Kana is an extravagant visual kei prodigy, screeching her way to recognition with her unique love-it-or-hate-it voice, and supplementing her musical achievements with fashion, toy design, and modeling for the Gothic Lolita magazine (the title is self-explanatory). Born in 1982 in Tokyo, Kana (real name undisclosed) debuted in music as early as 1996, when she did a short stint in an electronica act inconsistently named Starblues. She began playing live gigs at 16, and in 2000 scored her first contract with the indie label Teichiku Entertainment, where she debuted with the single "Hebi-Ichigo" (2000), the vocal performance on which earned the comparison to "a dying cat" from one gobsmacked reviewer. Three more singles followed, including "Chimame," the lyrics for which were written by Kana when slacking off in class, and the birthday-themed "Niku" (both 2001). The debut full-length, Doubutsu-teki Ningen, came out in 2001 as well, and Kikai-teki Ningen was released the next year, accompanied by another single and a DVD of promo videos. After that Kana switched to Globule Music Publishers, softening and expanding her style in the process; however, she only stuck with the label for one EP, Ningen-teki Ningen (2003), and then, after an unsuccessful attempt at an acting career in 2004, proceeded to establish her own label, Ichigo-SHA, which handled her third full-length Spade (2005), promoted in 2006-2007 by a set of shows played with a French backing band in France, Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Kana's fourth album, Tsuki no Usagi, was delivered in 2008 under the name "Moon Kana" and was supported by another European tour. ~ Alexey Eremenko