Anna Tsuchiya
Anna Tsuchiya 土屋 アンナ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anna Marie Heider Tsuchiya[1] |
| Also known as | An-san,[1] An-chan, Shogun Stomp, Tsucchie[2] |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan[1] |
| Genres | Pop, rock, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, lyricist, actress, model |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Mad Pray |
| Website | anna-t |
Anna Tsuchiya (土屋 アンナ, Tsuchiya Anna) is a Japanese singer, lyricist, actress and semi-retired model.[3] Tsuchiya was born to a Japanese mother and an American father of Russian-German or Jewish descent from Buffalo, New York.[4] She was bilingual at an early age but lost her fluency in English after her parents divorced when she was 7. She has an older sister, Angela, who is also a former model.[5]
Modeling career
Tsuchiya's modeling career began at the age of fourteen after it was suggested by her older sister Angela, who was an unsuccessful fashion model.[5] She then entered the former agency of her sister and was scouted by an agent who specialized in commercial modeling, specifically magazine-modeling. Her first modeling jobs consisted of modeling for an open collection in Kobe and being hired as a model for the Seventeen magazine in 1998.[6] Demand for her grew, and by 2002, she was doing television ads for Uniqlo and Edwin.[7]
During her time as a model, she tried hard to lose weight. At 1.67m (5 ft 6 in) and 44 kg (97 lbs), she was considered to be overweight and short for a model in Japan. At this time, she experienced mental and physical agony. When she was fifteen years old, she awoke starving one morning to find that her legs did not work, a result of severe malnutrition; she was forced to drag herself by hand to the refrigerator.[8] According to Tsuchiya, many models would mock her, like "How can you keep modeling with no shame?", "What's up, you little prick, how much did you eat yesterday?", "OMG you're one ugly lardy bastard, barf, die, you inferior-metabolic piglet", "you fa**ot a** piglet, never touch me!". Once, backstage in a dressing room another model of the same age of 14, who looked "freaking pretty" to Tsuchiya, yelled, "Get the f*** out of here, fat is contagious, asap, asap, you smelly twat!".[8]
Tsuchiya stated, "We were all teens at that time. I guess you guys expect some epic stories like — Anna did it, and those who laughed at Anna are now flipping burgers at McDonald's or distributing handbills at Jusco or especially, getting f***ed in porn videos — but sorry, y'all know God is such a balless mofo, now some of those who laughed at me have got bigger successes than me and are super rich... I sometimes feel frustrated with it, but yeah, they made me better."
Tsuchiya spent her mid-teens modeling, and made friends with some of the other models, notably Yoshika, and soon she began to stay at their apartments. It has been reported that she allegedly began smoking and drinking around this time.[9]
Tsuchiya has also confessed that she often picked on "fatter" models herself, especially foreigners who came to work for some sub-stream fashion magazines such as Elle, Vogue, SPUR and Pre Numéro,[8] especially when she was drunk. These models, unable to understand Japanese, were oblivious to Tsuchiya's abuse and smiled back no matter what she said. Tsuchiya would also often speak to them in English using offensive words related to obesity, just as many models in their teens do, and would often further assault them when they reacted negatively to her verbal abuse.[10]
Tsuchiya eventually retired from modeling at 18. She has said that she realized she could never compete with "gifted ones" like Emi Suzuki anymore. She remains in demand for fashion / lifestyle magazines like Kera, Soup, and Zipper.[11] Tsuchiya is considered one of the most successful mixed-race Japanese models in the 2000s along with Jessica Michibata. She is considered the only mixed-race model in history to achieve a professional success, as she has had plenty of high grade collection works such as ones in the Kyoto-Kobe area, while Michibata's success is limited to commercial modeling such as magazine appearances often attributed to affermative action tokenism.[12]
On June 2, 2007, Tsuchiya attended the official retirement ceremony for the sumo wrestler Kyokushuzan held in Ryogoku Kokugikan and presented a bouquet to him. Immediately after this, Tsuchiya appeared in his memorial photobook released on June 4, 2007.[13]
Though she was born and raised in Tokyo, she sometimes uses Kyushu or Okinawa slang and speaks in southern dialects especially when she is drunk and on radio. She has explained that the majority of models she encountered were from the southern islands or the north, so she managed to learn slang from them. This subsequently helped when she played Ichigo, a Bōsōzoku delinquent, in Kamikaze Girls.[12]
According to a contemporary, those who teased Tsuchiya had recognized her as "tough" while other "overweight models", like Keiko Kitagawa and Kaela Kimura, were always called by extremely vulgar nicknames. Just a very few, but some, of them praised Tsuchiya afterwards, saying things like "well done".[14]
Music career
At 18, Tsuchiya terminated her contract with Seventeen, and supposedly decided to leave show-business altogether. However, after an offer by former Oblivion Dust member K.A.Z, she revived her music career (Tsuchiya had been involved in the music industry since age 16). In mid 2002, Tsuchiya joined with K.A.Z to form punk-rock duo Spin Aqua. [15] Tsuchiya has said her influences have changed over the years, from Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Cindy Lauper, Bette Midler and Mariah Carey, to Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses. She was also in a choir at school.[4]
Soon after she debuted as a singer, and was sometimes dubbed "The Second Nanase" because of her resemblance to Nanase Aikawa, a popular '90s female singer. Spin Aqua released three singles, one album, and a video collection, but did not succeed commercially. In 2004, Tsuchiya became pregnant, and the group disbanded.[4]
In 2005, Tsuchiya announced plans to begin a solo career. On August 24 on the same year, she released her first mini-album, Taste My Beat under Avex's sub-label, Mad Pray Records.[16] Her first single was Change Your Life, which was followed by the a second single entitled Slap that Naughty Body / My Fate. After the release of these two singles, Tsuchiya released her first remix album, Taste My Xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life!. Her third single, Rose was used as the opening theme for NANA, alongside Olivia Lufkin's "Starless Night" used as the ending theme. This boosted Tsuchiya's music career, as Rose managed to reach a position of #6 on the Oricon charts and would become her first Top Ten Hit.[3]
In July 2006, Tsuchiya made her first overseas appearance at the Japan Expo in Paris.[17] During this time, to boost her popularity, Tsuchiya also debuted her album "Strip Me?".[18] Several songs from this album would go on to be used in commercials in Japan.
In early 2007, after a short hiatus, Tsuchiya would return 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 would also directly precede a second full length NANA album, self-titled Anna Tsuchiya Inspi' NANA (Black Stones) which contained singles from the show and new songs. A quasi-soundtrack album called NANA Best was then released, which included popular and unreleased songs by both Olivia Lufkin and Tsuchiya from the TV series. In March 2007, both Lufkin's and Tsuchiya's songs from these albums were played at Shibuya AX in March 2007.[19] On June 30 of the same year, Tsuchiya performed at Anime Expo in the U.S., followed performances on July 27 at Pentaport Rock Festival in South Korea, and on July 29 at Formoz Festival in Taiwan. 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 at Summer Sonic Festival.[20] Shortly after the tour concluded, Tsuchiya released her single Bubble Trip / Sweet Sweet Song on August 1.
The single Cocoon was released on January 30 of 2008, followed in June by the single Crazy World which was a collaboration with the Japanese artist AI. Tsuchiya released a third single in September 2008, called Virgin Cat, which was used to promote the show The L Word in Japan.
In October, she released her third full length album, the sexually explicit NUDY SHOW!, which contained all of the singles of her music career.
In 2009 Tsuchiya performed a set with a full orchestra at the New Classic Gig in Tokyo, revealing herself a fan of Chopin and his Revolutionary Etude in particular. The orchestra included 70 members and the show was broadcast in 38 countries.[4]
In May 2010, Tsuchiya's a remix of her NUDY SHOW! album was released titled "Nudy xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Show!".
Tsuchiya's song 'Guilty' was featured in the ending credits of the film Resident Evil: Degeneration.[21]
Acting career
Tsuchiya made her acting debut in 2004 in Novala Takemoto's adapted runaway hit Kamikaze Girls as the girl biker punk yanki "Ichigo Shirayuri". This role brought her both immediate attention and critical success, with Tsuchiya winning several awards in Japan".[6]
Tsuchiya's success in acting continued with various movie performances and appearances in dramas such as The Taste of Tea, Dororo and as the voice of Lindsay Lohan's character "Maggie Peyton" in the Japanese dub of Herbie: Fully Loaded.[11] In February 2007's Sakuran[22] she played the rebellious but beautiful courtesan Kiyoha in a live action adaptation of the manga.[4]
Her latest performance in a film is starring in the live action adaptation of the manga The Legend of Kamui.[23]
In addition to acting, she has also been known for her skill of impersonations, of many martial artists and wrestlers, most notably Wanderlei Silva, Melvin Manhoef and Jun Kasai.
Personal life
In 2004, Tsuchiya announced her engagement to model and actor Joshua Niimura,[24][25] the younger brother of the model Friedia Niimura (Rin Kozue). Joshua worked in the same modelling office as her. On November 19, 2004, Tsuchiya gave birth to her first child, a son named Sky (澄海, Sukai). Sky is featured in a photobook with his mother, titled, Happy Days - Anna, Mama ni Naru!.[26] In July 2006, it was announced that Tsuchiya and Niimura were getting a divorce.[27] In May 2008, Niimura died of heart failure, aged just 25.[28]
In September 2009, she wrote on her blog that she was pregnant and had married her stylist, Yamato who is three years her senior. Yamato had worked as Tsuchiya's stylist for many years and the two had began a relationship in 2007.[29] On March 26, 2010, Tsuchiya gave birth to her second son, Simba (心羽).[30]
Controversy
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Tsuchiya's fame has not been without controversy. In an interview on NHK in 2007 she stated that her deep sultry voice was the result of "boozing and smoking from an early age," and she is also known for speaking in "improper ways" (i.e., using impolite language). Despite this, her agency insists that Tsuchiya did not drink while underage. Her fans remain indifferent.[31]
Tsuchiya said in an interview in 2008 that "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." [4]
She has frequently made "aggressive" speeches ignoring political correctness especially on the J-Wave radio shows and midnight television programs, resulting in losing numerous endorsement contracts. Notable incidents on radio include her remarks on the Ijuin show about the band TVXQ, she described the band as "ano Chugoku ka dokka no bussa na kama yoningumi" (roughly meaning "that four ugly faggots from China or somewhere") when the band actually consisted of five members and are from South Korea. Her remarks about the movie High School Musical was also noted, as she introduced it and its actors in an extremely rude way, especially about the fancy haired main actor. On television, the most notable one is NTV show Gourmet Chicken Race : Gochi! where she made rude comments about guest celebrities - with the only exception of Nozomi Sasaki, a model known as Emi Suzuki's protégé.[32]
Tsuchiya often describes herself as a very nasty person.[33] On the other hand, she has been referred to as a very good-hearted and open-minded person even in treating bigger women.[12]
Eriko Sato, a glamour model who once had a bloody brawl with Tsuchiya involving folding chairs which caused Tsuchiya to fracture her orbital bone in early 2000s, has also stated that Tsuchiya seems no longer violent and looked like a different person.[34]
Discography
- Note: For Spin Aqua discography, please see Spin Aqua.
| Year | Studio albums | Chart peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan [35] | |||||
| 2006 | strip me?
|
11 | |||
| 2008 | NUDY SHOW!
|
10 | |||
| 2010 | RULE
|
18 | |||
| Extended plays | |||||
| 2005 | Taste My Beat
|
27 | |||
| Compilation albums | |||||
| 2007 | Nana Best
|
20 | |||
| Remix albums | |||||
| 2006 | Taste My Xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life!
|
117 | |||
| 2009 | NUDY xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! SHOW!
|
114 | |||
Singles
| # | Title | Release date | Peak rank | Copies sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Change your life" | 2006-01-25 | #35 | 9,000 |
| 2 | "SLAP THAT NAUGHTY BODY / MY FATE" | 2006-03-23 | #68 | 4,000 |
| 3 | "rose" | 2006-06-28 | #6 | 54,000 |
| 4 | "Kuroi Namida" (黒い涙, Black Tear) | 2007-01-10 | #7 | 20,000 |
| 5 | "LUCY" | 2007-02-14 | #18 | 13,000 |
| 6 | "BUBBLE TRIP/sweet sweet song" | 2007-08-01 | #21 | 14,000 |
| 7 | "cocoon" | 2008-01-30 | #19 | 7,000 |
| 8 | "Crazy World" | 2008-06-11 | #19 | 13,000 |
| 9 | "Virgin Cat" | 2008-09-10 | #39 | 3,000 |
| 10 | "Brave vibration" | 2009-07-01 | #13 | 10,000 |
| 11 | "Atashi" | 2010-07-21 | #68 | 2,000 |
| 12 | "Shout in the rain" | 2010-08-18 | #68 | 1,000 |
DVDs
| # | Title | Release date | DVD type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna³ | 2004-06-16 | Documentary |
| 2 | Anna Tsuchiya 1st Live Tour Blood of Roses | 2007-01-10 | Concert |
Vinyls
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taste My Xxxremixxxxxxx!!!!!!!! Beat Life! | 2006-03-23 |
| 2 | Ah Ah (Shinichi Osawa Remix 12' Inch Version) | 2006-09-02 |
Collaborations
| Artist | Album | Song | Peak rank | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Jones† | Tribute to Brian Jones | "My dear" | #4 | 2006-08-09 |
| Fake? | Marilyn is a Bubble | "Butterfly (Don't Let My Sun Go Down)" | #4 | 2006-11-22 |
| Hotei Tomoyasu | Soul Sessions | "Hotei vs. Tsuchiya Anna - Queen of the Rock" | #1 | 2006-12-06 |
| AI | DON’T STOP A.I. | "BUTTERFLY （feat. ANNA TSUCHIYA, ANTY the 紅之壱, PUSHIM）" | #5 | 2007-12-05 |
| Various Artists | Resident Evil: Degeneration OST | "Guilty" | 2008-12-17 | |
| Ravex | Believe in LOVE feat BoA | "MEGA ravex feat. ANNA TSUCHIYA, BoA, DJ OZMA, LISA, MAKI GOTO, MONKEY MAJIK, TOHOSHINKI, TRF & YUKO ANDO" & "Bangalicious" | 2009-02-18 | |
| Hoobastank | The Greatest Hits: Don't Touch My Moustache (Deluxe edition) | The Letter | 2009-08-05 | |
| Namie Amuro | Checkmate! | Wonder Woman (duet with Namie Amuro and AI) |
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kantoku Kennen (監督感染, Director Infection) | Kennen segment | |
| 2004 | Kamikaze Girls (下妻物語, Shimotsuma Monogatari) | Ichigo Shirayuri (白百合イチゴ) | Leading role Won - Japan Academy Prize for Rookie of the Year Won - Blue Ribbon Awards Best New Actress Won - Hochi Film Award Best New Artist Won - Kinema Junpo Awards Best New Actress Won - Mainichi Film Award Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award Won - Yokohama Film Festival Best New Talent |
| 2004 | The Taste of Tea (茶の味, Cha no Aji) | Aoi Suzuishi (鈴石アオイ) | Won - Blue Ribbon Awards Best New Actress Won - Hochi Film Award Best New Artist Won - Kinema Junpo Awards Best New Actress Won - Mainichi Film Award Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award Won - Yokohama Film Festival Best New Talent |
| 2005 | Herbie: Fully Loaded | Maggie Peyton (voice) | Japanese dubbed release |
| 2005 | Bashment | Juri Ōmori (大森樹里) | |
| 2005 | Arbeit Eye: Hyaku Man-nin no Hyōteki (アルバイト探偵(アイ) ～100万人の標的～, Part-time Eye: 1,000,000 People Target) | Monique | |
| 2006 | Memories of Matsuko (嫌われ松子の一生, Kiraware Matsuko no Isshō) | female prisoner | cameo |
| 2007 | Dororo (どろろ) | Sabame's wife | |
| 2007 | Sakuran (さくらん, Confusion) | Kiyoha (きよ葉) / Higure (日暮) | Leading role |
| 2008 | Paco and the Magical Book (パコと魔法の絵本, Pako to Mahō no Ehon) | Tamako (タマ子) | |
| 2008 | Soreike! Anpanman: Fairy Rinrin's Secret (それいけ! アンパンマン 妖精リンリンのひみつ, Soreike Anpanman! Yōsei Rinrin no Himitsu) | Rinrin (リンリン) (voice) | |
| 2009 | Heaven's Door | Host club customer | |
| 2009 | Kamui Gaiden (カムイ外伝) | Ayu (アユ) |
Photobooks
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White Ice Sherbet | 2003-01-20 |
| 2 | Anna Banana | 2004-07-12 |
| 3 | Fleur | 2005-01-19 |
| 4 | Happy Days - Anna, Mama ni Naru! (アンナ、ママになる!, Anna Became a Mother!) | 2005-12-20 |
| 5 | Tsuchiya Anna Photo Album | 2007-03-02 |
| 6 | An-san Hostess Shuugyouchuu (あんさんホスティス修業中)† | 2007-08-03 |
| 7 | Anna Tsuchiya 5years | 2009-10-30 |
† this is a compilation of her column at Flyman Postman Press
Awards
- 2004 – Kinema Junpo Awards (Best New Actress)
- 2004 – Mainichi Film Awards (Best New Actress)
- 2004 – Houchi Film Award (Best new Actress)
- 2005 – 28th Japan Academy Prize (Best New Actress, Best Supporting Actress (nominee))
- 2005 – 26th Yokohama Film Festival (Best New Actress)
References
- ^ a b c d IMDb bio
- ^ Tsuchiya Anna (JP) Yahoo profile
- ^ a b Oricon profile Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ a b c d e f Robert Michael Poole (2009-03-22). "Anna Tsuchiya's classic new world". The Japan Times (English interview).
- ^ a b "土屋アンナとは". Spysee. Template:Ja icon
- ^ a b Anna tsuhiya profile, Page 2 Oricon Template:Ja icon
- ^ Barks : Tsuchiya Anna Template:Jp icon
- ^ a b c Hotexpress Jp
- ^ Bessatsu (Special) BUBKA Magazine, May 2005
- ^ at Radio CUTiE FM 12th Anniversary featuring Kou Shibasaki, August 21, 2006, reported on CUTiE Handbook No.26, October 2006,
- ^ a b Profile from her Official site Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ a b c Hatena KeywordTemplate:Jp icon
- ^ Natalie, "Anna Tsuchiya makes a collabo with Kyokushuzan in his retirement memorial photobook" June 4, 2007 Template:Jp icon
- ^ Hitomi Nakahodo, The Ever Green Midnight Radio Kitakyushu, June 12, 2005
- ^ Spin Aqua web Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ JAME profile Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ ANNA in France Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ Anna Tsuchiya profile, page 1 Oricon Template:Ja icon
- ^ NANA PREMIUM LIVE Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ ANNA lives Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ Anna Tsuchiya sings for the ending theme of Bio Hazard Degeneration, October 10, 2008 Famitsu Template:Ja icon
- ^ "Sakuran - The Movie" Template:Ja icon
- ^ "The legend of Kamui" Woman Excite Template:Ja icon
- ^ JOSHUA at Wiki.ThePPN Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ Joshua at IMDB Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ ANNA at Wiki.ThePPN Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ Anna Diary Retrieved November 09 2007
- ^ "Anna Tsuchiya says she's 'fine' after death of ex-husband". Japan Today. 2008-06-23. Retrieved May 15, 2011
- ^ Anna Tsuchiya pregnated Retrieved June 19, 2008
- ^ Livedoor news article 2010-3-26 Template:Jp icon livedoor
- ^ Anna Tsuchiya fesses up to underage boozing, sends NHK haring into damage control mode - Mainichi Daily News
- ^ "'Muse' - Anna Tsuchiya's dynamic talks" Cinemacafe.net Template:Ja icon
- ^ Mycom Journal 2009-06-05 Template:Ja icon
- ^ Pride King Tokai, April 25, 2006
- ^ Template:Ja icon "キーワード検索結果 - アーティスト：Crystal Kay ／ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Retrieved October 22, 2009.
External links
- 1984 births
- Japanese actors
- Japanese female singers
- Avex Trax artists
- Living people
- People from Tokyo
- Japanese musicians
- Japanese rock singers
- Japanese pop singers
- Japanese female models
- Japanese people of American descent
- Japanese people of Irish descent
- Japanese people of Polish descent
- Japanese people of European descent