is a Japanese singer and songwriter signed to
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
. After being discovered while working as a performer in Akihabara, Tokyo, she made her major debut in 2010, performing ending themes to the anime television series ''
Highschool of the Dead
''Highschool of the Dead'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written by Daisuke Satō and illustrated by Shōji Satō. It was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's ''Monthly Dragon Age'' between the September 2006 and May 2013 issues, but ...
''. She released her debut album ''H.O.T.D.'' in September 2010, which features the ending themes from ''Highschool of the Dead''. Her first two singles were used as ending themes to the anime television series ''
A Certain Magical Index II
The second season of the Japanese animated television series ''A Certain Magical Index'', based on the light novel of the same name, follows the adventures of Toma Kamijo and Index as they face the threat of the Roman Catholic Church. It was p ...
''.
Kurosaki's music is influenced by her love of anime and lolita fashion. Her songs have been featured in various anime series such as ''
Jormungand'', ''
Tokyo Ravens
is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōhei Azano and illustrated by Sumihei. It was adapted into a manga series in 2010. It received an anime series on October 9, 2013 and ended on March 26, 2014. Funimation simulcasted the series o ...
'', and ''
The Fruit of Grisaia
is a Japanese adult visual novel, the first in a series of visual novels by Frontwing, with character designs by Akio Watanabe and Fumio. It was released in February 2011 for Windows, and it was later ported to the PlayStation Porta ...
''. She has collaborated with artists such as
Mami Kawada
is a former Japanese pop singer and lyricist who was signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan and also a member of I've Sound, a musical group which produces soundtracks for ''eroge'' (erotic games) and anime.
Born and raised in Sapporo, Ja ...
,
Kotoko, and Trustrick for her music releases. She performed twice at
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
2011 in Los Angeles, California, and is a regular performer at Japanese anime events such as LisAni,
Animelo Summer Live, and Animax Musix. She has also appeared at
Anime Festival Asia
C3AFA, also known as Anime Festival Asia (AFA), is a series of anime conventions held in the Southeast Asian region, with a core annual convention held in Singapore. The main convention is traditionally held over a weekend in late November to ea ...
, Bangkok Comic Con, and CharaExpo. From 2011 to 2016, she was singer of the
synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
band
Altima, together with Motsu of the band
Move
Move may refer to:
People
*Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver
Brands and enterprises
* Move (company), an online real estate company
* Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer
* Daihatsu Move
Gov ...
.
Biography
Kurosaki was born in Tokyo on January 13, 1988. She originally became interested in becoming a performer during her elementary years. During this time, she wanted to become a theater artist, and she participated in an audition in her school during her sixth grade. She did not pass the audition as she lacked talent in performing, but her singing was praised. This event would leave an impression on her, and as her parents were not interested in her taking up performance arts, she decided that she wanted to become a singer.
Kurosaki began her singing career in
Akihabara
is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...
at the performance venue and bar Dear Stage, where she had been singing since at least January 2008. Music producer Akihiro Tomita noticed her singing talent, and he subsequently became her producer when she made her major debut signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment (now
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
). She first announced her major debut to her fans in January 2010.
Before she had her major debut, she posed as a
gravure model
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though mo ...
for the cover of Yūsaku Kitano's novel ''Maid Road Reload'' sold on April 26, 2010 by
ASCII Media Works
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
under their
Media Works Bunko is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works. It was established on December 16, 2009 with the publication of eight novels, and is a mainstream novel imprint aimed at a general audience. The imprint is ...
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
.
Kurosaki's first music release was her debut album ''H.O.T.D.'' on September 22, 2010, which contains the ending theme songs used in the 2010 anime series ''
Highschool of the Dead
''Highschool of the Dead'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written by Daisuke Satō and illustrated by Shōji Satō. It was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's ''Monthly Dragon Age'' between the September 2006 and May 2013 issues, but ...
''. She also made a voice acting cameo during the series' twelfth episode. To commemorate the album and the broadcast of the anime, she performed songs from the album once a week at Dear Stage from July 7 to September 22, 2010. Another event to commemorate the album was held at
Animate
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
on October 16, 2010. Kurosaki became the regular host for the Thursday broadcast of the radio program ''A&G Artist Zone 2h'' on October 7, 2010; she would host the show until 2011. Her debut single "Magic∞World" was released on November 24, 2010, and she performed at Dear Stage on that day to commemorate the release. Kurosaki's second single was released on March 2, 2011. Both "Magic∞World" and "Memories Last" were used as ending theme songs to the 2010 anime series ''
A Certain Magical Index II
The second season of the Japanese animated television series ''A Certain Magical Index'', based on the light novel of the same name, follows the adventures of Toma Kamijo and Index as they face the threat of the Roman Catholic Church. It was p ...
''.
Kurosaki had her first solo live event titled "Maon Kurosaki Live 2011 Spring: Memories First" on March 4–5, 2011 in
Harajuku
is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refer ...
. She made her North American debut at
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
2011 in Los Angeles, California where she performed on July 1 and 3. She released the mini-album ''Goshiki Uta: Immortal Lovers'' on August 10, 2011, which contains the ending theme songs used in the 2011
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series ''
Hakuōki Sekkaroku''.
She made her first appearance at
Animelo Summer Live on during its 2011 iteration on August 28. Kurosaki released her second studio album ''Butterfly Effect'' on November 30, 2011 containing the song "Scars", the ending theme for the ninth episode of ''
Hellsing Ultimate''.
![BCC14Maon2 (15097249251)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/BCC14Maon2_%2815097249251%29.jpg)
In 2011, Kurosaki formed the band
Altima with
Move
Move may refer to:
People
*Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver
Brands and enterprises
* Move (company), an online real estate company
* Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer
* Daihatsu Move
Gov ...
's Mototaka "Motsu" Segawa and
fripSide
fripSide is a Japanese pop and trance duo originally formed by composer Satoshi Yaginuma (Sat) and singer Nao in February 2002.
History
In a 2008 interview, Satoshi said that he was a fan of TM Network and its member Tetsuya Komuro in his eleme ...
's Satoshi "Sat" Yaginuma. Kurosaki released three more singles in 2012: "Hell:ium" on May 9, on August 8, and "Under / Shaft" on October 17. "Reimei" is used as the opening theme for the 2012 ''
Hakuōki Reimeiroku'' anime series, and "Under / Shaft" is used as the opening theme for the 2012 ''
Jormungand: Perfect Order'' anime series. She was a guest at
Anime Festival Asia
C3AFA, also known as Anime Festival Asia (AFA), is a series of anime conventions held in the Southeast Asian region, with a core annual convention held in Singapore. The main convention is traditionally held over a weekend in late November to ea ...
Malaysia in 2012. Her third studio album ''Vertical Horizon'' was released on April 10, 2013. Her single "X-Encounter", released on November 6, 2013, is used as the opening theme for the 2013 ''
Tokyo Ravens
is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōhei Azano and illustrated by Sumihei. It was adapted into a manga series in 2010. It received an anime series on October 9, 2013 and ended on March 26, 2014. Funimation simulcasted the series o ...
'' anime series. Her fourth studio album ''Reincarnation'' was released on July 23, 2014. In July 2014, she attended the Bangkok Comic Con. Her seventh single was released on October 15, 2014; the song is used as the opening theme for the 2014 ''
The Fruit of Grisaia
is a Japanese adult visual novel, the first in a series of visual novels by Frontwing, with character designs by Akio Watanabe and Fumio. It was released in February 2011 for Windows, and it was later ported to the PlayStation Porta ...
'' anime series. Her eighth single was released on May 13, 2015; the titular track is used as the opening theme for the 2015 ''
Le Eden de la Grisaia
is a Japanese adult visual novel, the first in a series of visual novels by Frontwing, with character designs by Akio Watanabe and Fumio. It was released in February 2011 for Windows, and it was later ported to the PlayStation Port ...
'' anime series. She made an appearance at CharaExpo in Singapore in June 2015.
Kurosaki's ninth single was released on August 19, 2015. ''Harmonize Clover'', along with from the same single, are both used as ending themes for the 2015 anime series ''
School-Live!
is a Japanese manga series written by Norimitsu Kaihō and illustrated by Sadoru Chiba. The series was serialized from May 24, 2012 to November 22, 2019 in the Houbunsha's ''Manga Time Kirara Forward'' magazine and is licensed in English ...
''. She released her fifth studio album ''Mystical Flowers'' on November 25, 2015. As part of Altima, she collaborated with musician
Kotoko in performing the song "Plasmic Fire", which was used as the theme song to the 2016 anime film ''
Accel World: Infinite Burst''.
In 2016, Kurosaki played the role of Alisa Reinford in the premium 3D musical adaptation of ''
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel''. During the Animelo Summer Live event in August 2016, Altima announced a hiatus from music activities.
She released her tenth single "Dead Or Lie" on August 17, 2016 featuring the duo Trustrick; the song is used as the opening theme for the 2016 anime series ''
Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen: Mirai-hen''. Her 11th single "Vermillion" was released on November 23, 2016; the song is used as the ending theme for the 2016 anime series ''
Drifters''. Her tenth single "
Last Desire
''Last Desire'' is the second album of the Italian heavy metal band Mastercastle. The lyrics of the album tell about the concept of "desire". The track "La Serenissima" is a cover of the Italian ensemble Rondo Veneziano.
History
The album was r ...
" was released on March 22, 2017; the title track is used as an opening theme to the 2016 anime television series ''
Rewrite'', while the single's B-side track "Ignis Memory" is used as the theme song to the game ''Rewrite IgnisMemoria''. Later that year, she released a compilation album titled ''Maon Kurosaki Best Album –M.A.O.N-''.
Kurosaki's eleventh single "Decadence" was released on May 9, 2018; the title track is used as the ending theme to the anime series ''
Dances with the Dragons''. Her twelfth single "Gravitation" was released on November 20, 2018; the title song will be used as the opening theme to the anime series ''A Certain Magical Index III''. She made her live-action acting debut in both 2018 and 2020 live-action films for ''
Blood-C
''Blood-C'' (stylized as ''BLOOD-C'') is a 2011 Japanese anime television series co-created by studio Production I.G and manga artist group CLAMP. It is the second anime series in the ''Blood'' franchise following the 2005–2006 serie ...
'' anime, ''
Blood-Club Dolls 1'' and ''
Blood-Club Dolls 2
''Blood-Club Dolls 2'' is a 2020 Japanese action horror film based on the 2011 anime television series ''Blood-C'' co-created by studio Production I.G and manga artist group CLAMP. The film is a second part of the two-part film, following '' B ...
''; she also performed the first film's theme song "Hazy Moon".
Her thirteenth single "Roar" was released on March 6, 2019; the title track is used as the second opening theme to ''A Certain Magical Index III''. Her fourteenth single was released on March 13, 2019; the title song is used as the opening theme to the anime film ''Grisaia: Phantom Trigger The Animation''. She released her sixth album ''Beloved One'' on June 19, 2019. She later formed the unit ALICes with
Sayaka Kanda
was a Japanese actress and singer. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda.
Early life
Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and Seiko Matsuda. Her paternal grandmother ...
; the two released the song "Icy Voyage" in November 2020.
In 2021, Kurosaki went on a temporary hiatus after collapsing during an online live and being diagnosed with an
epidural hematoma
Epidural hematoma is when bleeding occurs between the tough outer membrane covering the brain (dura mater) and the skull. Often there is loss of consciousness following a head injury, a brief regaining of consciousness, and then loss of consciou ...
. She will release the single "More Strongly" on November 16, 2022; the title song is used as the ending theme to the anime series ''
Reincarnated as a Sword
or , is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuu Tanaka and illustrated by Llo. It started as a web novel on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2015. It was later published as a light novel by Micro Magazine, who released the f ...
''.
Musical style and influences
Kurosaki is a long-time fan of anime and video games, and these two interests have influenced her throughout her career. She was a fan of the band
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut s ...
, and her first lyrics were inspired by the band's songs. She was also influenced the song "Powder Snow" by
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
.
When writing lyrics for theme songs for anime, she would first read the anime's source material, then she would write lyrics based on the series' themes and setting.
In an interview during her North American debut in 2011, Kurosaki mentioned that it had been her long-time dream to perform theme songs for anime series, and that anime is a big part of her life. She related her experiences working at Dear Stage, where originally worked as a waitress and performer. She said that she worked hard to meet customer expectations, and that performing at the venue's stage would prove to be a valuable experience as it would allow her to perform at larger stages with more imagination and inspiration. She mentioned that while writing lyrics for anime series, she wants the tone and mood of her songs to match the anime's setting.
In an interview with Animate, Kurosaki related her experiences in writing the song "Memories Last". She mentioned how, after reading the ''A Certain Magical Index'' books, she sympathized with the character Accelerator and imagined his feelings as she wrote the song. She describes Accelerator is a character who initially has a lonely personality but gains kindness after meeting the character Last Order, and she wrote the song's lyrics based on his personality. She describes the song as an emotional song, and she originally sang it with a little pain.
In an interview with
Misako Aoki
is a Japanese model represented by Twin Planet. She serves as the president of the Japan Lolita Association for lolita fashion.
Misako was discovered as a model in Harajuku, Tokyo at the age of 15. While modeling for ''KERA'' magazine, Misako wa ...
in 2015, Kurosaki discussed the influence of lolita fashion on her work. Her life changed when she encountered lolita fashion, and modeling in the style would broaden her world and give her a sense of comfort. Kurosaki was inspired by the film ''
Legally Blonde
''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his List of directorial debuts, feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith (writer), Kirsten Smith from ...
'' because of the film's main character always wearing what she wants to wear, and how the main character's bedroom is colored pastel pink, a color scheme that Kurosaki liked.
Kurosaki collaborated with musical duo Trustrick in performing the song "Dead Or Lie". In an interview with Diga Online, Kurosaki mentioned how she had been a fan of the ''Danganronpa'' series and was surprised to learn that she had been chosen to perform a song for the series. She compared her duet with Trustrick's vocalist
Sayaka Kanda
was a Japanese actress and singer. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda.
Early life
Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and Seiko Matsuda. Her paternal grandmother ...
to an angel and a demon, with her voice being compared to a demon, and Kanda's voice being transparent and feminine like an angel. It was her first time writing lyrics for a duet, and she had to consider the roles of Kanda and Trustrick's guitarist Billy in the song.
Discography
Studio albums
Best albums
Extended play
Singles
Other album appearances
Filmography
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
Maon Kurosakiat
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurosaki, Maon
1988 births
Living people
Singers from Tokyo
Japanese women pop singers
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan artists
Anime musicians