Maon Kurosaki

Maon Kurosaki

Maon Kurosaki at Anime Expo 2011 in Los Angeles, California
Background information
Native name 黒崎 真音
Born January 13
Genres J-rock
Occupation(s) Singer, lyricist
Years active 2008–present
Labels Geneon Universal Entertainment
Associated acts Altima
Website nbcuni-music.com/maon/

Maon Kurosaki (黒崎 真音 Kurosaki Maon, born January 13) is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Tokyo signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. She released her debut album H.O.T.D. in September 2010, which features the ending themes of the anime series Highschool of the Dead. Her two singles that followed, "Magic∞World" and "Memories Last", were used as the ending themes for the anime A Certain Magical Index II. Kurosaki has also performed at many events including Lis Ani 2010, and she performed twice at Anime Expo 2011 in Los Angeles, California. She also performed at Animelo Summer Live 2011 and 2012.

Career

Kurosaki began her singing career in Akihabara at the performance venue and bar Dear Stage, where she had been singing since at least January 2008.[1] Music producer Akihiro Tomita noticed her singing talent, and he subsequently became her producer when she made her major debut signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment. Kurosaki first announced her major debut to her fans in January 2010.[2] Before she had her major debut, Kurosaki posed as a gravure model for the cover of Yūsaku Kitano's novel Maid Road Reload sold on April 26, 2010 by ASCII Media Works under their Media Works Bunko imprint.[3][4]

Her first music release was her debut album H.O.T.D. on September 22, 2010, which contains the ending theme songs used in the 2010 anime series Highschool of the Dead. To commemorate the album and the broadcast of the anime, she performed songs from the album once a week at Dear Stage from July 7 to September 22, 2010. Another event to commemorate the album was held at Animate in Yokohama on October 16, 2010. Kurosaki has been a regular host for the Thursday broadcast of the radio program A&G Artist Zone 2h since October 7, 2010. Her debut single "Magic∞World" was released on November 24, 2010, and she performed at Dear Stage on that day to commemorate the release. Kurosaki's second single "Memories Last" (メモリーズ・ラスト) was released on March 2, 2011. Both "Magic∞World" and "Memories Last" were used as ending theme songs to the 2010 anime series A Certain Magical Index II.

Kurosaki had her first solo live event called "Maon Kurosaki Live 2011 Spring: Memories First" on March 4–5, 2011 in Harajuku. She made her North American debut at Anime Expo 2011 in Los Angeles, California where she performed on July 1 and July 3.[5][6] She released the mini-album Goshiki Uta: Immortal Lovers on August 10, 2011, which contains the ending theme songs used in the 2011 original video animation series Hakuōki Sekkaroku. She made her first appearance at the 2011 Animelo Summer Live on August 28.[7] Kurosaki released her second studio album Butterfly Effect on November 30, 2011.

In 2011, Kurosaki formed the band Altima with Move's Mototaka "Motsu" Segawa and fripSide's Satoshi "Sat" Yaginuma.[8] Kurosaki released three more singles in 2012: "Hell:ium" on May 9, "Reimei" (黎鳴) on August 8, and "Under / Shaft" on October 17. "Reimei" is used as the opening theme for the 2012 Hakuōki Reimeiroku anime series, and "Under / Shaft" is used as the opening theme for the 2012 Jormungand: Perfect Order anime series. Kurosaki's third studio album Vertical Horizon was released on April 10, 2013. Her single "X-Encounter", released on November 6, 2013, is used as the opening theme for the 2013 Tokyo Ravens anime series. Kurosaki's fourth studio album Reincarnation was released on July 23, 2014. In July 2014, Kurosaki attended the Bangkok Comic Con. Kurosaki's seventh single "Rakuen no Tsubasa" (楽園の翼) was released on October 15, 2014; the song is used as the opening theme for the 2014 The Fruit of Grisaia anime series. Her eighth single "Setsuna no Kajitsu" (刹那の果実) was released on May 13, 2015; the song is used as the opening theme for the 2015 Le Eden de la Grisaia. Kurosaki's ninth single "Harmonize Clover" (ハーモナイズ・クローバー) was released on August 19, 2015. Harmonize Clover, along with "Afterglow" (アフターグロウ) from the same single, are both used as ending themes for the 2015 anime series School-Live!. Kurosaki released her fourth studio album Mystical Flowers on November 25, 2015.

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
[9]
H.O.T.D. 25
Butterfly Effect
  • Released: November 30, 2011 (JPN)
  • Label: Geneon
  • Formats: CD, CD/DVD, digital download
 43
Vertical Horizon
  • Released: April 10, 2013 (JPN)
  • Label: Geneon
  • Formats: CD, CD/DVD, digital download
 25
Mystical Flowers
  • Released: November 25, 2015 (JPN)
  • Label: Geneon
  • Formats: CD, CD/Blu-ray
 27

Cover album

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
[9]
Reincarnation
  • Released: July 23, 2014 (JPN)
  • Label: Geneon
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 21

Extended play

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
[9]
Goshiki Uta: Immortal Lovers (五色詠, "Five Color Songs")
  • Released: September 22, 2010 (JPN)
  • Label: Geneon
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 51

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
JPN Oricon
[9]		 JPN Hot 100
[10][upper-alpha 1]
"Magic∞World" 2010 20 —[upper-alpha 2] Butterfly Effect
"Memories Last" (メモリーズ・ラスト Memorīzu Rasuto) 2011 14 60
Hell:ium[upper-alpha 3] 2012 61 —[upper-alpha 4] Vertical Horizon
"Reimei" (黎鳴-reimei-, "Dark Dawn") 40 —[upper-alpha 5]
"Under/Shaft" 36 —[upper-alpha 6]
"X-Encounter" 2013 13 22 Reincarnation
"Rakuen no Tsubasa" (楽園の翼, "Paradise Wings") 2014 16 27 Mysitcal Flowers
"Setsuna no Kajitsu" (刹那の果実, "Fruit of a Moment") 2015 21 TBA
"Harmonize Clover" (ハーモナイズ・クローバー) 36 TBA

Music videos

Year Song Director
2010 "Magic∞World"
2011 "Memories Last"
"Vanishing Point"
2012 "Hell:ium"
"Reimei"
"Under / Shaft"
2013 "X-Encounter"
2014 "Rakuen no Tsubasa"
2015 "Setsuna no Kajitsu"
"Harmonize Clover"

Other album appearances

Year Song Album Notes Ref.
2010 "Kimi to Taiyō ga Shinda Hi" Highschool of the Dead Original Soundtrack Short version theme song to Highschool of the Dead anime TV series. [18]
2011 "Magic∞World" A Certain Magical Index II O.S.T 1 Short version theme song to A Certain Magical Index II anime TV series. [19]
"Memories Last" A Certain Magical Index II O.S.T 2 Short version theme song to A Certain Magical Index II anime TV series. [20]
2013 "Snap out of it!!" Toaru Majutsu no TV Songs Sung with Mami Kawada. [21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sources for chart positions are as follows: "Memories Last",[11] "X-Encounter",[12] "Rakuen no Tsubasa".[13]
  2. ↑ Charted at number 20 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.[14]
  3. ↑ Triple A-side single featuring the songs "Narihibiita Kodō no Naka de, Boku wa Seijaku o Kiku", "I'm Still Breathing" and "Just Believe."
  4. ↑ Charted at number 63 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.[15]
  5. ↑ Charted at number 37 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.[16]
  6. ↑ Charted at number 32 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.[17]

References

  1. ↑ まおんです! [I'm Maon!] (in Japanese). Dear Stage. January 19, 2008. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  2. ↑ 新曲「メモリーズ・ラスト」をリリースする黒崎真音さんインタビュー [Interview of Maon Kurosaki Who Will Release Her New Song "Memories Last"] (in Japanese). Animate. March 3, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ 黒崎真音表紙!「メイド・ロード・リロード」4/26発売! [Maon Kurosaki Front Cover! Maid Road Reload Sold on April 26!] (in Japanese). Dear Stage. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  4. ↑ Kurosaki, Maon (April 23, 2010). メイド・ロード・リロード [Maid Road Reload] (in Japanese). Ameblo. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  5. ↑ Kurosaki, Maon (July 5, 2011). "AX!!!" (in Japanese). Ameblo. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  6. ↑ "AX to Host Singer Maon Kurosaki, Orange Road's Matsumoto". Anime News Network. June 2, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  7. ↑ 黒崎真音 [Maon Kurosaki] (in Japanese). Animelo Summer Live. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  8. ↑ "What's ALTIMA" (in Japanese). Warner Home Video. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "黒崎真音のリリース一覧" [List of Maon Kurosaki's Releases]. Oricon. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Hot 100｜JAPAN Charts｜Billboard JAPAN" (in Japanese). Billboard.
  11. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). October 12, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot Singles Sales". Billboard (in Japanese). December 1, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot Singles Sales". Billboard (in Japanese). May 16, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot Singles Sales". Billboard (in Japanese). August 15, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot Singles Sales". Billboard (in Japanese). October 24, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ "学園黙示録 HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD オリジナルサウンドトラック" [Highschool of the Dead Original Soundtrack] (in Japanese). Neowing. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  19. ↑ "「とある魔術の禁書目録II」O.S.T 1" [A Certain Magical Index II O.S.T 1] (in Japanese). Neowing. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  20. ↑ "「とある魔術の禁書目録II」O.S.T 2" [A Certain Magical Index II O.S.T 2] (in Japanese). Neowing. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  21. ↑ とある魔術の楽曲目録 [Toaru Majutsu no TV Songs] (in Japanese). Neowing. Retrieved August 30, 2013.

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