Danny,
Thanks for this. I love her. She is great!

“You are who
keeps me singing…”
~ Yuna Ito

Once upon a time, in the not so far away land of Hawaii, birth was given to a wonderful girl name Yuna Ito. Not only was she kind, with super stellar looks, but she was blessed with a beautiful voice to sing. She grew up to the music of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. She sang along to soulful songs, filling her lungs with every emotion she can bring herself to imagine. Though her mind was constantly filled with musical lyrics, her heart belonged to her family and friends. THEY were the ones she loved the most. In the land of Hawaii, “Ohana” was most important.
With time, she became a magnificent woman with a dream. Though she loves her family and friends, there was a certain “something” that was missing in her life. It was not till one junior year in high school, that she realized what was not there. It was her dream and her love for singing. She wanted to be a singer and bring her music to the ears of everyone. She set out to make her mark the moment she signed up for a singing contest.
Yuna had something to prove and she did it. Not only did she win the contest that was held at her school, she went on to win the “Brown Bags to Stardom” singing contest. Her voice really caught the attention of people in the Asian music industry, who absolutely knew she would be embraced by the world. It was not long before she was signed to a major record label: SONY.
Yuna knew what she wanted, but she had to be patient. She was going to be launched in Japan, the “Hollywood” of Asia. Though she was talented, SONY knew that in order for her to succeed, Yuna had to be held apart from the large crowd of female singers. Instead of throwing her into a pit of musicians and have her bellow her voice out for attention, SONY did the very opposite: They kept Yuna a secret. The marketing team that was hired to guide her, quickly set their minds to work.
Yuna would be debuting as one of the most talented and unique singers ever known: Serizawa Reira. Her voice had led her to land a role in what would be the most anticipated movie that year in Japan: “NANA.” She would be marketed and launched as Reira, a mysterious and enchanting singer from the storyline of “NANA.” Though winning that part in the movie was a dream (‘cuz she was also a huge fan of the “NANA”), at the same time, it was also very nerve wrecking. Yuna knew that the role of Reira would be critically analyzed. To be Reira, means that her company is boasting Yuna to be one of the best singers ever known to exist. It was almost like winning the part “Helen of Troy,” a role which very few actresses would play because they do not have the confidence to be the most beautiful woman known to existance. People would widely criticize this type of confidence.
“NANA” fans world wide watched entertainment news vigorously, trying to find out who this Yuna Ito girl is. Criticism like, “What’s so special about her anyway?” began to spring up on the world wide web, as soon as people began to realize SONY’s marketing strategy for Yuna. Everything from her age, to shadowed promo pictures of Yuna was being picked apart.
Through this vicious time in the entertainment industry, Yuna missed her family the most. She knew she was far away from them now. Her family and friends were in Hawaii and she was in Japan. She sent camera phone pictures to her loved ones and called them whenever she had the chance to do so. They supported her and told Yuna that she would be great.
The day began to near when Yuna would finally debut. “NANA” the movie was to premiere in theaters, and promotion time was hectic. There was really no going back now. Though Yuna had harsh critics everywhere, she also had her supporters: Her family, her friends, and a LOAD of fans that were increasing by the day. In the few short moments before she was going to be on live television for the first time, she was hit with a wrap of nervousness. It was time to show the world.
She stepped out on stage. The hosts to the show introduced her to everyone and also said she was going to perform her song. To Yuna’s surprise, one of Japan’s most popular artists (and also the star of “NANA”), Mika Nakashima wrote a letter to the show about Yuna. Mika boasted that Yuna is a very talented girl and wouldn’t stop praising her. Yuna’s face became red but she was really happy to have received such a high compliment from someone so great.
When it came time for Yuna to sing her song, her nervousness was gone. She realized that she was there. Her dream had come true and it was that moment that the world saw that Yuna IS Reira: A mysterously talented singer with a beautiful voice. And though she has found a place in the world for her, even in Japan, “Ohana” still means everything. Yuna knew that her family and friends in Hawaii are all very proud of her. And her fans are everywhere to support her as well. She looked to the audience and into the camera, as she raised her voice and sang, “Endless Story.”

“If you haven’t
changed your mind…”

Maybe, ppl in the US didn’t see her potential, and Sony did. Anyway, I’m sure they let her release stuff in the future in America *_*