Mika Todd
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| Mika Todd | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mika Taressa Todd |
| Also known as | Mika, Mikapon, |
| Born | May 28, 1984 |
| Origin |  Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, Japanese pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Label(s) | Zetima, Superb |
| Associated acts | Coconuts Musume, Mini Moni, Aoiro 7, 10-nin Matsuri, Happy 7, 7Air |
Mika Taressa Todd (ミカ・タレッサ・トッド?), born May 28, 1984 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, is a singer. She joined Hello! Project in 1999 after being discovered by Makoto, fellow Sharan Q bandmate of Tsunku. Along with Ayaka Kimura, Danielle Delaunay, April Barbaran and Chelsea Ching, Coconuts Musume was formed. She was also later added to the line up of Minimoni and became the leader of the group when then leader Mari Yaguchi graduated.
[edit] Biography
Todd's father, Johnny Todd, is a famous Australian-born American Jazz pianist, giving her a strong background in music from a young age. At Kalani High School in Hawaiʻi, Todd formed a musical group with four of her friends and periodically performed at small restaurants in the Waikiki area. After being discovered by Makoto and moving to Japan, they became Coconuts Musume, produced by Tsunku, the same producer of Morning Musume.
In Hello! Project, Coconuts Musume released 5 singles, with April and Chelsea leaving after their second, Danielle after their fourth, and Lehua Sandbo being picked up for the third, the group never had a chance to release an album. After Lehua left after the fifth single, Coconuts Musume continued with just Ayaka and Todd. Although they never released another single, the duo performed at Hello! Project concerts, appeared on television shows, hosted their own radio show Kiss the Coconuts and even promoted Dole pineapples.
Shortly after Coconuts Musume was created, Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi created the subgroup Mini Moni with Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji. Tsunku added Todd into the Morning Musume spin off music group. In Mini Moni, Todd is usually wearing clothes differing from those of the other girls. Mari Yaguchi explained in an episode of Mini Moni Chiccha~! that Todd was wearing blue clothes while everyone else was wearing red was because Todd was at the Mini Moni height limit of 150 cm while everyone else was below the limit. Mini Moni was a highly popular group at the time and gave Todd more exposure than Coconuts Musume had. Many of Minimoni's songs were light-hearted, childish, and occasionally educational. Ohayousan ~Mata Ashita no Uta~ (おはようさん～また明日の唄～?), a song off of Mini Moni's first album Mini Moni Song Daihyakka Ichimaki (ミニモニ。ソング大百科1巻?), features Todd teaching English phrases to the listener. Minimoni's popularity lead to Todd starring in the Mini Moni movie, Okashi na Daibouken, and having a minor role in the made-for-tv series, Brementown Musicians.
In early 2004 it was announced that Todd would be graduating from Coconuts Musume, Minimoni and Hello! Project. On May 2, 2004, Todd performed at her last concert at Saitama, Japan. Be All Right (a song originally by the shuffle group 11Water and later covered on Minimoni's second album) was her last song with Ayaka as Coconuts Musume. Minimoni Jankenpyon! (featuring Mari Yaguchi) and the two tracks off the last Mini Moni single "Lucky Cha Cha Cha!" were Todd's last songs with Minimoni. Minimoni disbanded at this concert with their final performances. Later, on May 29, 2004, Todd performed in Japan for the last time before her departure to study music in Los Angeles, California on May 31, 2004.
Currently, Todd is studying music and singing jazz, occasionally performing with her father, Johnny Todd. She even traveled to Japan to sing for her Japanese fans. Todd is also a voice actor for an upcoming American cartoon, Da Jammies. She has also released a completely English jazz album that features only a few tracks.
[edit] Discography
[edit] External links
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This article contains Japanese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana. |
- Hello! Project Official profile
- Official Da Jammies website
- Mika Todd at the Internet Movie Database
- ThePPN: Mika Todd
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