Mari Iijima Information

Actor / Singer
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Biography:
Mari Iijima is an accomplished singer and songwriter who has released numerous top 10 albums through Victor Entertainment Japan and Warner Music Japan. She wrote all of the music for her critically acclaimed debut album "Rosé" (1983), which was produced by renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

As she was getting ready for her debut album, Mari was chosen to play an animation character named Lynn Minmay who is a singing superstar in the story for a legendary Japanese animation series and film called "Macross" through an audition process, and it brought her to stardom very quickly in Japan. In 2006, she replied the role for the English version of the Macross TV series for ADV films, making her the first actor to voice the same character in both English and Japanese.

Throughout her career, Mari has worked with the music industry's greatest musicians including Alan Parson's Project, Toto, and members of the John Mayer Band. Her 2004 release, "Wonderful People" was a smash hit and stayed on the top of an Indie album chart for over 5 consecutive weeks. Mari has won several awards including the FM Osaka Best New Artist Award and the Japan Audio Society Golden Jubilee Award two years in a row, which is voted on by both Japanese & American judges. She was also nominated for the 2000 Los Angeles Music Awards Best Pop Artist Award for her first independently released album "No Limit". At the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, Mari won a Best Song Award for her song "Unspoken Love" from her album "Wonderful People".

In addition to singing and songwriting Mari has also appeared in film, television, and on radio in both Japan and the U.S. In 2004, Mari starred in the short feature film "Green Tea-r" and also wrote and performed the film's theme song, "Petal". "Green Tea-r" won the top honor of Grandprix at the Takazuka Film Festival in Japan, Silver Screen Award at US International Film & Video Festival, and was shown at the Berlin Film Festival.

In November 2006, Mari released her 20th studio album, "Uncompromising Innocence", which she wrote, arranged, and produced, with collaborative contributions from David LaBruyere (John Mayer Band), Michael Chaves (John Mayer Band, Low Millions), and the late Mick Karn (Japan, Dali's Car).

Mari has received proof of entry for the 50th Grammy Awards provided entries for 'Swim' a track on her 2006 album "Uncompromising Innocence". Her listed entries are for the "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" category and the "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)" category. Mari released her latest & her 21st studio album "Echo" in Sep, 2010 and she is currently working on her forthcoming EP.