Anna Tsuchiya (土屋 アンナ,Tsuchiya Anna, born March 11, 1984) is a Japanese singer, actress and semi-retired model. Since 2005, she is primarily known as a singer.^[2]

Anna Tsuchiya
土屋 アンナ
Born	(1984-03-11)March 11, 1984 (age 41) Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Other names	ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA
Occupations	Singer Actress Model
Agent	Back Stage Entertainment
Spouses	Joshua Niimura ​ ​ (m. 2004;div. 2006)​ Yamato Kikuchi ​ ​ (m. 2009;div. 2016)​
Children	4
Musical career
Origin	Tokyo, Japan[1]
Genres	Pop rock alternative rock punk rock pop punk
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Mad Pray
Website	anna-t.com

Tsuchiya was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father of Polish descent^[3] (the surname of her father is Hider). In her earliest years, she spoke English and Japanese. Tsuchiya's parents divorced when she was seven. She has an older sister, Angela.

Tsuchiya's modeling career began at the age of fourteen after her older sister Angela, a former fashion model, suggested it. She entered her sister's former agency and was picked up by an agent who specialized in magazine-modeling. Her first jobs consisted of modeling for an open collection inKobe and forJapaneseSeventeen in 1998.^[4] Demand for her grew and by 2002, she was doing television commercials forUniqlo andEdwin.^[5]

Her best known role in acting was as "Ichigo Shirayuri" – a rural-delinquentbiker-gang girl turned fashion model – in the 2004 movieKamikaze Girls. Ichigo as a model was portrayed as one with tendencies for violent behavior and delinquency.^[6] ThisBlue Ribbon Award-winning role, quite different from the one in the original work written by author and designerNobara Takemoto, was loosely based on Tsuchiya's actual story which she later revealed after the movie's release.^[7]

Tsuchiya retired from modeling at 18. She has said that she realized she could no longer compete with "gifted ones" likeEmi Suzuki. She remains in demand for fashion and lifestyle magazines likeKera,Soup, andZipper.^{[clarification needed][8]}

On June 2, 2007, Tsuchiya attended the official retirement ceremony for the sumo wrestlerKyokushuzan held inRyogoku Kokugikan, presented him with a bouquet, and appeared in his memorial photobook released on June 4, 2007.^[9]

Although born and raised in Tokyo, she sometimes usesKyushu orOkinawa slang and speaks in southern dialects especially when she is drunk and on the radio.^[why?] She has explained that the majority of the models she encountered were from the southern islands or the north, so she learned slang from them. This helped the development of her character Ichigo, theBōsōzoku delinquent, inKamikaze Girls.^{[10][user-generated source]}

Tsuchiya sang in her school choir^[11] and has been involved in the music industry since age 16. At 18, she terminated her contract withJapaneseSeventeen, and supposedly decided to leave show business altogether. However, after an offer by formerOblivion Dust memberK.A.Z, she invested in her music career. In mid-2002, she formed the rock duoSpin Aqua withK.A.Z.^[12] Tsuchiya has said her influences have changed over the years, fromWhitney Houston,Diana Ross,Cyndi Lauper,Bette Midler andMariah Carey, toBon Jovi andGuns N' Roses.^[11]

Soon after she debuted as a singer, she was dubbed "The Second Nanase" because of her resemblance toNanase Aikawa.Spin Aqua released three singles, one album, and a video collection, without commercial success. In 2004, Tsuchiya became pregnant, and the group disbanded.^[11]

In 2005, Tsuchiya announced plans to begin a solo career. On August 24 of that year, she released her first mini-album,Taste My Beat, onAvex Group's sub-label,Mad Pray Records.^[13] Her first single was "Change Your Life", followed by a second single entitled"Slap that Naughty Body" / "My Fate". After these releases, Tsuchiya released her first remix album,Taste My Xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life! Her third single,"Rose", was used as the opening theme forNana;Olivia Lufkin's "Starless Night" was used as the ending theme. This boosted Tsuchiya's music career, as "Rose" reached No. 6 on theOricon charts and become her first Top Ten Hit.^[2]

In July 2006, Tsuchiya made her first overseas appearance at theJapan Expo in Paris, France.^[14] During this time, to boost her popularity, she also debuted her albumStrip Me?.^[15]

In early 2007, after a short hiatus, she returned to the music scene with a new single called "Kuroi Namida". This song would also be featured in theNana anime. This was followed by the thirdNana anime opening single, "Lucy", in early February. This directly preceded a second full-length Nana album, titledAnna Tsuchiya Inspi' Nana (Black Stones), which contained singles from the show and new songs. A quasi-soundtrack album calledNana Best was then released, which included popular and unreleased songs by both her and Olivia Lufkin from the TV series. In March 2007, Lufkin's and Tsuchiya's songs from these albums were played atShibuya AX in Tokyo in March 2007.^[16]

On June 30 of the same year, Tsuchiya performed atAnime Expo inLong Beach, California, followed by performances on July 27 atPentaport Rock Festival in South Korea, and on July 29 at Formoz Festival inTaiwan. Called Tsichiya's "World Fez Tour", the series of performances concluded with a summer tour in Japan, which included a performance for a second time atSummer Sonic Festival.^[17][where?] Shortly after the conclusion of the tour, Tsuchiya released her single"Bubble Trip" / "Sweet Sweet Song" on August 1.

The single "Cocoon" was released on January 30, 2008, followed in June by the single "Crazy World" which was a collaboration with the JapaneseEMI Music recording artistAI. Tsuchiya released a third single in September 2008, "Virgin Cat", which was used to promote the showThe L Word in Japan.

In October 2008, she released her third full-length album, the sexually explicitNudy Show!

In 2008, Tsuchiya's song "Guilty" was featured in the ending credits of the filmResident Evil: Degeneration.^[18]

In 2009 Tsuchiya performed a set with a full orchestra at the New Classic Gig in Tokyo, revealing herself as a fan ofChopin and his "Revolutionary Etude" in particular. The orchestra included 70 members and the show was broadcast in 38 countries.^[11]

In May 2010, Tsuchiya's remix of herNudy Show! album was released, titledNudy xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Show!

On November 23, 2011, she released "Switch On!", her thirteenth single. It is the opening theme for theKamen Rider Series,Kamen Rider Fourze. She decided to record the song because her son was a fan of the previous series,Kamen Rider OOO.^[19] She herself watched earlier versions while growing up. On August 22, 2012, she released anotherKamen Rider single:Voyagers, the theme song toKamen Rider Fourze the Movie: Space, Here We Come!.

In 2012, Tsuchiya's song "Carry On" was featured in the ending credits of the filmResident Evil: Damnation.^[20]

Tsuchiya made her acting debut in 2004 inNovala Takemoto's adapted hitKamikaze Girls as the girl biker punkyankī "Ichigo Shirayuri". This role brought her both immediate attention and critical success, with Tsuchiya winning several awards in Japan.^[4]

Tsuchiya's success in acting continued with various movie performances and appearances indramas such asKatsuhito Ishii'sThe Taste of Tea which played atCannes, the 2007 live-action remake ofDororo, and as the voice ofLindsay Lohan's character "Maggie Peyton" in the Japanese dub ofHerbie: Fully Loaded.^[8] In February 2007'sSakuran^[21] she played the rebellious but beautiful courtesan Kiyoha in a live action adaptation of themanga.^[11]

Her latest performance in a film is starring in thelive-action adaptation of the mangaThe Legend of Kamui.^[22]

In addition to acting, she has also been known for her impersonation skills, of many martial artists and wrestlers, most notablyWanderlei Silva,Melvin Manhoef andJun Kasai.

In 2004, Tsuchiya announced her engagement to model and actor Joshua Niimura, the younger brother of modelFriedia Niimura (Rin Kozue). On November 19, 2004, Tsuchiya gave birth to their first child, a son named Sky (澄海,Sukai) who is featured in a photobook with his mother, titled,Happy Days – Anna, Mama ni Naru!. In July 2006, it was announced that Tsuchiya and Niimura had divorced.^[23] In May 2008, Niimura died of heart failure at the age of 25.^[24]

In a 2008 interview inThe Japan Times, Tsuchiya said: "It is cool being wild and broken-down, but drinking at nighttime is enough for me. I believe when you make rock music, it might not be cool if you behave not so cleverly. Actually, I've been rather earnest. When I drink a bit, I can get crazy, but not too much. The happiest thing for me is my family."^[11]

In September 2009, Tsuchiya wrote on her blog that she was pregnant and had married her long-time stylist, Yamato Kikuchi. The two had begun dating in 2007.^[25] On March 26, 2010, Tsuchiya gave birth to her second son, Simba (心羽,Shinba).^[26] The couple divorced in 2016.

On March 6, 2017, she gave birth to her third child – a daughter, Seina. On November 21, 2018, she gave birth to her fourth child, a girl, Niina (虹波).

• Taste My Beat (2005)
• Strip Me? (2006)
• Anna Tsuchiya Inspi' Nana (Black Stones) (2007)
• Nudy Show! (2008)
• Rule (2010)

^† This is a compilation of her column at Flyman Postman Press.^[35]

• Official website