Anna Tsuchiya

Anna Tsuchiya (土屋 アンナ) is a Japanese singer, actress and semi-retired model.

Her first jobs consisted of modeling for an open collection in Kobe and for Japanese Seventeen in 1998.

Demand for her grew and by 2002, she was doing television commercials for Uniqlo and Edwin.

In mid-2002, she formed the rock duo Spin Aqua with K.A.Z.

Tsuchiya has said her influences have changed over the years, from Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler and Mariah Carey, to Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses.

Soon after she debuted as a singer, she was dubbed "The Second Nanase" because of her resemblance to Nanase Aikawa.

Spin Aqua released three singles, one album, and a video collection, without commercial success.

Her best known role in acting was as "Ichigo Shirayuri" – a rural-delinquent biker-gang girl turned fashion model – in the 2004 movie Kamikaze Girls.

Ichigo as a model was portrayed as one with tendencies for violent behavior and delinquency.

This Blue Ribbon Award-winning role, quite different from the one in the original work written by author and designer Nobara Takemoto, was loosely based on Tsuchiya's actual story which she later revealed after the movie's release.

Tsuchiya retired from modeling at 18.

She has said that she realized she could no longer compete with "gifted ones" like Emi Suzuki.

She remains in demand for fashion and lifestyle magazines like Kera, Soup, and Zipper.

In 2004, Tsuchiya became pregnant, and the group disbanded.

Since 2005, she is primarily known as a singer.

Tsuchiya was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father of Irish and Polish descent (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.

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, on Avex Group's sub-label, Mad Pray Records.

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 for Nana''; Olivia Lufkin's "Starless Night" was used as the ending theme.

This boosted Tsuchiya's music career, as "Rose" reached No. 6 on the Oricon charts and become her first Top Ten Hit.

In July 2006, Tsuchiya made her first overseas appearance at the Japan Expo in Paris, France.

During this time, to boost her popularity, she also debuted her album Strip Me?.

On June 2, 2007, Tsuchiya attended the official retirement ceremony for the sumo wrestler Kyokushuzan held in Ryogoku Kokugikan, presented him with a bouquet, and appeared in his memorial photobook released on June 4, 2007.

Although born and raised in Tokyo, she sometimes uses Kyushu or Okinawa slang and speaks in southern dialects especially when she is drunk and on the radio.

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, the Bōsōzoku delinquent, in Kamikaze Girls.

Tsuchiya sang in her school choir and has been involved in the music industry since age 16.

At 18, she terminated her contract with Japanese Seventeen, and supposedly decided to leave show business altogether.

However, after an offer by former Oblivion Dust member K.A.Z, she invested in her music career.

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 the Nana anime.

This was followed by the third Nana anime opening single, "Lucy", in early February.

This directly preceded a second full-length Nana album, titled Anna Tsuchiya Inspi' Nana (Black Stones), which contained singles from the show and new songs.