This Is Me (Misia song)

Composition

"This Is Me" was written by Misia and the composition and production were handled by Shirō Sagisu. The song also features English lines originally written by Mike Wyzgowski. "This Is Me" was written in January 2011, right before Misia launched her nationwide tour The Tour of Misia Japan Soul Quest. The song was made the theme song for the tour and also serves as the lead track of Soul Quest. Misia received Sagisu's demo tape with a note that said "Disco masterpiece for Misia." On the official Soul Quest website, Misia wrote, "(Sagisu) has composed many songs for me, such as 'The Glory Day', but this song is nothing like he's ever done before. It sounded to me like a song someone in the 80s would have recorded, a very groovy, fast-paced, powerful up-tempo number." "It made me think about how Sagisu is someone who lives by his own accord and who makes the most of the canvas he is given," she added, "so, I decided to write about my perspective of the real me."

Background and development

The music video for "This Is Me" was directed by Electrotnik, a directing duo composed of Hiroshi Nakane and Sayaka Nakane, who previously directed the music video for Misia's "Kioku" (2011). The video heavily features CG and traditional animation. It depicts Misia and various characters (including flower dancers, a human dog, a caped dancer, and a lion man), portrayed by Misia's tour dancers, members of the dance group Vanilla Grotesque, in an alternative fairyland. In a press release, the duo commented, "We wanted to take a stylish approach, [...] most of the music videos we've directed have been for male hip hop artists, so working with an artist like Misia was a first. It was a challenge but we're glad to have been able to match a great song with a great video." Misia also commented, "I really enjoyed shooting this video with all my dancers and friends. I first worked with (Electrotnik) on the music video for "Kioku" and their work is fantastic. They were very diligent about staying true to the concept of the video throughout the video shoot." The video was styled by Toshio Takeda and features the camera and lighting work of Naoki Noda. The music video premiered on July 7, 2011, Misia's thirty-third birthday, on the official Soul Quest website, and was first televised on July 11, 2011, on Space Shower TV.

Synopsis

The video begins with a fight between a caped dancer and a witch, who is depicted in traditional animation, during which "Soul Quest Overture," the instrumental opening track from Soul Quest, is played. After vanquishing the witch, the caped dancer changes Misia and her dog from their animated forms back to their human forms and frees them from the cage in which they had been locked in. Misia is seen wearing a layered white dress and a belt and head-wrap adorned in gold while her hair is styled in an afro. The three then dance their way out of the witch's castle as Misia restores it back to its pristine state through magic. On their way out, the caped dancer finds the witch's two servant crows and changes them back to their human forms as they join Misia outside. As Misia wanders out of the castle into a forest, five flower dancers emerge from the ground and engage in a dance routine. Misia changes a lion statue found in the forest into a man with the head of a lion. As the second chorus kicks in, Misia is seen resting on large rock, singing, while the flower dancers perform around her. As the chorus ends, the camera quickly pans to the sky where the lion man, who has now duplicated himself, is gesturing while standing on a cloud. The flower dancers end their routine by holding hands and jumping, bending their bodies in unison. As they move away from each other, a horse magically springs from the ground. The video ends with Misia and the supporting characters dancing and singing before a large sun covered with clouds on which the two horses and five flower dancers appear to be standing. The last sequence features Misia, who is surrounded by a radiant halo of light, and the other characters standing still as they outstretch their arms and raise their heads to the sky.