(born June 22, 1988), better known by her stage name of is a Japanese pop and

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and author. In 2003, Kato started her career as a singer when she provided vocal to Reggae Disco Rockers' song "Cherry Oh! Baby". Her hip-hop-influenced debut album, ''

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

'' (2005) was certified platinum in Japan. She gained further recognition when she was featured in

M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...

's track " One Day" (2005). Kato's second studio album ''Diamond Princess'' achieved minor commercial success, certified gold by the

RIAJ 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 p ...

and peaking at number five in Japan. Her third studio album, '' Tokyo Star'' (2008) yielded her first top-ten single, "La La La", which was later certified double-platinum for its ringtone sales. Kato's first compilation album ''

Best Destiny ''Best Destiny'' is pop singer Miliyah Kato's fourth album, and first greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. W ...

'' (2008) became her first number-one album, certified platinum in Japan. Her fourth studio album ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

'' became her best-selling album, and yielded three top-ten singles: "Sayonara Baby", "20 -Cry-", and "

Love Forever "Love Forever" is Miliyah Kato's 15th single, released on May 13, 2009. It is a collaboration between fellow R&B/J-Pop singer Shota Shimizu, with whom Kato has previously collaborated with on the song "I'm Your Angel" from the album ''Tribute to ...

", which was certified million in Japan. The song from the album, "Aitai" were certified triple-platinum despite being not released as a single. Her fifth studio album ''

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

'' (2010) debuted atop on the

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 ...

chart and has yielded two platinum singles, "Why" and "Last Love". Kato's second compilation album ''M Best'' (2011) became her second consecutive number one album, selling over 300,000 copies nationwide. In 2011, Kato published her first novel, "Umareta mama no Watashi wo", which marked her debut as an author. Her sixth and seventh studio album ''True Lovers'' (2012) and ''Loveland'' (2014) reached top three in Japan. The former has yielded three gold-certified songs, "Yūsha Tach", "Lovers Part II", and "Konya wa Boogie Back". In 2014, Kato recorded a collaborative album, ''The Best'', with a Japanese singer-songwriter

Shota Shimizu is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician from Yao, Osaka, Japan, who debuted in 2008. On June 1, 2008, Shimizu performed at Central Park in New York City, USA, during the annual Japan Day Festival. Shota Shimizu went to a local Christian scho ...

. Her next albums, ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' (2016) and ''Utopia'' (2016), both reached top five in Japan. Her tenth studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' (2018) was released to a minor commercial success, only reaching number eight in Japan. Kato is known for popularizing sampling in the J-pop scene, and has incorporated a wide range of tracks in her songs. Regarded as one of the biggest

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

musicians in the late 2000s and the early 2010s, Kato has sold over 12.6 million records and ringtones.

History

In 2001, when she was 14 years old, she passed a

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

. She began writing music and lyrics from the age of 14. Before her official debut she sang support vocals for other musicians and performed in commercials. Katō made her debut with the release of the single " Never Let Go/Yozora" (2004) and released her debut album ''

'' (2005) the next year. She is influenced by hip hop and

R&B music Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, especially artists

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. Her music also makes frequent use of sampling. Katō herself has said that her music uses hip hop and R&B as a base, and aims for a middle ground which is neither overly pop nor overly hardcore. Katō graduated from the

Meiji Gakuin Senior High School is a private senior high school in Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo. Affiliated with Meiji Gakuin University ( 学校法人明治学院), it originated from the Meiji Gakuin, which was established in 1887 and housed a five-year secondary education progra ...

in Tokyo. She grew up in a single-parent household, with her mother and brother. Her father operated a gem store before his death. At the time of her debut in 2004 she was called the , referring to the two artists' similarities, from their lyrics to their shared "high school girl charisma". Around the time of her debut, the fact that she was still actually in high school was often emphasized. From participating in making the visuals for her CD jackets to producing her own fashion brand, she also has some influence in visual and fashion areas.2006年4月号『日経エンタテインメント!』70頁、特集「明日のスーパースター100ミュージシャン編加藤ミリヤ女子高生のリアルで等身大のメッセージを発信するポスト浜崎」 Those who are influenced by her music, fashion and acts are called .20 November 2009 放送回『流派-R』、特集「加藤ミリヤ現象」でのナレーション

Discography

* ''

'' (2005) * ''Diamond Princes'' (2007) * '' Tokyo Star'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''True Lovers'' (2012) * ''Loveland'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * ''Utopia'' (2017) * ''Femme Fatale'' (2018) * ''Who Loves Me'' (2021)

Notes

References

External links

Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Miliyah Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists 1988 births Living people Japanese-language singers Japanese women pop singers Musicians from Aichi Prefecture People from Toyota, Aichi Meiji Gakuin University alumni 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers