PROFILE

ANNA TSUCHIYA

Place of Birth:Tokyo
Birthday:March 11
Blood Type:A
Personal Interests:Yoga, Surfing, Painting, Designing Clothing

Anna made her debut as a model in 1998. First through appearances in teen magazines, and then in various fashion magazines, she quickly became recognized for her unique style and presence. She gradually developed into a charismatic figure among women of her generation. Today Anna continues to model in campaigns and fashion shows as one of Japan's top models; at the same time, her strong persona and her considerable popularity have led to her a starring role in various TV commercials as well.

Anna has also appeared as an actress in films such as “Kamikaze Girls” (2004) and “Chanoma”. For her role in “Kamikaze Girls”, in which she co-starred with Kyoko Fukada, she won eight film awards, including the Japanese Academy Award. She also received great acclaim from the film industry. In 2005, she took on her first voice acting role for the Japanese version of the Disney movie “Herbie: Fully Loaded”. She voiced the heroine, Maggie Peyton, originally performed by Lindsay Lohan.

She has since added unique roles to her repertoire in “Kiraware Matsuko no Issho” (2006) and “Dororo” (2007). Her latest leading role in “Sakuran” (2007) won her a very popular following amongst young women in her own age group, making the film a major hit. Anna's movies have been well received abroad as well, so it's no wonder that there is considerable anticipation that she will soon launch an international acting career.

* “Kamikaze Girls” was released and well received in France and other European countries, while “Sakuran” enjoyed excellent reviews at various film festivals. (It was entered by special invitation in the 57th Berlin International Film Festival and the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival.) There are plans for theater releases in several countries as well.

In the summer of 2005, with the release of her mini album “Taste My Beat”, Anna finally made her long-aspired debut as a musician. The album featured many leading musicians and engineers from Japan and overseas, with whom Anna's singing voice resonated perfectly. Anna wrote most of the songs on the album. It was much talked about in the music industry and became a smash hit.

In January 2006, she launched “Change Your Life”, her major debut single. It was followed by her second single, “SLAP THAT NAUGHTY BODY/MY FATE”. Released simultaneously was her remix album “Taste My xxxremixxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life!”, co-created by Shinichi Ohsawa, RYOJI (from Ketsumeishi), and other renowned remix artists.

The movie, games and other merchandise related to the mega hit comic series “NANA” have sold like hot cakes, and from April 2006 Anna played the singing role of Nana Osaki in the television animated film series version. (The writer, Ai Yazawa, is said to have been extremely enthusiastic about Anna being cast for the role.) A CD was released, titled 'Anna Tsuchiya inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)'. The first single, “rose” ― which was the opening theme music of the series ― became a major hit, reaching No.6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart. Over the following twelve months, Anna released other CDs from the TV animated film “NANA”, such as “Kuroi Namida” and “LUCY”.

In August 2006, Anna released her first album, “strip me?”. It not only achieved commercial success, but received critical acclaim as well. At the same time, Anna toured very actively, starting at the “Japan EXPO” in Paris, France. Even though she was appearing as a first-time artist at “Summer Sonic '06”, Japan's largest rock festival, her gig attracted a large audience that packed the venue to bursting point. Anna's performance thrilled them all. During the autumn, she appeared at many school festivals, wrapping up with “LIVE―2006 FINAL strip yourself!”, a hugely successful one-woman live performance in December, where she filled the Shinkiba Studio Coast (Tokyo).

Anna's eagerly-awaited new single, ”BUBBLE TRIP/sweet sweet song” will be released on August 1, 2007. It has been co-produced by KNS Productions, the super producer team behind Britney Spears and 'NSYNC'. To promote the single, Anna is scheduled to appear not only in Japan but also at various rock festivals around the world, in response to enthusiastic offers. In addition, she will be releasing a CD in July in all 42 EU countries, while eight major firms in the U.S. will be distributing her music this summer in an aggressive global launch.

Anna can no longer be described as simply 'a model', 'an actress', 'a singer', or even as 'Japanese'. Her multi-talented presence is unrivaled. No one can keep their eyes off Anna Tsuchiya, “the POP Icon of the 21st Century”!!