is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was born in Fujisawa,

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan, and made her singing debut on April 6, 1988 with the release of the single "Fifteen", named after her age at the time. Nishida is affiliated with Manase Productions.

Biography

Early life and education

Hikaru Nishida moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

with her family in 1973 when her father was transferred there by his electrical equipment firm. There, she attended Clairbourn School in San Gabriel. Nishida visited Fujisawa during her summer and winter vacations. In 1979, she participated in a chorus with other children in

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

's song "Ai no, Sono" on his album '' Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"''. In 1985, Nishida's family moved back to Japan, where she attended the American School in Japan until her graduation in 1990. She then attended Sophia University and graduated in 1994, with a major in comparative history of Japan and China. Because of her residency in the U.S., Nishida is fluent in English. She has some trouble understanding Japanese poetry due to her time away from Japan. Nishida enjoys writing poetry,

basket weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

, learning Spanish and the flute.

Entertainment career

In 1988, Nishida made her entertainment debut when she was appointed as a campaign girl for Japan Air System. She also starred in the stage musical production of ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Charles Scribner's Sons, Scribner's (the publisher of ...

'' that year and recorded the opening theme of the anime TV adaptation '' Little Prince Cedie''. On April 6, Nishida released her debut single "Fifteen". In 1991, Nishida made her debut on NHK's ''

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

'', performing her single " Tokimeite". Nishida hosted the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

Preliminary Draw gala on at the

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Toky ...

and served as an ambassador in the Nagano Olympic Peace Appeal program.

Personal life

In May 2002, Nishida married Shigeki Ebi, director of Fuji Electronic Industries. She gave birth to her first son in California in 2006 and her second son in 2009. Since 2006, Nishida has lived in

Nishinomiya 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 1985 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218,948 households and a population density ...

, Hyōgo. She was the first tourism ambassador for Nishinomiya from August 2011 to the end of March 2013.

Discography

* ''Clear'' (1989) * ''Silhouette'' (1989) * ''Tokimeki no Prologue'' (1990) * ''Esprit'' (1991) * ''19 Dreams'' (1992) * ''Sun Dance'' (1993) * ''Love Always'' (1994) * ''A File of Life'' (1995) * ''24 Two-Four'' (1996) * ''You'll Never Know'' (1996) * ''Shiawase no Katachi'' (1998) * ''Love for All Seasons'' (2002)

Filmography

TV

''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
'' appearances

Bibliography

Books

# 5 December 1992: ''HUG'' # 20 September 1993: ''HUG II''

Picture books

# 20 September 1988: ''P-Can Island'' # 25 February 1990: ''Hi-Tide'' () ¥1550 # 1 April 1991: ''In Your Dreams'' () ¥1950 # 26 October 1992: ''19 Dreams'' () ¥2800 # 16 August 1994: ''Making of H.N.'' () ¥4800. Mini-Photobook/Postcard/Video Set

References

External links

* * *
Hikaru Nishida
at

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishida, Hikaru 1972 births Japanese writers Pony Canyon artists Living people Actresses from Kanagawa Prefecture Singers from Fujisawa, Kanagawa American School in Japan alumni 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Sophia University alumni