 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Japanese. (December 2016)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Hitomi Shimatani 島谷 ひとみ | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Shimatani in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | 島谷 瞳 (Shimatani Hitomi) |
| Born | (1980-09-04)September 4, 1980 (age 44) Kure, Hiroshima, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Avex Trax(1999–2021) AI.R LAND/Daiki Sound(2021–present) |
| Website | shimatani.tokyo |
Hitomi Shimatani (島谷ひとみ,Shimatani Hitomi, born 4 September 1980) is a Japanesepop singer.[1]
Formerly signed to theAvex Trax label for 22 years, Shimatani started her career as anEnka singer with the release of her debut single "Ōsaka no Onna" (大阪の女,Ōsakan Woman) in 1999, but later decided to get into thedance/pop style for her music. Shimatani's music has also appeared in several video games and television shows.
Shimatani is currently releasing music under her own label, AI.R LAND RECORD, underDaiki Sound.
At the age of seventeen, while still in high school, Shimatani attended "The Japan Audition 1997", where she was chosen as the winner out of around 200,000 people and got a recording contract with theAvex label. After this she continued her studies in high school in Hiroshima, although she started to take vocal lessons in Tokyo during the weekends. She graduated from Shimizugaoka High School.
Her first single, entitled "Ōsaka no Onna" which was anenka song, was released in 1999 on theAvex Trax label. The single went to the top of theOricon's Enka charts and much critical acclaim, but failed to chart within the Top 40 of the mainstream charts, selling rather poorly. "Ōsaka no Onna" became then Shimatani's only enka single, as since her second one, "Kaihōku", she turned into more mainstream pop influences.
Mainstream success did not come until 2001 with the release of Shimatani's third single, "Papillon", a Japanese version ofJanet Jackson's song "Doesn't Really Matter". The single became her first Top 15 single in the Oricon charts, and eventually stayed within the Top 50 for twenty weeks, selling over 200,000 copies. Her sixth single "Shanty", which was used as theme song ofTBS'TV dramaPretty Girls, became her first Top 10 single in the Japanese charts, peaking at number seven. In May 2002 she released another cover, this time of "Amairo no Kami no Otome" by the 60'sgroup sounds band Village Singers. The song became a massive success, peaking at number 4 and leading to a "boom of covers" in Japan.[2] It also became one of the most preferred songs to be sung inkaraokes by Japanese people (it stayed at the top position of the Oricon Karaoke charts for 18 weeks, and it took the first position of its yearly charts). At the end of this successful year, Shimatani was invited for the first time to the most important Japanese TV show ofNew Year's Eve, theKōhaku Uta Gassen on the NHK channel. From this time she would be invited to be in the show for another 3 years in a row.
In 2003 she debuted as an actress in theFuji TV dramaBoku dake no Madonna, where she was given one of the main roles, and also made a debut asvoice actress in the animated movieDoraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey. In 2004 she also participated in her first musical,A Star is Born, along withYukie Nakama andEriko Imai.[3]
In February 2005, Shimatani released her first concept album,Crossover, which marked a sustained shift her music, from mainstream J-pop toclassical-influenced tunes. Since then her music has been heavily influenced by string instruments and pianos, instead of electric guitars, bass and keyboards, and also started to include some world ethnic elements. The first album released under this new style wasHeart & Symphony, which featured four singles including "Garnet Moon" (theme song ofPlayStation 2'sAnother Century's Episode) and "Falco" (theme song ofMiss Earth &The Law Of Ueki). The album peaked at number 7 on the Oricon charts.
In 2006, Shimatani released three singles. The first one was the double A-side single "Haru Machibito/Camellia", released on March 15. Another double A-side single, entitled "Destiny: Taiyō no Hana/Koimizu: Tears of Love" was released on June 21. "Destiny: Taiyō no Hana" was used as opening theme forBlack Jack 21. Finally, "Pasio" was released on November 15. The b-side of this single, "True Blue", was used as insert song for anime television seriesThe Law of Ueki, was used as insert song for beauty pageant television seriesMiss Earth.. This year she also played the lead role ofAnne Shirley during the touring performance ofAnne of Green Gables in Japan, and starred in the live action filmThe Prince of Tennis asSumire Ryuzaki.
On March 7, 2007, Shimatani released her 6th studio album,Prima Rosa, which peaked at number 16 on the Oricon charts. She also recorded a cover ofHigh School Musical's "When There Was Me And You" (in Japanese entitled "Anata to Ita Toki"), which was included as part of theDisney film's Japanese soundtrack. On December 5, Shimatani released her first cover album,Otoko Uta: Cover Song Collection, on which she only recorded covers originally sung by male artists, such asAnzen Chitai,Begin andMasayoshi Yamazaki. For the album she also made a newcrossover version of "Amairo no Kami no Otome", which she performed live at that year's Kōhaku.
In March 2008, Shimatani released the single "Nakitai Nara" in March 2008, which debuted at number 34 at the Japanese charts, being her lowest peaking song since "Yume Biyori" in 2003. In June she released the triple A-side single "Wake You Up/Ame no Naka ni wa, Ame no Naka wo, Kaze no Naka ni wa, Kaze no Naka wo/Marvelous". "Wake You Up" was used as the theme song ofK-tai Investigator 7, which started airing in early April 2008; "Ame no Naka ni wa, Ame no Naka wo, Kaze no Naka ni wa, Kaze no Naka wo" was a song to pay tribute to poetMitsuo Aida and was also released as a single by itself; "Marvelous" was used as theme song forWrestling Asia Senshuken 2008 (the previous song used for this show was "Neva Eva", which was released back in 2007). The single debuted at number 33 on the Oricon charts. On July 16, Shimatani released her seventh studio album,Flare.
On March 4, 2009, she released her thirtieth single, "Smiles", which is being used as the theme song for the dramaParallel, in which Shimatani herself stars. In July she celebrated her tenth anniversary in music releasing the greatest hits albumBest & Covers, and also holding a special live concert in theItsukushima Shrine.
In 2011, Shimatani became part of the rock musicalRock of Ages, along with other musicians such asTakanori Nishikawa andMisono.[4] On October 1, 2011, Hitomi started her own radio program calledEyes on Me in FM Yokohama.[5]
Studio albums
Compilations & cover albums
DVDs
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
