, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer from
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
. Aspiring to become a singer since childhood, she began her music activities in 2003 upon passing an audition held by talent agency
Horipro International. She made her major debut in 2005 under the
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...
label with the release of her first single "Crazy Crazy Crazy". She would release two more singles under Universal Music, before transferring to
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the RC ...
in 2008. That same year, she had her break as the singing voice of the character
Sheryl Nome in the
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series ''
Macross Frontier''.
May'n's musical style varies in genre, ranging from pop and rock, to dance music and
R&B. Her music has been featured in anime series such as ''Macross Frontier'', ''
Aria the Scarlet Ammo'', ''
Accel World
is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by . It has been published by ASCII Media Works under its Dengeki Bunko imprint since February 2009. The series has spawned three manga series; ''Accel World'' b ...
'', ''
Aquarion Logos'', and ''
Restaurant to Another World''. She has also performed at several music events in Japan, Asia, Europe, and North America. In 2013, she represented Japan at the
ABU TV Song Festival in Vietnam.
Early life and childhood
Nakabayashi was born in Nagoya on October 21, 1989.
She had become interested in music at an early age, and had been singing at least since she was three years old.
She had also had an interest in
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series such as ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...
'' since her childhood, particularly after an occurrence where she heard the series' theme "
Moonlight Densetsu" at a
karaoke
is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone.
Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...
bar.
In 2003, at the age of 13, she participated in the 28th and out of the 34,911 hopefuls, became one of the four who survived the final eliminations.
Career
Nakabayashi debuted under the
Universal Music Japan label with the release of her first single "Crazy Crazy Crazy" on April 27, 2005;
the single was later re-released on June 1 of that year with an additional track. This was followed by the release of the digital single "Happy" in December of that year.
Her second single, "Sympathy", was released on August 3, 2005.
She then released her third single "Fallin' in or Not" on September 27, 2006,
the title track of which was used as the ending theme for the
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series ''
Love Get Chu''.
Nakabayashi transferred to
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the RC ...
in 2008 and began using the stage name May'n. That same year, she gained popularity after being cast as the singing voice of the character
Sheryl Nome in the anime television series ''
Macross Frontier''.
She later released two singles for the series, and "Lion", with each placing in the Top 3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart in their debut week.
She was invited to perform "Iteza Gogo Kuji Don't be late" and "Northern Cross" at
Animelo Summer Live 2008. She then gave her first live performance outside Japan in Singapore 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 e ...
in November of that year. She has since become a regular guest at this event as well, also appearing at its iterations in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
In January 2009, May'n released the mini-album ''May'n Street'', which reached number 2 on the Oricon Weekly Chart in its first week.
She then released the single on May 6, 2009; the title track is used as the opening theme to the anime series ''
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Tibet's Kunlun Mountains, Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by the British author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently ...
''.
Her first full album ''Styles'' was released in November 2009; the album reached number 7 on the Oricon Weekly charts.
In January 2010, she performed her first solo
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...
concert, which sold out in only one day. In March of the same year, she held her first tour of Asia, with concerts in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This was followed in July by a 17-city summer tour of Japan. She released her second album ''Cosmic Cuune'' in November 2010 as her character Sheryl Nome.
In late 2010, she was chosen to record the theme song for the film ''Incite Mill -7 Day Death Game-''. In February 2011, she released her 3D live documentary movie ''May'n The Movie: Phonic Nation'', and later that month released her third album ''If you...'', which made number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.
In March of that year, she held her second solo Budokan concert. She then made an appearance at
Japan Expo
Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture – the largest of its kind outside Japan – taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival – Comic-Con Paris, Kultima – and expanded to inclu ...
in Paris. She also sang the song "Mr. Super Future Star", which was used as the theme song for the
Capcom
is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
game ''
E.X. Troopers''.
In 2011 and 2012, May'n collaborated with music artist
Daisuke Asakura for the singles "Scarlet Ballet", which was used as the opening theme to the anime series ''
Aria the Scarlet Ammo'', and "Chase the world", which was used as the opening theme to the anime series ''
Accel World
is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by . It has been published by ASCII Media Works under its Dengeki Bunko imprint since February 2009. The series has spawned three manga series; ''Accel World'' b ...
''. She released her fourth album ''Heat'' on March 21, 2012.
She represented
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
in October 2013 at the
ABU TV Song Festival 2013 in Hanoi, Vietnam with her single "Vivid".
She was scheduled to make an appearance at
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...
Carnival Philippines in December 2013, but the event was cancelled as a result of the effects of
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...
.
In 2014, May'n released her fifth album ''New World''.
She then returned to the United States with a solo concert in San Francisco and a performance at
Union Square for J-Pop Summit Festival 2014.
May'n performed "Yamaidare darlin'", which was used as the first opening theme to the 2015 anime television series ''
Aquarion Logos'', and later performed the songs "Yoake no Logos", which was used as the second opening theme to ''Aquarion Logos'', and the series' second ending theme "Hontō no Koe wo Anata ni Azuketakute", which was performed with
Haruka Chisuga. She released her fifth album ''Powers of Voice'' on September 7, 2015. She would also make an appearance at Animax Carnival Malaysia in March of that year. In 2016, she performed the song "Belief", which was used as the opening theme to the anime television series ''
Taboo Tattoo''. She performed the song "Hikari Aru Basho e", which is used as the ending theme to the 2016 anime television series ''
Izetta: The Last Witch''. She also appeared at Animax Carnival Philippines in October of that year.
In 2017, May'n collaborated with idol unit
Wake Up, Girls! in performing the song "One in a Billion", which was used as the opening theme to the anime television series ''
Restaurant to Another World''. She made an appearance at Illinois'
Anime Central event in May, and she also appeared at Anime Festival Asia Indonesia in August as a replacement for singer
Ami Wajima, who had cancelled her appearance for health reasons. She released her sixth album ''Peace of Smile'' on October 30, 2017.
She returned to Singapore in March 2018 for the anime event Anime Garden, and she appeared at the Anisong World Matsuri event in Los Angeles in July of that year. In September 2018, May'n and
Megumi Nakajima
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who is affiliated with Stay Luck. In 2003, she joined the talent agency Stardust Promotion after passing their audition. Later, in 2007, she debuted as a voice actress and singer after passing an auditi ...
, who played the role of Ranka Lee in ''Macross Frontier'', released the single "Good job!"; it was their first Macross-related single in seven years. She released an album titled ''Yell!!'' and a single titled on July 31, 2019,
which was used as the ending theme to the anime series ''
Kochoki: Wakaki Nobunaga''. She appeared at
Cosplay Mania
Cosplay Mania is an annual cosplay-centered convention organized by Cosplay.ph. It is usually held in the fourth quarter of the year in the Philippines. The convention features various events related to cosplay, anime, and J-pop culture which ...
in the Philippines in September 2019.
In 2022, May'n became a part of the mixed-media project ''
D4DJ'', voicing the role of Neo of the in-universe group Abyssmare.
Musical style and influences
May'n's musical style varies in genre, ranging from pop and rock, to dance music and
R&B,
and she cites artists such as
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
,
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
,
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
, and
Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro ( ; ; born September 20, 1977) is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a Japanese idol, teen idol, and transitioned into a leading Pop music, pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentatio ...
as her musical influences.
She also cites her relationship with composer
Yoko Kanno
is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer of soundtracks for anime series, Video game, video games, Japanese television drama, television dramas and movies. She has written scores for ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Gho ...
as a major factor in her career.
In interviews with
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
, May'n discussed her performance style and her experiences working with composers such as Kanno and
Daisuke Asakura. She stated that her initial preferred genres were R&B and dance music, but collaborating with Kanno made her realize that her voice fit rock songs more. Whenever she performs theme songs for anime, she would try to "feel each character's heart."
Since she had been cast as the singing voice of the character Sheryl Nome, she had a desire to "become" the character, although Kanno would give her advice that she should stop acting too much like Sheryl and instead be herself. As for her involvement with Asakura, she stated that she admired Asakura's work and that collaborating with him allowed her to explore new music styles that she had not attempted before.
May'n also explained the reason for her stage name. She stated that she began using the name "May'n" when she started performing songs for anime series, and that the name was a play on the English word "main", as she wanted her songs to be seen as "main themes" to her audiences, and for her fans to consider her their "main singer".
May'n discussed the production of her song "You", used as the opening theme to the anime series ''
The Ancient Magus' Bride'', in a February 2018 interview with DaVinci News. She said that the song was meant to represent the relationship between the series' characters Chise and Elias, and in particular Elias' representation as a dark and sad character. She notes that, as the single was released during her 10th anniversary, she wanted to challenge herself to "get better" in singing, and to improve her weaknesses.
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Digital singles
DVDs and Blu-ray disks
Collaborations
References
External links
Official website
Official blog
Universal Music official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:May'n
1989 births
Living people
Singers from Nagoya
Japanese women pop singers
Anime musicians
Horipro artists
21st-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese women singers