Birth name Maria Also known as Mar Name MAA MAA | Instruments Vocals Years active 2006–present | |
Born January 25, 1986 (age 38)
Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan ( 1986-01-25 ) Genres Synthpop, dance-pop, pop Occupation(s) Singer, lyricist, TV host, model | ||
MAA is a Japanese recording artist, former TV host and model. Previously known as Mar (stylized as MAR), she was vocalist of the alternative rock band Marbell from 2006 to 2010. When they disbanded she embarked on a solo career, switching to pop music.
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History
MAA was born on January 25, 1986 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa to a Japanese mother and an American father. She started as a model and later became a host for a TV show called Visual Shock. Through this job she met fashion designer H. Naoto (who would later design the clothes and outfits for Marbell).
2006–2010: Marbell
In 2006, she, going by the name Mar, and Tsunoda Takanori formed the alternative rock band Marbell. They were later joined by bassist Azusa and drummer yu-ya before releasing their debut album Sister on May 14, 2008. The band toured throughout Japan, mainly performing live in Tokyo, but also performed at the 2008 Otakon convention in the United States. Four of the songs from their album were performed by the band on May 3, 2008 at the first day of the hide memorial summit, which gave Marbell the opportunity to play for a huge audience at Ajinomoto Stadium. However, the band was inactive throughout 2009 and on March 10, 2010 it was officially announced that Marbell had disbanded after only four years together.
2010–present: Solo
Only six months later Mar debuted as a solo artist, under the name MAA, with the single "Ghost Enemy". The EP Monkey Kingdom was released on December 1, 2010 and reached number 158 on the Oricon chart. On July 21, 2011 her third single "OKay" was released and became the ending song for NTV's Happy Music. She released her first full-length album BubbleMan Engine on October 12.