Mayuka Thaïs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayuka Thaïs
Tusks & Horns Tour 2015 Image
Background information
Born	(1979-09-25) September 25, 1979 (age 45) San Francisco, United States
Origin	San Francisco, United States
Genres	Folk Children's Music Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician artist art educator voice over artist edutainer
Instruments	Guitar Vocals Harmonica
Years active	1985–present

Mayuka Thaïs (born September 25, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and artist. She is also a voice-over artist, art teacher, and an "edutainer," which means she educates and entertains at the same time. She is well-known for being a singer and actress on the popular children's show Shimajiro, where she performs in two languages.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Mayuka Thaïs was born in San Francisco, USA. Her mother, Teri Suzanne, is American, and her father is Japanese. Her parents met when her mother was studying in Japan.

Mayuka started working in the entertainment industry in Japan when she was only 5 years old. She sang, acted, and did voice-overs for educational products that taught in two languages. For 13 years, she practiced her acting skills at the Aoyama Theatre in Japan. When she was 10, Mayuka won an art award from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. She became famous for her main role as a singer and actress on the children's TV show Shimajiro.

In 2007, Mayuka graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. She earned a degree in Fine Arts Painting. She also studied how artists can help their communities through teaching. Today, Mayuka Thaïs teaches at Otis College of Art and Design.

Music Career

Mayuka Thaïs recorded her first Christmas album, Minna De Merry Christmas, when she was 5 years old. She sang with other children for Nippon Columbia. So far, she has worked on 14 albums and many single songs.

In 2004, Mayuka recorded a bilingual Christmas album called Genki Genki Utaou Nontan's. She worked on this album with her sister, Kunimi Andrea, and her mother, Teri Suzanne. In 2014, her album Tusks & Horns was produced by Geoff Levin. Many people helped fund this album through an online campaign. Mayuka has performed with other artists like Mayu Wakisaka and The Watanabes. Her song "Song Without You" was even featured in a movie called "Half Way to Hell."

Art and Activism

Mayuka won an art award when she was 10 years old. In 2007, her painting of a life-size Asian Elephant was shown at the Palos Verdes Art Center. This was part of an art show called The Circus Comes to Town.

Mayuka is also very active in helping animals. In 2006, when she was an art student, she took her painting of an elephant to a meeting. She wanted to talk about the difficult lives of elephants kept in captivity. In 2007, she released her song When Elephants Cry on YouTube. She hoped this song would help people understand the problems elephants face. She even performed this song at the Comedy Store for famous people.

In 2014, Mayuka was asked to march in the Global March for Elephants & Rhinos in San Francisco. She sang her song Tusks & Horns at the United Nations Plaza. In 2015, she went on her Tusks & Horns tour in Japan. She taught Japanese printmaking workshops to children and families. She wanted to spread awareness about endangered elephants and rhinos. She also joined the Global March for Elephants & Rhinos in Tokyo.

Peace Song for Hiroshima

In August 2015, Mayuka Thaïs performed a special song called Yamayuri no Kimochi. She sang it at the Akioota International Music Festival in Hiroshima, Japan. This was for the 70th anniversary of the war memorial. Mayuka wrote the melody for the song. The lyrics were written by children from Hiroshima and turned into poetry by Arthur Binard. This song has become the official song for the yearly war memorial at the Akioota International Music Festival.

Helping Others Through Art and Music

Mayuka Thaïs also works with non-profit groups to help young people.

Music Projects

She worked with a group called Youth Speak Collective in the San Fernando Valley. She helped students learn how to write their own songs. A drummer named Billy Hawn also joined to teach and inspire the students.

Art Projects

To help people learn about Asian elephants, Mayuka worked with a group called Elemotion. She painted a life-size baby Asian elephant with students from the International School of the Sacred Heart.

Television Appearances

In 2016, Mayuka Thaïs was a finalist on the TV show Skin Wars: Fresh Paint. This show was hosted by RuPaul. It was a special version of the popular TV series Skin Wars for artists who had never done body painting before.

Television Shows

Children's Television and Programs

Discography

Songs for Films

Albums

Independently released

Studio released

Singles

Singles released independently

• Thanks Santa (1995)
• The Divine (2004)
• When Elephants Cry (2010)
• Hope Is My Friend (2011)
• All We Gotta Give (2011)
• The Great Serengeti (2011)
• Tohorā He Waiata (The Whale Song) (2012)
• Hearts Don't Lie (2013)
• Let the Wind Blow (2014)
• Yamayuri no Kimochi (2015)
• I Will Sing For You (2020)
• The Yamayuri Song (2020)
• Just One More Time (2020)

Released by Nippon Columbia

• Let's Play with Alphabets (2009)
• Sounds of Animals (2009)
• Kaze no Youni (1993)

Music Videos

• Just One More Time (2020)
• I Will Sing For You (2020)
• Yamayuri No Kimochi (2016)
• Let the Wind Blow (2015)
• I Needed You ((ft.Connor Sullivan)) (2014)
• Tusks & Horns (2014)
• Hearts Don't Lie ((ft. Ambient Chameleon)) (2013)
• Hope is My Friend (2012)
• The Great Serengeti (2011)
• All We Gotta Give (2011)
• All Alone at Christmas (2011)
• When Elephants Cry (2007)

Awards

Art Awards

Music Awards