Mimei Sakamoto

Mimei Sakamoto

MIMEI SAKAMOTO. (Born 1965). Japanese artist. Mimei made her debut as a manga artist in 1989 gathering much attention and popularity throughout Japan. But in 2006, Mimei came down with "Collagen Disease" (an intractable connective tissue disorder causing inflammation and destruction of collagen throughout the body). Experiencing much trouble walking and using her hands, doctors even told her she may not have much time left. Around the same time, with an unyielding desire to continue to express her passion as an artist and, in spite of having no professional experience or training, she turned to singing. With the support of many people around her, she managed to release her first CD recording, "JINSEI~INOCHI" (Rambling Records). Then Mimei released her first jazz album, "La Magie de L'amour" (arrangement by Makoto Kuriya on the JAZZ JAPAN label ) in 2012, and followed this up with the second album, "BLUE LEGEND ~Aoi Densetsu~" (JAZZ JAPAN) in 2013, produced by Tsugutoshi Goto and featuring her own original lyrics. Work on a 3rd album, "Moulin Rouge" (MIMEIDIA), began in 2015. Taking 5 years to complete, it consists mainly of the music from Michel Legrand arranged by Makoto Kuriya and featuring bassist Osamu Koichi and drummer Masahiko Osaka. Two bonus tracks on the album feature duets with Benjamin Legrand, the son of Michel Legrand. During this same period, she started her own independent label, MIMEDIA, to further excel in her newfound art and has produced several original promotion videos. Even with the loss of many intimate friends to cancer over the past 4 years, Mimei has gotten to the point where she can now move around and use her hands, debuting as a painter and resuming her career as an author. As a lasting tribute to her friends, "Moulin Rouge" is a monumental work of the soul.