Anna Tsuchiya gained fame in Japan as a model, singer and actress. Overseas her popularity has been growing in the past years. Tsuchiya uses a variety of styles like pop, hip-hop, r&b and rock. Her music has become known for it's Western feel and gritty vocals. Her influences have changed over the years, from Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler and Mariah Carey, to Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Queen and Guns N' Roses. Similar artists are Aya Kamiki & the brilliant green.
Tsuchiya was
born on March 11, 1984 to a Japanese mother and an American father
mixed with Polish American and Irish American ancestry in Tokyo,
Japan. Her parents divorced when she was 7 and since then she lost
her fluency in English, but she has proven that she understands is at
an advanced level. In 1998 Tsuchiya followed in the footsteps of her
older sister Angela, an established model. She got singed by Angela's
former agency and made her debut in fashion magazine “SEVENTEEN”.
Thanks to the regular appearances in that magazine she gained
popularity as a model. By 2002 there was a high demand for Tsuchiya
so she did television ads for “Uniqlo” and “Edwin”. She spent
her mid-teens modeling, made friends with other models and began to
stay at their apartments. It was reported that she began smoking and
drinking around this time
In late
2002, Tsuchiya debuted in the music world as the vocalist of “Spin
Aqua”. This indies band was formed by her and former “Oblivion
Dust” guitarist KAZ, and debuted under “Ki/oon Records” with
the single “Unchained”. In December their first performance was
held at “Tokyo Bay NHK Hall” as part of the "Devilock '02"
concert. Spin Aqua released 2 more singles and a DVD, but despite the
band's sound, they didn't fare well commercially. “Mermaid” was
the only single that got in the Oricon top 200 and album “Pisces”
reached #187 on the charts. In 2004 it was announced that the group
would permanently disband.
Also in
2004, Tsuchiya was cast in the movie "Shimotsuma monogatari"or
"Kamikaze Girls" alongside Fukada Kyoko. She played the
role of a “yanki” girl called Shirayuri Ichigo. Due to her highly
emotive performance, Tsuchiya was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for
the Best Newcomer of 2004. Tsuchiya could relate to her character
Ichigo and said: “Even after the shoot, I was acting like Ichigo at
home and my mom was mad at me, saying, 'Mind your language!'"
She also starred in the film "Cha no aji" ("The Taste
of Tea"), in which she was commended for her raw performance
portraying a high school girl. Later Tsuchiya shocked fans by
announcing her engagement to model/actor Joshua. On November 19th,
2004 Tsuchiya's first child, Sky (澄海,
sukai), was born. Sky is featured in a photobook with his mother,
"Happy Days - Anna, Mama ni Naru!". However, in July 2006,
Tsuchiya and Joshua decided to break up and filed for divorce.
In 2005
Tsuchiya debuted as a solo artist under “Mad Pray Records”, a
sub-label of “Avex Goup”. Her first solo mini-album “Taste My
Beat” peaked at #27 on the Oricon charts and featued contributions
from artists John Freese (drummer of A Perfect Circle) and Justin
Meldal-Johnsen (best known for his work with Beck).
In 2006 her
first single "Change Your Life" was released. It was soon
followed by the 2nd single "Slap that Naughty Body"
/ "My Fate". After these releases, Tsuchiya released her
first remix album, “Taste My Xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life!”
Her third single, "Rose" was released under the pseudonym
“ANNA inspi’ NANA (BLACK STONES)”. This was a boost for
Tsuchiya's music career since "Rose" reached #6 on the
Oricon charts and became her first top 10 hit. The following singles
“Kuroi Namida” and “LUCY” were also released under the alias
as part of the NANA franchise and achieved relative success.
In 2006
Tsuchiya also made her first overseas appearance at Japan Expo in
Paris. When she returned to Japan, she also performed at the “Summer
Sonic” rock festival alongside “Ellegarden” and “Daft Punk”.
In December Tsuchiya was featured on Hotei Tomoyasu's album “Soul
Sessions”, and began her first oneman tour “2006 FINAL strip
yourself!”
In early
2007 Tsuchiya returned with her new single “Kuroi Namida”, which
was used as the new ending theme for the anime of “NANA”. That
same day the ending theme for “Sakuran”, the new film Tsuchiya
starred in, should have been released. However, “Kuroi Namida”
got released one week earlier. In March 2007, the “NANA” songs by
Tsuchiya & Olivia Lufkin were played at Shibuya AX in Tokyo. On
June 30 Tsuchiya performed at “Anime Expo” in California,
followed by performances on July 27 at “Pentaport Rock Festival”
in South Korea, and on July 29 at “Formoz Festival” in Taiwan.
On August
1st 2007, she released single "BUBBLE TRIP / sweet
sweet song". It was co-produced by “KNS Productions”, the
super producer team behind Britney Spears and *NSYNC. To promote the
single, she appeared not only in Japan but also at various rock
festivals around the world, in response to many offers. She also
released a CD in July in 43 EU countries.
On January
30, 2008, single “Cocoon” was released. “Crazy World”
followed in June, and was a collaboration with “Queen of Hip-Hop
Soul”, AI. This track peaked at #19 on the Oricon charts. In
September the single"Virgin Cat" was released and used to
promote the show “The L Word” in Japan. On October 29, Tsuchiya's
3rd and sexually explicit album “NUDY SHOW!” was
released. The promo track of the album was "GINGER" in
collaboration with “MONKEY MAJIK”. To celebrate, Tsuchiya toured
throughout 8 cities on her “Kachiatsu!” tour.
March 11,
2009 was the release date for Tsuchiya's 2nd remix album
“NUDY xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! SHOW!”. It featured collabs with
many notable names from the music industry. By July, her 10th
single, “Brave vibration” hit the stores. That year she also
performed a set with a full orchestra at the “New Classic Gig” in
Tokyo. Tsuchiya revealed herself as a fan of Chopin and his
Revolutionary Etude in particular. The orchestra included 70 members
and the show was broadcast in 38 countries.
In 2010
Tsuchiya was busy again with a series of live performances, including
“Good Summer Festival” and “Summer Sonic Festival”. By fall,
new album “RULE” went on sale and “Checkmate” was the theme
song for the film "Battle Royale 3D".
On November
23, 2011 Tsuchiya released "Switch On!". It is the opening
theme for “Kamen Rider Fourze”. She decided to record the song
because her son was a fan of “Kamen Rider OOO”. On August 22,
2012 another Kamen Rider single was released: “Voyagers”, the
theme song to “Kamen Rider Fourze the Movie: Space, Here We Come!”.
Earlier this
year, in May, guitarist INORAN approached Tsuchiya for a collab on
his 10th album, “Dive youth, Sonik dive!”. Of course
she said yes, and recorded the duet “no options”. Later she
commented: “I'm really happy to participate with INORAN on his
song! It's a really amazing song and is one of my favorites! I hope
to have the chance to sing live with him one day!” On September 17,
Tsuchiya was diagnosed with tonsillitis. Due to this illness she had
to cancel all activities including photo shoots, recording and
performances. In October she joined Hyde's Halloween project unit
“HALLOWEEN JUNKY ORCHESTRA”.
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