| Anza | |
|---|---|
Anza with Head Phones President at Japan Expo Sud 2011 in France. |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | 大山アンザ (Ōyama Anza) |
| Also known as | ANZA |
| Born | May 4, 1976 Omura, Nagasaki |
| Origin | Tōkai, Aichi, Japan |
| Genres | Pop, rock, nu metal, alternative metal, experimental metal, musical theatre |
| Occupations | Musician, stage actress, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Sony, Victor, Universal |
| Associated acts | Head Phones President, Vitamin-Q, Moon Lips, Sera Myu, Momo, Sakurakko Club |
| Website | anza.jp |
Anza Ohyama (大山アンザ Ōyama Anza, born May 4, 1976) is a Japanese musician and actress. She is best known as vocalist of the metal group Head Phones President and for playing Sailor Moon in 13 thirteen separate musical productions. She was born to a Japanese father and a White South African mother.[1]
Anza is the first actress who played Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon and the first actress who played Princess Serenity.
Anza's younger sister Chiho played Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter in the 1998 musical Shin Densestu Kourin (Beginning of the New Legend), after Anza graduated. Chiho was the sixth actress to play the role.
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Anza made her music debut in 1992 as a member of the pop idol group Sakurakko Club, and released a number of singles with them. She and Ayako Morino, also of Sakurakko Club fame, were in a spin-off duo called Momo. They released two singles in 1993 and 1994.
With Anza joining the Sailor Moon musicals in 1993, she appeared regularly on the CD releases for the musicals, both in solo and group songs. From her five year period as Sailor Moon, she can be heard on the "La Soldier" single (released prior to the very first musical), the first five Memorial Album of the Musical releases, as well as three of the eight compilation albums which have been released since Sera Myu's conception.
In 1994, Moon Lips, a group of Sera Myu actresses including Anza, provided vocals for the Sailor Moon theme song "Moonlight Densetsu" which was used for that show's third and fourth seasons (Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon Super S, respectively).
Shortly following her graduation from the Sailor Moon musicals in 1998, she released a solo single entitled "Dream" under the Sony Music Entertainment Japan record label. "Dream" was also featured as the ending theme song for the TV show Famitsu Wave. In April 1999, she released "Tobira wo Akete" (under Victor Entertainment), a single which was used as a theme song for the anime Cardcaptor Sakura. In September 1999, Anza provided vocals for "Ai wo Shizumeteru", the ending theme song to the PlayStation game Psychic Force 2. Another of her songs, "Mienai Chizu", was used as an insert song in episode 68 of Cardcaptor Sakura.
In 1999, Anza went in a completely different direction with her music. She formed Head Phones President with brothers Hiro and Mar, who previously helped her on her solo work.[1] Their sound can be described as nu metal, with occasional harsh, screamed vocals interspersed with soft melodic singing. Anza is often introduced as being on "vocals and visuals".
In 2003, Toho recorded four of its Les Misérables musicals live, and they released four double-disc albums (available only by special order directly from Toho). Anza appears on the light blue album with Kazutaka Ishii as Jean Valjean.
In 2006, Anza was signed onto the Universal Music Japan and released her debut single with them: "Kanata e". It was used as the second ending theme song for the anime Glass no Kantai.[2]
In late 2008, she joined the rock band Vitamin-Q along with Masami Tsuchiya, Kazuhiko Kato, Gota Yashiki and Rei Ohara . However, after Kato's suicide on October 17, 2009, the fate of the group is uncertain.
Currently, Anza mixes Head Phones President and her solo career.
Anza has performed in a number of stage productions, the majority of which being musicals. Her first major production was as the leading role of Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals, commonly known as Sera Myu. She is one of the longest-running cast members to ever perform in the Sailor Moon musicals, and is the longest-running Sailor Moon to date. She held the role for five years performing in thirteen separate productions between 1993 and 1998.[3]
Nearing the end of her stretch as Sailor Moon, she also performed in a musical called 2050-nen no Aoi Shima between 1997 and 1998. Chiruchiru was the name of her character. In 2000, she broke off from the musical scene in a Japanese stage production of Mr. Holland's Opus. Similarly, in 2002, she was in a Japanese stage production of When Harry Met Sally.
In 2003, Anza returned to doing musicals by taking on the role of Eponine in several Toho productions of Les Misérables through till 2005. In 2004, Anza appeared as Ellen in one production of Miss Saigon (also produced by Toho) as well as a Japanese adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters in the role of Irina.
She also appeared in Vamps' 2009 music video for their cover of Shampoo's "Trouble".
| Preceded by N/A |
Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals 1993-1998 |
Succeeded by Fumina Hara |
See Head Phones President discography