Minmi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Japanese musician. For the Dinosaur See minmi (dinosaur).
| MINMI | ||
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 Minmi her in single step
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | ???? | |
| Born | December 8, 1975 Osaka, Japan |
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| Genre(s) | Pop standards Jazz |
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| Years active | 1996 – | |
| Label(s) | Victor Entertainment | |
| Website | http://www.minmi.jp/ | |
Minmi is a Japanese hip hop singer. She was born in Osaka on December 8th 1975.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
MINMI started her musical career around 1996 by performing at ruba dub showcases and hip hop events at the clubs in Osaka, and also started to make her original tracks around this period. Soon after, MINMI's name was well known in the club market, through her live performances in the club events, and she participated in the works of the label of the Japanese Big Sound like Red Spider and Mighty Jam Rock. Those CDs became a hit, not only in a Reggae market but also the Hip Hop market.
With much expectations, MINMI has made the artist contract with JVC, and MINMI’s first Maxi Single "The Perfect Vision" was released in August 2003. This single was well received by the radio stations, with 20 stations playing the song, in heavy rotation . As the song gradually gained popularity, the song started to climb up the Sales Chart over 3 months period, and eventually reached the sales of 400,000 units, an extraordinary figure for a debut single.
With her 2nd Maxi Single "T.T.T.", released in December 2002, MINMI has revealed her diverse approach in her music, from the Reggae based 1st single to a more Hip Hop based track for the 2nd single. As a result of the newly tested tracks and the popular melodies blended in her songs, MINMI became the popular figure among the many of female music fans in their 10s~20s.
So the long-awaited first album "Miracle" was released in March 2003. Though there was only limited exposure, the album ranked in the Top 5 of the Album Sales Chart for 2 months period, and eventually the album sales exceeded 600,000 units. This only proved that MINMI's music itself is what the market has desired.
To coincide with the album release, MINMI's first nationwide tour LIVE TOUR 2003 "Miracle" took place from June 20, 2003. The tickets were all sold out instantly, and the tour took place in full pack audiences in every venue. She also participated in major concert events in many places, in the summer of 2003, and showcased her performance skills, which was honed through her live activities in the underground music scene.
Since then, MINMI has been constantly releasing singles, with her 3rd Single "Another World" dropping In September 2003, and 4th Single "Ai No Mi" in March 2004. She has blended the latest music trends with the popular Japanese music trends, and now, she is known as the major artist in the Japanese music industry with plenty of Black music and Dance music essence, who does not belong to a specific musical genre.
Regarding her production, MINMI is a rare kind of artist, in that she basically does all the songwriting, arrangements, producing, and track-making herself. Her production is so highly accepted in the industry that she is now getting the offer of the production for the other artists. Many leading musicians and the engineers from Jamaica, home of Reggae music, and the United States, home of Hip Hop and R&B music, participate in her production, which is the key factor of blending the latest musical trends and making high quality music.
On June 30, 2004, her long anticipated 2nd album Imagine was released, which coincided with the nationwide live tour “MINMI LIVE TOUR 2004 “imagine” ”, started on September 10, 2004. In December, she released her 5th single "Are yu ready". The song was originated from MINMI’s original song "SAKURA" which contains a sample of Japanese traditional guitar, Shamisen. This song became popular in Jamaica as well. From this point, the production team ZAREK for TSURU-KAME Recording, the team consist of MINMI and JUNIOR (Red Spider), who produced "SAKURA", started work in Jamaica. They have produced various Jamaican artists, and released their original 7 inch vinyls in Jamaica in the start of 2005.
In the summer of 2005, MINMI has released her 6th single "Summertime!". The song is based on Soca rhythm, the music of Trinidad and Tobago. She was very active in live performances in 2005, from organizing a monthly regular reggae club event in Tokyo, a nationwide club tour, to appearing in the major summer rock festival “Summer Sonic” in August. In September, MINMI has released the album “FRIENDS”, the best selection compilation album of her featured works.
In 2006, MINMI’s single "Summertime!", the song based on Soca rhythm, had a big reaction in Trinidad Tobago, the home of Soca. In February, She was invited to the famous Trinidad Tobago Festival, and performed live in front of 30,000 audience, and fascinated the audience who saw her performance, including Wyclef Jean of The Fugees. In March, MINMI released her long-awaited 3rd album Natural. The album proved that MINMI is not just another a Reggae Diva, but also someone well versed, in many others music genre.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Miracle [Release Date: 19 March 2003]
- imagine [Release Date: 30 June 2004]
- FRIENDS～MINMI featuring works BEST～ [Release Date: 22 September 2005]
- Natural [Release Date: 29 March 2006]
[edit] Singles
- "The Perfect Vision" [Release Date: 21 August 2002]
- "T.T.T" [Release Date: 04 December 2002]
- "Another World" [Release Date: 17 September 2003]
- "Another World Remix" [Release Date: 11 November 2003]
- "アイの実 (Ai no Mi)" [Release Date: 31 March 2004]
- "Are yu ready" [Release Date: 08 December 2005]
- "サマータイ！！ (Summer Time!!)" [Release Date: 6 July 2005]
- "西麻布伝説 (Nishiazabu Densetsu)" [Release Date: 22 February 2006]
[edit] DVDs
- Minmi Live Tour 2004. Imagine [Release Date: 24 September 2004]
- Minmi Video Clips 2002-2005．Summer [Release Date: 27 July 2005]
[edit] Collaborations
- Silver King - Tornade feat. Minmi [Release Date: September 2000]
- Jumbo March - Shot Dem Up feat. Minmi [Release Date: October 2001]
- Silver King - 3 Minute Special feat. Minmi [Release Date: 22 May 2002]
- Vader - Parasite feat. Minmi [Release Date: 22 May 2002]
- Boogie Man - I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend feat. Minmi [Release Date:July 2002]
- Takafin - Journey Into... feat. Minmi [Release Date:August 2002]
- 湘南乃風 - Cry feat. Minmi [Release Date: July 2003]
- Pushim - Independent Women Duet with Minmi [Release Date: 17 December 2003]
- Vader - V-XL (Five-Xtra Large) feat. Minmi [Release Date: 02 June 2004]
- Home Grown - Irie Music feat. Pushim, Moomin, H-Man & Mighty Jam Rock <Jumbo Match, Takafin & Boxer Kid> [Release Date: 04 August 2004]
- Home Grown - Set Me Free, Let Me Be feat. Minmi & Boxer Kid from Mighty Jam Rock [Release Date: 04 August 2004]
- Shonannokaze - My Way feat. Minmi [Release Date: 18 August 2004]
- SAL the soul - Keep On Steppin' feat. Minmi [Release Date: 25 November 2004]
- m-flo loves MINMI - Lotta Love [Release Date: 26 July 2006]
[edit] Compilations
- Rock City presents Coolie Dance
- Rock City
- Di Vibes 2003 - Japanese Reggae Selection 2003
- Relaxin' with Japanese Lovers Vol. 2 Japanese Lovers Rock More Collections
- Samurai Champloo music record Departure
- DJ Kaori's "Ride" into the Mix
- Beautiful Songs series Cool Beauty
- Samurai Champloo music record Impression
- Rock the Sky - Kaeru Studio Greatest Hits
- FM802 Heavy Rotations J-Hits Complete '01-'03
- Di Vibes - Japanese Reggae Selection 2004
- Episode I
- DJ Kaori's "Ride" into the Party
- Tag the Mic
