" and the album LANDSPACE (No. 2).

She played the Nippon Budokan on January 3, 2014, and released "Rising Hope", "Bright Flight / L.Miranic" and "Shirushi". In 2015 came a two-day Budokan run, the album Launcher, "Rally Go Round", "Empty MERMAiD", her first overseas tour ASIA2015, and her acting debut as Madge Nelson in the Japanese dub of Minions.

2016–2019

She released the mini-album LUCKY Hi FiVE! and "Brave Freak Out" in 2016 and played Yokohama Arena. In April 2017 she joined SACRA MUSIC, then released LiTTLE DEViL PARADE and toured arenas for the first time. In May 2018 her first best albums, LiSA BEST -Day- and -Way-, were released, with -Way- giving her first No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart. "Gurenge" followed in July 2019, and she made her first NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen appearance that year.

2020 onward

On October 14, 2020 she released "Homura" (炎) and the album LEO-NiNE together, earning her first No. 1 on the Oricon singles chart, and on December 30 "Homura" won the 62nd Japan Record Award. In 2021 she released the mini-album LADYBUG for her tenth anniversary, took a short break from some activities in August due to fatigue and resumed on August 28, and later released "Yuke" and "Akeboshi/Shirogane". In 2022 she held the Eve&Birth concerts and released the album LANDER, followed by a hall tour from September to December 2023. In April 2024 she held LiVE is Smile Always～i SCREAM～ at the Nippon Budokan, and released "Shouted Serenade", "Black Box" and "QUEEN" that year and "ReawakeR" in 2025.

Musical style

Working in anime, J-pop and J-rock, LiSA drew early inspiration from Avril Lavigne and Love Psychedelico. Her songs have served as themes for anime including Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.