5 Mika Nakashima revelations ahead of her Hong Kong concert: the Y2K J-pop princess will only make one stop outside Japan for her 2024 tour, but how did her anime fame land her roles in Hollywood?

Oct 19 , 2023

Mika Nakashima will be performing in Hong Kong in February 2024. Photo: @mikanakashima_official/Instagram

Best known for her 2004 hit ‘Yuki no Hana’ and her role as Nana O in the anime-turned-live action film Nana, Nakashima returns to Hong Kong for two shows in February next year at AsiaWorld-Expo

The 40-year-old singer-songwriter has been a fan of drag queen RuPaul since her 20s and her latest single ‘We Are All Stars’ pays tribute to him; she’s also starred in two Resident Evil films

Japanese singer-songwriter and actress Mika Nakashima recently visited Hong Kong for the first time in over a decade to announce dates for her upcoming concert tour! Hong Kong is the only city outside of Japan that’s part of her Mika Nakashima Concert 2024 tour.

Japanese singer-songwriter and actress Mika Nakashima turns 40 this year. Photo: @the_firsttake/Instagram

The 40-year-old singer is best known for her 2004 hit “Yuki no Hana” and her role as Nana O in the anime-turned-live action film Nana.

Tour organisers confirmed that presale tickets are already sold out for her February 3 show and announced the singer will perform in one more show on February 4 to accommodate her enthusiastic fans.

Ahead of her tour, we look at five things you may not know about Nakashima …

1. Mika Nakashima’s career almost ended due to illness

Mika Nakashima is best known for her 2004 hit “Yuki no Hana”. Photo: @mikanakashima_official/Instagram

In 2010, Nakashima was forced to take a break from music after releasing her sixth studio album Star. She revealed to Thai newspaper The Nation that she suffered from patulous eustachian tubes in the ears for a decade. The condition severely affected her hearing; she wasn’t able to hear anything but the echo of her own voice. She took two years to recover, then released her seventh album Real.

2. Her anime fame landed her roles in Hollywood

Mika Nakashima’s performance in Nana helped her score Hollywood roles. Photo: Handout

Nakashima was widely popular among Nana fans due to her role in the live-action adaptation of the anime and manga. Having that fan base helped her bag her first Hollywood role in the film adaptation of video game Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010. She also reprised the role of “J Pop Girl” in the sequel Resident Evil: Retribution in 2012.