Jasmine

Jasmine (stylized as JASMINE) (born May 19, 1989), is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Tokyo. She is represented by Sony Music Japan, and is a DJ for the Japanese radio station J-Wave. In June 2009 she released her debut single "Sad to Say". Described as "the next Hikaru Utada", Jasmine cites Utada as her influence. Biography Background information Jasmine first experienced singing at thirteen years old, in a gospel choir at Yokota Air Base. It was here that her interest in gospel music began. Jasmine soon joined the American Expedition Choir. She decided to become a professional singer at the age of seventeen, and began writing her own lyrics and music. She soon signed a contract with Sony Music in Japan. 2009–present: Debut and first album Jasmine released her debut single "Sad to Say" on June 24, 2009. Previous to this date the song was released as a ringtone on the Chaku-Uta Full chart, where it debuted at number one. With this, Jasmine became the first singer to debut at number one with their debut song on the chart. Soon after the release of "Sad to Say", critics began calling Jasmine "the reincarnation of Hikaru Utada" and compared the two's choice of promoting only through radio appearances. After debuting at number thirteen on the Oricon singles chart, the single later peaked at number ten in its second week. The single has since become her most successful, peaking at number one on the digital charts and selling in excess of 30,000 physical copies in Japan.