Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - [article] Tomiko Van, misono, and Kumi Koda

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Singers Tomiko Van and Misono
Different styles but they tread same path
June 07, 2006

BOTH Tomiko Van and Misono started out as the pretty face and unique voice of three-member pop bands - Tomiko in Do As Infinity (DAI) and Misono in Day After Tomorrow (DAT).

Now, both have gone solo.

And they are going all out to set themselves apart from their band vocalist image.

Tomiko, 27, bid a wistful farewell to her DAI days by switching from pop-rock to a more jazz-influenced and ballad-heavy style.

Seeds of a solo career were sown as early as last July, two months before DAI split, when she sang the jazzy theme song, Hold Me, of the hit drama, Slow Dance.

Then, the fashion icon surprised many by putting out a full-length solo album, Farewell, in March - going against the tradition of releasing singles first to drum up publicity.

Tomorrow she releases her first single, Flower, which is tagged to the new drama, Delicious Proposal.

Some would call it reverse psychology, but Tomiko probably just wanted to start afresh.

And she did well. Her album, which is available here, comprises mostly ballads and jazzy tunes and entered the Oricon chart at No 7.

In her free time, she has been leaving messages on her official website, commenting on diverse topics from the weather to her hobbies such as shopping and photography.

Not forgetting her music.

'Has everyone heard Farewell yet?' she asked in a March posting.

'It includes various types of music, and I hope lots of people will listen to it... Tomiko Van is setting out now!'

CUTE LIKE A DOLL

Meanwhile, Misono is now Barbie doll cute and not a chick with attitude.

Perhaps inspired by her older sister, sexy singer Kumi Koda, the 22-year-old has also taken a shine to fairytale fantasies.

In her debut solo single, VS, released in Japan in March, she dressed up as both Snow White and the apple-dangling witch.

Then, she transformed into Cinderella - first dressed in rags and then in a princess' gown - for her second single, Kojin Jugyo (which roughly translates to Individual Lesson).

On writing her own lyrics, Misono said on her website that VS captured both her weak and strong sides, while Kojin Jugyo advocates that one should be open and straightforward in love.

'Instead of pretending to be a princess when you're in a relationship, why not just be yourself?' she said in a posting.

Besides preparing for a new single slated for release in July, Misono is also making her acting debut in a movie to be filmed Osaka.

Sexy singer Kumi Koda wins 3 MTV awards

SEXY J-pop star Kumi Koda, 24, is on a winning streak. Fresh from being voted Sexiest Female Singer in an Oricon poll, she won three major awards at MTV Japan's Video Music Awards recently.

She took home the Best Video Of The Year, Best Female Video and Buzz Asia Japan trophies, beating rivals Mika Nakashima and Namie Amuro.

Naturally she shed tears of joy, but recovered soon to deliver a sizzling dance on stage.

Clad in her signature skimpy garb, of course.

Different styles but they tread same path