Miliyah

Overview

Miliyah (Miliyah Kato, 加藤ミリヤ) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, fashion designer, author and actress born on June 22, 1988 in Toyota, Aichi. Her real name is Miho Katō. Known for a hip-hop and R&B-based brand of J-pop, she saw her debut album Rose (2005) certified platinum in Japan, and her first compilation Best Destiny (2008) became her first number-one album. She is credited with popularizing sampling in the J-pop scene and has sold over 12.6 million records and ringtones.

Career

Before debut

Inspired by Namie Amuro and Lauryn Hill as a child, Miliyah began writing lyrics around age 10. In 2001, at 13, she passed a Sony Music audition singing Hikaru Utada's "Automatic", and began composing at 14. In 2003 she provided vocals on Reggae Disco Rockers' "Cherry Oh! Baby" and appeared in commercials; the following year she was featured on Dohzi-T's work.

2000s

She made her major debut in September 2004 with the single "Never Let Go/Yozora". Her status as a real high school student was heavily emphasized, and she was called the "post-Hikaru Utada" and a "charisma of high school girls". In 2005 she released the fourth single "Jounetsu", which sampled UA's "Jonetsu", and her first album Rose, which debuted at No. 2 on the Oricon chart. Her appearance on m-flo's "One Day" also raised her profile. In 2006 she launched her own fashion brand, Kawi Jamele.

Diamond Princess (2007) was certified gold by the RIAJ, and Tokyo Star (2008) produced her first top-ten single, "La La La". In November 2008 the all-sampling compilation Best Destiny gave her her first Oricon number one. Ring (2009) charted in the weekly top three for four consecutive weeks, became her best-selling album, and yielded top-ten singles "Sayonara Baby", "20 -Cry-" and "Love Forever"; its album track "Aitai" was certified triple platinum despite not being a single. In November 2009 she played her first show at Nippon Budokan.

2010s

Heaven (July 2010) debuted atop the Oricon chart, and her song "Destiny" was used as the theme of the Japanese version of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The compilation M Best (August 2011) sold over 300,000 copies and became her second consecutive number one. In 2011 she also made her debut as a novelist with Umareta mama no Watashi wo. In November 2012 she released her second novel, UGLY, and the album True Lovers, followed by the "TRUE LOVERS TOUR 2013" from February to April 2013.

In January 2014 she released the double A-side single "Love/Affection / Kamisama", directing a music video for the first time, and published her first short story collection, Kamisama. Loveland also arrived in 2014. Her collaboration with Mika Nakashima, "Fighter", was included as the Asian representative song on the official 2014 FIFA World Cup compilation, and the two performed at the FIFA Fan Fest in Rio de Janeiro. She released the collaboration single "YOU..." with Izumi Nakasone of HY in September, the artist book Cupido in October, and the 10th-anniversary album MUSE. She also recorded a collaborative album, The Best, with singer-songwriter Shota Shimizu.

She released her 26th single, "Shonen Shojo", in January 2015. Liberty followed in March 2016, then Utopia, and the tenth studio album Femme Fatale (2018).

2020s

In 2019 she announced her marriage and pregnancy, and in June reported the birth of her first child. In April 2020 she made her acting debut as a guest on the drama SUITS 2, and in December announced her second pregnancy. She released the album BLONDE16 in April 2023 and has continued with singles including "PRAYER" (2023), "Poison" (2023), "No No No" (2024), "LONELY" (2024), "愛楽" (2024), Epiphany EP (2025), "#東京LIFE" (2025) and "One Last Kiss" (2025). In August 2025 she reported the birth of her third child, and in 2026 she received the music category of the 18th Best Mother Award.

Musical style

Miliyah has said her music uses hip-hop and R&B as a base while aiming for a middle ground that is neither overly pop nor overly hardcore. Sampling is a frequent hallmark, though she dislikes repeating the same image and follows her instincts toward house, hip-hop or rock as the mood strikes. Her main influences are Namie Amuro, Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, with lyrical inspiration from female artists who debuted around 1998 such as Cocco, Hikaru Utada, aiko, Shiina Ringo and Ayumi Hamasaki. She also runs the fashion brand KAWI JAMELE and the jewelry brand Mirror by Kawi Jamele, and fans influenced by her music and style are called "Miliyers".