華原朋美

j-pop

Tomomi Kahala (sometimes Kahara) (華原朋美 Kahara Tomomi?) born Tomomi Shimogawara (下河原朋美 Shimogawara Tomomi?) on August 17, 1974 in Tokyo), is a Japanese pop singer. She is famous for working with Tetsuya Komuro who gave her much success in the 1990s, which led to her deep dip in popularity after 1999, the year in which she released her first non-TK produced album, One Fine Day. Tomomi Kahala and Tetsuya Komuro dated for a few years, but they suffered from personal problems which led to their breakup. After a period of sickness, Kahala's talent agency terminated her contract on June 29, 2007.[1][2] Before 1995: Early life and career[edit] Kahala was born in Koto, Tokyo in 1974. She attended Showa Gakuin Elementary, Shoin Junior, and Senior High School. She started her horse-riding lesson when she was three, and later received the 4th place in the National Sports Festival of Japan in 1992. Before she started her career as a singer, she worked as a model, and appeared in fashion magazines such as CanCam and Vivi as well as TV shows. 1995–1997: Rise to fame[edit] While working with Tetsuya Komuro, her first single Keep Yourself Alive, was released in late 1995. It sold over 360,000 copies and went Top 10, peaking at #8. Her second single, I Believe, was her first million-seller and added to her popularity. In March 1996, she released the single I'm Proud which peaked at #2 and was her best-selling single. It outsold Namie Amuro's singles released that year. In June 1996, she finally released her first album, Love Brace, a collection of songs about love and stated by Tetsuya Komuro to be his best work to date. It was a huge success selling over 2.5 million copies, half of them within the first week of release. Already a big star, she and Tetsuya Komuro became an item and she continued to release singles, all peaking at 1. In December 1997, she finally released her second album, Storytelling. It went to the top of the charts and sold 1.37 million copies, much less than the 2.5 million copies that her previous album has sold. 1998–1999: Decline[edit] Since the release of Storytelling, her popularity began to decline and her relationship with her mentor, Tetsuya Komuro, was in every tabloid. Gossip magazines rumored that both of them were abusing drugs and that their relationship was beginning to fall apart. Her next single tumblin dice went only to the number-two position.[3] Her music did not reach the top position again. Her next album,...