Emi Maria
{{Short description|Papua New Guinean–Japanese R&B singer-songwriter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Emi Maria
| image = Emimaria hibiki2009cropped.jpg
| caption = Emi Maria performing at the Hibiki Music Festival 2009.
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|6|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea
| death_date =
| death_place =
| origin = Kobe, Japan
| instrument =
| genre = Pop, R&B
| occupation = Singer-songwriter
| years_active = 2006–present
| label = Freest Inc. (2007)
K.S.R. (2008)
Victor Entertainment (2009–present)
| associated_acts = DJ Komori, Hannya, I-Dea, Jay'ed, L-Vokal, MC Moggy, Seeda, Tomogen, Urali, Wolf Pack
| website =
}}
Emi Maria (stylized as EMI MARIA; born 9 June 1987) is a Japanese and Papua New Guinean R&B singer-songwriter who debuted in 2007 with the EP Between the Music.
Biography
Emi Maria was born in 1987 in Papua New Guinea.{{cite web | url=http://www.emimaria.com/?p=profile | title=EMI MARIA / エミ マリア | publisher=EmiMaria.com | language=Japanese | accessdate=27 February 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004153716/http://www.emimaria.com/?p=profile | archive-date=4 October 2009 | url-status=dead }} Her mother is Japanese-New Guinean, while her father is Papua New Guinean. She spent the first five years of her life in Papua New Guinea, before moving to Kobe in Japan.
She first started listening to R&B at 6 due to her sister, listening to such artists as Janet and Michael Jackson, and K-Ci & JoJo.{{cite web | url=http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/interview/emimaria_090909/ | title=EMI MARIA インタビュー | publisher=Hotxpress | language=Japanese | accessdate=27 February 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109030432/http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/interview/emimaria_090909/ | archive-date=9 January 2010 | url-status=dead }} She began writing lyrics in junior high school. By high school, she had started writing music and producing her own tracks. She participated in the MTV Star Tour, and started performing lives in the Kansai area from 2006 onwards.{{cite web |url=http://music.yahoo.co.jp/artist/dtl/AAA320125/ |title=EMI MARIA – アーティスト情報 |publisher=Yahoo! Music |language=Japanese |accessdate=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319084548/http://music.yahoo.co.jp/artist/dtl/AAA320125 |archivedate=19 March 2011 }} In 2007, she started appearing on many different Japanese urban artists' albums as a guest artist, such as Seeda and MC Moggy.{{cite web | url=http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx?sl_cat=&sl_f=&q=Emi+Maria&pid=search&pp=25&sl_of=jb_date_sale+STRD&cb_rmax=17&max=1000 | title=JBOOK：商品検索 EMI MARIA | publisher=JBook | language=Japanese | accessdate=27 February 2010}}
In 2007, Emi Maria released her first EP, Between the Music on Freest Inc., a label she had created for herself. Her debut single "I Gotta (Summer Kiss)" was picked as the iTunes Japan single of the week in August 2008.{{cite web |url=https://www.apple.com/jp/articles/report/emimaria/ |title=iTunes presents LIVE from Tokyo EMI MARIA |publisher=iTunes |language=Japanese |date=1 September 2008|accessdate=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430135350/http://www.apple.com/jp/articles/report/emimaria/ |archivedate=30 April 2009 }}
She debuted as a major label artist in 2009, with the release of a digital single "One Way Love" under Victor Entertainment. During this time, she had some of her highest profile collaborations. "Luv Is..." was a song Emi Maria performed with R&B singer Jay'ed, which features on his top 10 album Musication.{{cite web | title=オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 | url=http://ranking.oricon.co.jp | work=Oricon | accessdate=27 February 2010}} (subscription only) In December, she had her first top 10 hit, as a featured artist on Seeda's single "Wisdom", which reached number 8 on the Oricon singles charts. After the release of her first physical single in 2010, "Show Me Your Love", Emi Maria released her first major label album, Contrast.
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Album information ! Oricon |
| align="center"|2008
|A Ballad of My Own
|align="center"|44 |
| align="center"|2010
|Contrast
|align="center"|50 |
| align="center"|2011
|Blue Bird
|align="center"|151 |
| 2014
|In My World
|align="center"|— |
| 2015
|Euphoria
|align="center"|— |
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Album Information ! Oricon |
| align="center"|2007
|Between the Music
|align="center"|— |
| align="center"|2008
|iTunes Live from Tokyo
|align="center"|— |
| align="center"|2010
|Cross Over
|align="center"|166 |
=Singles=
==As lead artist==
| class="wikitable" | |
| rowspan="2"| Release
! rowspan="2"| Title ! rowspan="2"| Notes ! colspan="3"| Chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Album | |
|---|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
!width="35"|Oricon Singles Charts !width="35"|Billboard Japan Hot 100 !width="35"|RIAJ digital tracks* | |
| rowspan="2"|2008
| align="left"|"I Gotta (Summer Kiss)" | align="left" rowspan="1"|Appears as a remix on album | — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="2"|A Ballad of My Own | |
| align="left"|{{nihongo|"Ai to Yume no Aida de"|愛と夢のあいだで | "In Between Love and Dreams"}}
| align="left" rowspan="1"|Radio single, music video filmed | — | 55 | — |
| rowspan="1"|2009
| align="left"|"One Way Love" | align="left" rowspan="1"|Digital download | — | 37 | — |align="left" rowspan="3"|Contrast | |
| rowspan="6"|2010
| align="left"|"Show Me Your Love" | align="left" rowspan="1"| | 141 | 27 | 31 | |
| align="left"|"We Standing Strong" feat. Jay'ed
| align="left" rowspan="7"|Digital download | — | — | — | |
| align="left"|"Summer Night Bxxxh / Change My Life (Red Spider Dub)"
| — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="1"|— | |
| align="left"|"Mr. Alien"
| — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="1"|Cross Over | |
| align="left"|"Mirror"
| — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="2"|Cross Over/Blue Bird | |
| align="left"|"Nobody Like You"
| — | — | — | |
| rowspan="2"|2011
| align="left"|{{nihongo|"A.S.A.P. (Imasugu ni Kaketsukete)"|A.S.A.P.～今すぐに駆けつけて | "Run to Me A.S.A.P."}}
| — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="2"|Blue Bird |
| align="left"|"Proud"
| — | — | — | |
| 2017
| align="left"|"Lost in Tokyo" | — | — | — | — | | align="center" colspan="7"| "—" denotes that the song was not released in that format, or it did not chart. |
==As featured artist==
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Release
! rowspan="2"| Title ! rowspan="2"| Notes ! colspan="3"| Chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
!width="35"|Oricon Singles Charts !width="35"|Billboard Japan Hot 100 !width="35"|RIAJ digital tracks |
| rowspan="1"|2008
| align="left"|"Flash" | align="left" rowspan="1"|Digital download | — | — | — |align="left" rowspan="1"|What's R&B? |
| rowspan="1"|2009
| align="left"|"Wisdom" | align="left" rowspan="1"| | 8 | — | — |align="left" rowspan="1"|Seeda Best |
=Other appearances=
| class="wikitable" |
| Release
! Title ! Notes ! Album |
|---|
| rowspan="3"|2007
| align="left"|"In da Club" | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|06 Out Side |
| align="left"|"Free" I-Dea (performed by Emi Maria) | align="left"|Deniece Williams cover |align="left" rowspan="1"|Re;cover |
| align="left"|{{nihongo|"Tropical"|トロピカル|Toropikaru}} MC Moggy feat. Wolf Pack, Emi Maria | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|Katrina |
| rowspan="4"|2008
| align="left"|"2 My Fans" | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|104: 4 Japanese |
| align="left"|{{nihongo|"Tropical"|トロピカル|Toropikaru}} Wolf Pack feat. MC Moggy, Emi Maria | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|Gold Experience |
| align="left"|{{nihongo|"Yume no Konseki"|夢の痕|Dream Traces}} Hannya | align="left"|Background vocals. |align="left" rowspan="1"|Doctor Tokyo |
| align="left"|"Sky55" L-Vokal feat. Emi Maria | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|Free |
| rowspan="4"|2009
| align="left"|"Luv Is..." | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|Musication |
| align="left"|"My Life Is One Way..." Urali feat. Emi Maria | align="left"| |align="left" rowspan="1"|Departure |
| align="left"|"2 My Fans" (Live) 10forefdee feat. Kayzabro, Emi Maria |align="left" rowspan="2"|DVD release. |align="left" rowspan="2"|10forefdee Release Tour Final |
| align="left"|"I Gotta (Winter Kiss)" (Live) Emi Maria |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Artist/A022600.html Official Victor Label Site] {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100106032523/http://ameblo.jp/emimaria/ Official Blog] {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://myspace.com/emimaria Official MySpace] on Myspace {{in lang|ja}}
- {{Twitter|Ms_B_O_P}}
- {{Instagram|emimaria1987}}
- {{YouTube|channel=UCCz5yg6Hkp5UazrJ5nc6lHw}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria, Emi}}
Category:Japanese-language singers
Category:Japanese women singer-songwriters
Category:Japanese people of Papua New Guinean descent
Category:Japanese women pop singers
Category:Papua New Guinean singers
Category:Papua New Guinean people of Japanese descent
Category:Papua New Guinean emigrants to Japan