Also known as Steph Years active 2007–present Occupation(s) Singer, actress Name Stephanie Topalian | Genres Pop Origin Tokyo, Japan | |
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Birth name Stephanie Nonoshita Topalian Born August 5, 1987 (age 36)
Los Angeles, California, United States ( 1987-08-05 ) | ||
Stephanie Topalian (Armenian: Ստեֆանի Թոփալյան) Western Armenian Սթեֆանի Թօփալեան, professionally known as Stephanie (ステファニー (Sutefanī), born August 5, 1987) is an American singer and actress of Armenian and Japanese descent. Stephanie is signed with SME Records Japan (part of Sony Music). She released two albums, self-titled Stephanie in 2008 and Colors of my Voice in 2009 and has won the Japanese Music Awards in 2007. A number of her songs have been featured in Japanese films and she has also taken roles in a few Japanese films, notably Pride and Tokyo Tribe. In 2014, she was included in the Armenian super group project Genealogy to represent Armenia in the 2015 version of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Face the Shadow".
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Life and family
She was born to a Japanese mother and an Armenian American father in Los Angeles, California. Although Stephanie is residing in Japan she has a strong commitment to her Armenian background and is very attached to her grandparents. Her paternal grandfather Jean Pierre Topalian was from France and her grandmother Koharik Mikaelian Topalian was born in Lebanon. Her Armenian grandparents had relocated to the United States from Lebanon, choosing final destination and place of dwell the state of Wisconsin. She heard many stories about the Armenian Genocide – a historical event that changed so many destinies; including her grandparents’. Those stories led to the enhancement of her consciousness on the issue and despite being far from homeland Stephanie is true to her Armenian roots and is a keen learner of the culture and history. Stephanie graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University Law School. She is bilingual, and speaks Japanese and English.
Career as a solo artist
She began singing at a young age and at age 13, she moved to Japan with her family. At 14, Stephanie sent an audio demo tape of her singing to various music productions, and received a response from a Japanese music producer Joe Rinoie. Rinoie was impressed with her singing, and at the age of 19 Stephanie made her major debut in Japan from SME Records (Sony). She achieved the “Best New Artist Award” at the prestigious 49th Japan Record Awards in 2007 and afterwards released two albums. Stephanie Topalian – her magical voice and wide vocal diapason has already touched thousands of hearts in Japan.
Stephanie's songs were featured in the Japanese "Anime" scene. Her debut single "Kimiga Iru Kagiri" and the follow up single "Because of You" became the ending themes of the anime Kiss Dum. Her fifth single "Changin", was also featured as the last ending theme of the anime D.Gray-man. In early 2008, her single "Friends" became the second ending theme for the anime television series Gundam 00. The song appeared in the Top 10 of Japanese Oricon charts.
As an actress Stephanie debuted in the film Pride in 2009, based on Yukari Ichijo's shōjo comic. She portrayed the protagonist Shio Asami, and also took part in the film's theme song, "Pride ~A Part of Me~" that featured SRM. Aside from Pride, Stephanie also starred in 2009 in the short film It's All Good which was fully scripted in English and in 2014 in Tokyo Tribe and a short film.
Eurovision
In February 2015 she was announced as a member of the music group Genealogy (made up of singers from Armenia and the Armenian diaspora) that represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Stephanie Topalian represents the Asian continent in the formation whereas the Ethiopian Vahe Tilbian represents Africa, the American Tamar Kaprelian the American continent, the French Essaï Altounian the European continent and the Australian Mary-Jean O'Doherty Basmadjian Oceania and Inga Arshakyan Armenia. The super group sang "Face the Shadow", the Armenian entry to the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. She became an Armenian citizen along with the other foreign members of Genealogy on 28 April 2015 after being given Armenian passports by President Serzh Sargsyan.