''Star'' is the eleventh sixth studio album (eleventh overall) by Japanese singer

Mika Nakashima is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in the ...

. It was released via

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

on October 27, 2010, and was distributed in two formats: a CD-only standard version and a CD+DVD limited edition. Five singles were spawned from the record, including "Candy Girl", "Always" and " Ichiban Kirei na Watashi o". Commercially, ''Star'' peaked at number three on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...

and had first week sales of 92,962 copies, a somewhat lower figure compared to her previous records. It went on to sell 155,457 copies within a month upon its release and was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

(RIAJ). Since then, the album has sold over 180,000 copies in Japan.

Singles

Over Load "Over Load" is Mika Nakashima's 28th single, released on 13 May 2009. The carrier track, "Over Load," was used in the May 2009 Lipton Limone Commercial wherein Mika was the commercial model. Over Load and its B-side, "No Answer," are best descri ...

" was released as the record's first single on May 13, 2009. "Over Load" was used in a Lipton Limone Commercial May 2009 where Mika starred as the model. Along with the B-side track "No Answer," the release exhibits a bright pop sound with oriental string-based instrumentations. "Candy Girl" is a collaboration with Japanese women's fashion company Sly. Released on September 30, 2009, four editions of Candy Girl were made available with each having a different CD cover and design. Three of the versions are limited edition releases, with each containing a different T-shirt sporting the message: "Wake Up, Travelling Circus is Coming," in different colors. Musically, "Candy Girl" is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

-inflected soft pop song revolving around circus themes. Its B-side "Smiley" utilizes acoustic instrumentals with a jazz-tinged arrangement. "Nagareboshi" is a pop-infused ballad with the track "Memory" as the B-side. The next single, "Always", is the theme to the film ''Sayonara Itsuka'' starring

Miho Nakayama is a Japanese singer and actress. She is affiliated with Big Apple Co., Ltd. Nakayama is nicknamed , and sometimes uses the pseudonyms or when she writes the lyrics. Biography History Nakayama was born in Saku, Nagano, Japan. Following her ...

. The first press of "Always" came with a 2010 calendar, featuring photoshoots designed by Nakashima herself. The B-sides "Baby Baby Baby" and "Spiral" were featured in several commercials in Japan. " Ichiban Kirei na Watashi o" ( "The Most Beautiful Me") is the record's fifth single and Nakashima's thirty-second overall. Released on August 25, 2010, it was the theme song for the TBS TV series, ''Unubore Deka'' ( ''Conceited Detective''). Nakashima played the supporting role of Rie Hagurashi in the series. Musically, the is characterized for its "old-sounding" tune reminiscent of 20th-century Japanese pop songs.

Singles

Track listing

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Notes

References