mao, also spelled as MAO, (まお, born December 20) is a Japanese female singer affiliated with Peak A Soul+. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, her blood type is A. The website of Peak A Soul+ describes mao as "a talented singer with a powerful and expansive voice, and the appeal of lyrics with strong messages".[1]
mao has performed a variety of songs in the Hakuouki franchise.
Overview
After singing the demo vocals for a competition song composed by Katsuhiko Kurosu (the theme song for "Doraemon"), mao was hired as the performer along with the song and made their major debut in 2007 with the single "Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon". Since then, she has performed the theme songs for numerous video games and TV anime. On New Year's Eve in 2021, she made her first appearance at the "Momoiro Uta Gassen" held at the Nippon Budokan (broadcast live on BS Nippon, Nippon Broadcasting System, ABEMA, and other networks).
Even before her debut, mao was active as a vocalist providing chorus and demo vocals for other artists, and after debuting she continued to participate in a chorus with singers like Nami Tamaki, Koharu Kusumi, and Shōko Nakagawa. Additionally, she has performed most of the demo vocals for songs composed by Katsuhiko Kurosu. Furthermore, she has provided lyrics for many singers, including V6, and is active in a wide range of fields.
Up till today, mao has released 7 singles, 4 original albums, 1 best album, 1 acoustic album, and has participated in numerous compilation CDs.[1]
Discography
Television animation
| Year | Title | Anime |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon | Doraemon |
| 2009 | Jitensha ni Notte | Kupu!! Mamegoma! |
| 2010 | Moshimo☆Paradise! | Tamagotchi |
| Kimi no Kioku | Hakuouki | |
| Akanezora ni Negau | ||
| 2012 | Hana no Atosaki |
Album
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2010 | toddle |
| 2012 | FOReST |
| 2013 | Oto no Tobira (オトノトビラ) |
| 2016 | dialog |
Acoustic album
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Kimi ga Koisuru Monogatari (キミが恋する物語) |
Best album
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2018 | mao Best Album ～voice～ [2] |
Games
| Year | Title | Game |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mirai e... | Blade Dancer ~Millennium Promise~ |
| 2009 | SYK / Departure | SYK Shinsetsu Saiyuki |
| 2010 | Dia | Atelier Totori: The Alchemist of Arland 2 |
| 2010 | Kyō no Eien | Hakuouki: Reimeiroku |
| 2011 | Metro | Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3 |
| 2011 | Kimi no Soba de / Kakera | Kami naru Kimi to |
| 2012 | Ouka no Gotoku | Hakuouki: Reimeiroku |
Other
Other work by mao includes:[1]
- Singing promotional songs for the Disney movies "Cars" and "Where's Ryan?";
- Singing the school song and favorite song of Renjaku Gakuen, Mitaka City, Tokyo;
- Singing on the CD album "Disney Music Town - Christmas Party";
- Singing on the CD album "Disney Drive Tune";
- Participating in the original soundtrack of Suigetsu 2;
- Being the main vocalist of Linked Horizon, a project developed by Sound Horizon;
- Performing at two shows a day at Yokohama Arena on November 25, 2012;
- Appearing at LinkedHorizon Talk & Live Event "Advance to Freedom" Zepp Nagoya;
- Singing Aku Yu Memorial Album "Kodomo Heri Aku Yu - To those who were once children, and to those children";
- Singing "Uchi no Nyanko wa Dai Sensei" (My Nyanko is a Great Teacher), an unreleased song with lyrics by Yu Aku, included in the album;
- Singing the school song for "Totsuka Sumire Kindergarten" run by the Sumire Gakuen School Corporation in Yokohama;
- Singing KONAMI "Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball 2014" theme song;
- Writing lyrics and performing Fujiko F Fujio 80th Anniversary Song "Connecting the Future";
- Participating as a chorus member in Koharu Kusumi's (Morning Musume) single "Mizuiro Melody";
- Participating as a chorus member in the album "Don't Stay" by Narumi Tamaki;
- Participating as a chorus member in Shōko Nakagawa's album "Big☆Bang!!";
- Participating as a chorus member in Shōko Nakagawa's single "Kirei a la mode";
- Participating as a chorus member in Shōko Nakagawa's album "Magic Time" and the single "Kokoro no Antenna";
- Performing "Miracle a Go! Go!" and "millefeuille nights" from Shoko Nakagawa's album "9lives";
- Chorus for "Seven Seas Romance".