miwa

Overview

miwa (born 15 June 1990) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actress, born in Hayama, Kanagawa, and raised in Tokyo. She is signed to Sony Records and managed by Tristone Entertainment, and her official fan club is called "yaneura-no-neko." A graduate of Keio University's Faculty of Commerce, she made her major debut in 2010 with the single "don't cry anymore." Her 2011 debut album guitarissimo topped the Oricon weekly album chart, making her the first solo singer born in the Heisei era to reach No. 1 on that chart.

Career

Early years

miwa grew up surrounded by music thanks to her father, a devoted music lover. She began writing songs at 15 and taught herself guitar after entering high school, then began taking lessons when progress stalled. During high school she performed mainly at Shimokitazawa Loft (the site of her first live show) and around Tokyo, and in Okinawa (mainly Chatan) during summer vacations, where her father's family home is. Because her school banned entertainment activities, she kept her gigs secret even from friends. She released two limited, self-produced singles, "Song for you/TODAY" and "Soba ni Itai Kara." After her major debut was decided, she began full-scale songwriting in the winter of her final year of high school.

2010

On 3 March 2010, she debuted on Sony Records with "don't cry anymore," and held a debut live at shibuya eggman the same day. The song served as a drama theme and won the Drama Song Award at the 64th The Television Drama Academy Awards in April. That month she also began hosting the radio show miwa no All Night Nippon R on Nippon Broadcasting. In July, Gibson's US website featured her holding a Joan Jett model electric guitar, the first time a Japanese woman was profiled in such an article. In August she released digital covers of Yutaka Ozaki's "Boku ga Boku de Aru Tame ni" and The Blue Hearts' "Aozora," used in the animated film Colorful. Her third single "chAngE" (1 September), the twelfth opening theme of the anime Bleach, debuted at No. 8 on the Oricon weekly singles chart, her first top-10 entry. She also launched the "miwa Light Music Club" with fans, and held her first solo tour from late November to early December.

2011

She won Best 5 New Artists at the 25th Japan Gold Disc Awards in January. Her fifth single "Haru ni Nattara" (February) was briefly used as the departure melody at JR Harajuku Station. Her first album guitarissimo came out on 6 April (delayed by a week after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami) and debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon album chart, her first chart-topper overall. She followed it with the guitarissimo tour, the acoustic tour "acoguissimo" in November, and a one-man show at Zepp Tokyo on 24 December.

2012–2013

In 2012 she released her second album guitarium (14 March) and her first music video collection, miwa clips vol.1. In July she debuted the collaboration "miwa Kuro" with Momoiro Clover Z at GIRLS' FACTORY 2012. Her ninth single "Hikari e" (August) became a long seller, ranking second on TSUTAYA's annual CD single rental chart. In October she contributed "Good-bye days" to the YUI tribute album. In January 2013 she released "Whistle Kimi to Sugoshita Hibi," written as the cheer song for the 91st All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, and performed live at the final at the National Stadium. Her first Nippon Budokan concert took place on 29 March, and she graduated from university that month. Her third album Delight (22 May) was certified Gold within its release month, a first for her. On 31 December she appeared on the 64th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time, performing "Hikari e."

2014–2016

In 2014 she played two nights at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in March, and in August wrote "Kibou no WA" as the theme for the "Tohoku Fukko-sai" event in Paris, performing it with junior and senior high school students from areas affected by the 2011 disaster (released as a double A-side single in November). In December she held her first arena tour and appeared on Kōhaku with "Faith." In 2015 she made her acting debut in the film Maestro! as flautist Amane Tachibana. In March she played two consecutive acoustic solo shows at Budokan, reportedly a first for a female solo artist. She also made her TV drama debut in NHK's Kōhaku ga Umareta Hi as Michiko Namiki, released her fourth album ONENESS on 8 April, and featured on TUBE's "Tokonatsu PaPa featuring miwa." In August, "Yozora. feat. Haji→/Stress Free" marked her first single featuring another artist. From October she became a regular on NHK E-Tele's ON MY WAY, with "Hajimari wa Owari ja nai" as its theme. She also made a cameo in TV Asahi's Tamiou and appeared on Kōhaku with "fighting-φ-girls." In January 2016 she released her first self-compilation, miwa ballad collection graduation, and toured. She wrote the 2016 NHK National School Music Competition junior high set piece, released in October as her 21st single "Yui," and performed it on Kōhaku with the choir of Kumamoto Obiyama Junior High School. She hosted NHK-FM's Muse Note for four consecutive years from 2015.

2017–2018

In February 2017 her first lead-role film, The 100th Love with You (as Aoi Hinata), was released, along with her fifth album SPLASH☆WORLD (22 February). She held an arena tour from April to June and released a digital cover of "Under the Sea" from Disney's The Little Mermaid in August. In December she appeared at the ASIA FASHION AWARD 2017 in Taipei. In 2018 she began miwa no All Night Nippon Premium in January, played her fourth Budokan concert in March, and toured acoustically ("acoguissimo 4") from March to May. On 10 June she performed a solo acoustic show at Yokohama Arena, reportedly a first for a female solo artist there. She also released a best-of album that year.

2019 onward

In September 2019 it was reported that she would marry swimmer Kosuke Hagino, and in January 2020 the birth of their first child was announced. In March 2024 the couple announced their divorce via the fan club site. She has also released the albums Sparkle (2022) and 7th (2024).

Musical style

miwa has written her own songs since the age of 15 and is known for live performances ranging from solo acoustic guitar sets to full band shows. Her favorite Western artists include Sheryl Crow, Deep Purple, Carole King, Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift, while among Japanese artists she admires Aiko, Angela Aki, Radwimps and Yuki. Her catalog spans J-POP and anime music, with tie-ins to dramas, anime, films, cheer songs and choral pieces.

Filmography

• Films: Maestro! (2015), The 100th Love with You (2017, lead)
• TV: Kōhaku ga Umareta Hi (2015), Tamiou (2015, cameo)

Albums

guitarissimo (2011), guitarium (2012), Delight (2013), ONENESS (2015), SPLASH☆WORLD (2017), Sparkle (2022), 7th (2024)