Chara

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Chara was born on 13 January, 1968, and grew up in Kawaguchi, Saitama during the 1980s where the metal factories and industrial artists would provide a creative backdrop through her career.

Her real name is Miwa Satō ( 佐藤美和, Satō Miwa) and her pseudonym 'Chara' came from a nickname given to her from an elementary school teacher ('chara chara' = scatter-brained in Japanese).

In 1990, Chara sent a demo to CBS/Sony, but it caught the attention of Masahiro Ohara and that landed her a deal with EPIC Records. A year later she debuted with a show at Club Quattro in Tokyo.

At this time the Japanese music scene, tired of straight and narrow artists, was looking for something new and exciting. Chara seems to fit the bill perfectly, breaking common conventions by not using her full Japanese name and becoming a pioneer for the J-Pop phenomenon.

Chara's first single 'Heaven' was released in 1991. Around the same time, she also became the host of a midnight music television show, where her eccentric personality earned her a reputation as well as being compared with Hong Kong singer Faye Wong, who's eccentric in her own right.

Her first album entitled 'Sweet' was released later that year. The album had deep roots in African-American funk which gained Chara a cult following. The following year, she released her second album 'Soul Kiss'.

In 1994, her fan base was swelling and the success of her first three albums translated over to her appearing in high profile television advertisements for Suntory and cosmetic giant Shiseido.

This started to take its toll on Chara and during a trip to New York, she had an epiphany in a gospel church, where she decided to take more control of her music and image by returning to her roots in Kawaguchi. This gave birth to her fourth album, 'Happy Toy'.

She's currently married to Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (浅野忠信; Asano Tadanobu) who's best known for his appearances in cult films such as his leading role in 'Ichi the Killer'.