Minmi

Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician, as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca artist from Japan. She was married to , a member of Japanese reggae group Shōnan no Kaze, from 2007 until their divorce on June 28, 2016.

She began playing reggae music in Japanese clubs in 1996.

Biography

Michiko Evwana was born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on December 8, 1974. She began playing the piano at the age of five, at which time she began to take interest in soul and jazz music. Minmi began her musical career in 1996, performing at rub-a-dub showcases and hip hop events in the clubs of Osaka. She also began to develop her own sound by making her own original tracks around this period. Minmi signed her first recording deal with JVC Records, releasing the reggae song "The Perfect Vision" as her first single in August 2002. Minmi's first single became extremely popular, and was widely accepted and heavily rotated by as many as 20 FM radio stations. "The Perfect Vision," after gradually increasing in popularity, would eventually sell over 500,000 copies. Minmi contributed songwriting and vocals to two theme songs from the popular 2004 anime series Samurai Champloo, including the main ending theme "Shiki no Uta".

In 2005, Minmi released her first soca-influenced song, "Summertime!!," as opposed to her regular reggae and hip-hop sound. Because of this event, she attended the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in February 2006, performing on stage. In September, she was nominated for best new artist at the Reggae/Soca Music Awards in New York. Minmi attended the festival again in 2007, performing "Sha Na Na (Japanese Wine)" with Machel Montano.

In June 2007, it was suddenly announced that Minmi had married Wakadanna, a member of reggae group Shōnan no Kaze, and was four months pregnant. The two had first met in 2001 in Jamaica, and began dating soon after. was born ten days early on August 4 in New York.

On June 10 and July 22, 2015, Minmi released her seventeenth single "Hologram".