Mika Nakashima facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mika Nakashima
中島 美嘉
Mika Nakashima at a 2024 Hong Kong concert
Born	(1983-02-19) February 19, 1983 (age 42) Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan
Other names	Nana
Occupation	Singer actress
Spouse(s)	Kunihiro Shimizu ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2018)​ Isamu Umatani ​ (m. 2023)​
Musical career
Genres	J-pop blues alternative rock pop rock jazz
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001–2010, 2012–present
Labels	Sony Music Associated (2002–present)

Mika Nakashima (中島 美嘉, Nakashima Mika, born February 19, 1983) is a famous Japanese singer and actress. She is known for her unique voice and style. Many of her albums have reached the top of the music charts in Japan.

Mika Nakashima has also had a successful acting career. She is especially famous for playing Nana Osaki in the live-action movies based on the Nana manga series. She has sold over 10 million records in Japan, making her one of the country's best-selling artists.

Early Life and Dreams

Mika Nakashima grew up in Hioki, a small town in Kyushu, Japan. She was the youngest of three children. She has said that her hometown was very quiet, with not much going on.

As a child, Mika enjoyed dressing up and doing makeup. She hoped to work for fashion magazines one day. She was too short to be a model, but she loved the fashion world. After junior high, Mika decided not to go to high school. She started working at the age of 15.

Starting Her Music Journey

First Steps in Music and Acting (2001-2004)

When Mika was 17, she went to an audition without knowing what it was for. She was chosen from 3,000 girls for a role in a TV drama. This was the Fuji TV show Kizudarake no Love Song in 2001. She played the main character, Mirai Shimazaki.

Mika also sang the theme song for the drama, called "Stars." In November 2001, "Stars" became her very first song released with Sony Music Associated Records. It became her best-selling single. Her second song, "Crescent Moon," was very popular and sold out quickly.

Her first album, True, came out in August 2002. It quickly became a number one hit on the Oricon charts, which track music sales in Japan. The album mixed jazz and modern pop music. Within three weeks, True sold a million copies!

Mika continued to release popular songs and albums. Her second album, Love, released in November 2003, sold even more copies than True. It sold nearly 1.45 million copies. She also won several "New Artist of the Year" awards in 2002.

Becoming a Movie Star (2005-2006)

In 2005, Mika Nakashima starred in the live-action movie Nana. This film was based on a popular manga series. She played the character Nana Osaki. The movie was a big success.

Mika also sang one of the movie's theme songs, "Glamorous Sky." This song was released under the name "Nana starring Mika Nakashima." It became her only number one single on the Oricon Singles Charts. It sold over 423,000 copies in 2005, making it the best-selling female single that year.

Because Nana was so popular, a sequel called Nana 2 was released in December 2006. Mika sang two new songs for this movie, again as "Nana starring Mika Nakashima." One of these was "Hitoiro" (One Color). She also released an album called The End, which included all the songs she sang as Nana.

After the Nana movies, Mika visited Memphis, Tennessee in the United States. She worked with American musicians for a charity project. She even received an honorary citizenship of Memphis and a key to the city!

New Albums and TV Roles (2007-2008)

Mika released her fifth studio album, Yes, in March 2007. The album title continued her trend of having one-word album names. After the album, she went on a concert tour called "Yes My Joy."

Her song "Life" was released in August 2007. It became the theme song for a TV drama series with the same name. In November 2008, Mika released her song "Orion." This song was used in the TV drama "Ryusei no Kizuna," where Mika also had a small acting role.

Her fifth studio album, Voice, came out in November 2008. This album was very popular and topped the Oricon Album Chart.

More Music and Film Projects (2009-2010)

In 2009, Mika Nakashima went on her "Trust Our Voice Tour." She released new songs like "Over Load" and "Candy Girl." Her song "Life" was also recognized as one of the best interactive songs that year.

Mika continued to act in films. She starred in the Japanese supernatural monster film Death Kappa. In 2010, she made her US film debut in Resident Evil: Afterlife. She played a small role as the "J Pop Girl," who was the first zombie in Japan.

In October 2010, Mika announced she would take a break from singing. She needed to recover from a health issue affecting her ears. Her sixth studio album, Star, was released around this time.

Return to Music and More Movies (2011-2015)

Mika returned to music in September 2012 with the song "If the World Ends Tomorrow." This song was the main theme for the Japanese version of the movie Resident Evil: Retribution. She also appeared in this film again as the "J Pop Girl."

Mika Nakashima performing in 2023

Her seventh studio album, Real, was released in January 2013. That same year, she tried voice acting for the first time. She voiced the character Lucy Wilde in the Japanese version of the animated movie Despicable Me 2.

In March 2014, Mika released her first album of cover songs, called Zutto Suki Datta: All My Covers. She also teamed up with rapper Dohzi-T for a song. In June 2014, she released the song "Fighter" with Miliyah Kato. This song was chosen as the theme for the Japanese version of the movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2. A special version of "Fighter" was also included in the official album for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In 2015, Mika went on a live tour called "Mika Nakashima Concert Tour the Best Dears Tears." She also returned to acting in a TV drama called Omotesando High School Chorus Club.

Popular Cover Songs

Mika Nakashima's song "Yuki no Hana" (Snow Flower) became one of the most popular karaoke songs in Japan in 2004. Many artists from different countries have covered this song. These include Joi Chua, Park Hyo Shin, Hayley Westenra, and Gackt. Park Hyo Shin's version was even used in a popular Korean drama called I'm Sorry, I Love You. Other popular songs by Mika, like "Stars" and "Sakurairo Mau Koro," have also been covered by other singers.

Personal Life

Mika Nakashima married volleyball player Kunihiro Shimizu on December 25, 2014. They later divorced in February 2018. They remained friends and said their time together was very special. In 2023, she married Isamu Umatani.

Discography

Studio albums

• True (2002)
• Love (2003)
• Music (2005)
• The End (2006)
• Yes (2007)
• Voice (2008)
• Star (2010)
• Real (2013)
• Tough (2017)
• Joker (2020)
• I (2022)

Filmography

Movies

Dramas

See also

In Spanish: Mika Nakashima para niños