Born on 13 February 1980 in Sapporo, Mami Kawada is a renowned Japanese lyricist and singer, celebrated for her contributions to the world of J-pop and anime music. After being talent-spotted by her singing teacher, the influential J-pop artist and radio personality Eiko Shimamiya, her career began when she joined popular music production group I've Sound in 2001 and released her debut single "Kaze to Kimi o Daite" (風と君を抱いて, "Embrace You and the Wind") that year. The track was boosted by its inclusion on Japanese erotic videogame Miss You and paved the way for further anime theme song work such as "Sora no Mori de" (空の森で, "In the Forest of Sky"), featured on the Please Teacher! series in 2002. Three years later, she had built up enough momentum for a major-label deal, inking a contract with Geneon Entertainment and releasing the "Radiance" single in 2005. Seed, her first full-length record, followed in 2006 and claimed the number 12 spot on Japan's Oricon chart. She went on to demonstrate her command of electronic-infused pop-rock across subsequent albums and singles such as Savia (2008), Square the Circle (2012), Parablepsia (2015), and 2016's "Contrail (Kiseki)" (Contrail～軌跡～)—the opening theme to the 2016 anime television series adaptation of Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue—regularly cracking the charts along the way. In 2016, she announced her retirement from singing following one last concert in May 2016.
