Misono: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Shiina Ringo
• Every Little Thing
• Love Psychedelico
• Chirinuruwowaka
• Day After Tomorrow
• Mitsuru Igarashi
• Bump of Chicken

• Avril Lavigne
• The Offspring
• Krystal Meyers
• Linkin Park

• Day After Tomorrow
• Go! Go! 7188
• Onsoku Line
• Straightener

• Day After Tomorrow

Genres:

Rock Music, World & International Music

Decades Active:

2000's

Misono is the former lead singer of Jpop trio Day After Tomorrow. Since Day After Tomorrow split in 2005, Misono has pursued a solo career with mixed success. Musically, Misono's rockier direction, not to mention a radical change in image from cutsey girl next door to guitarwielding rock chick might have alienated some of her previous band's fan base. After Day After Tomorrow's breakup, Misono appeared in a shortrunning dieting reality TV show broadcast on MTV Japan. It was rumored that Misono's weight gain was one of the reasons fickle and imageobsessed Jpop fans had deserted Day After Tomorrow after their initial success. Misono is the younger sister of Jpop superstar Kumi Koda.

Kyotoborn Misono made her debut as a solo artist with the selfpenned single "VS" in March 2006. To mark her coming out as a solo artist, Misono played at the now defunct Tokyo dance club Velfarre owned by her record label Avex Trax. The song went Top 5 and remains Misono's most successful single to date, spending more than two months on the charts and selling 40,000 copies. "VS" was also the theme song to the Nintendo DS roleplaying game "Tales of the Tempest."

Since then Misono has released a string of singles, including the Top 10 hit "Lovely Cat's Eye," a spunky guitarpop number that is more representative of her sound than the danceoriented "VS," and her debut album "never+land." Like "VS," the video to which borrowed themes from Snow White, fairy tales inspired many of the songs to "never+land."

Citing the likes of Avril Lavinge, Krystal Meyers, The Offspring and Linkin Park as influences, Misono has turned to a variety of musical collaborators. The 2007 singles "Zasetsu Chiten" and "Jyunin Toiro" saw Hidekazu Hinata of poppunk band Straigtener and alternativerockers GoGo7188 produce respectively; 2008's "Mugen Kigen" was produced by rock band Onsoku Line.

In 2007, Misono also starred in the comedy movie "Obachan Chips."

- David Hickey, All Music Guide