Olivia

The name Olivia may refer to one of the following artists: 1. Olivia Lufkin (born in Naha, Japan on December 9, 1979), a biracial Jpop singer. 2. Olivia Longott (born in New York City, USA on February 15, 1981), an American R&B singer. 1. OLIVIA (Olivia Lufkin, born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan), The daughter of an American father and a Japanese mother, attended the Okinawa Actors School, alma mater of popular acts like 安室奈美恵. She was discovered there and signed to Avex Trax in 1996 as part of the idol girl group D&D, which had a Eurobeat sound. When the group disbanded, Olivia became a solo artist. In contrast to her work with D&D, her first single in 1999 "I.L.Y.~Yokubou" had a driving rock sound. Her first two singles were written by others, but she wrote her third single "Dear Angel" and all her singles since then. In 1999 and 2000, she released six singles altogether, all with a pop-rock or alternative sound, and at the end of the year released her first album synchronicity, containing all her singles to date. In 2001 and 2002 she released two more singles. Although critically acclaimed, her solo singles were not chart toppers; her biggest hits, her second and third singles, both peaked at #29 on the Oricon, and her successive releases charted lower and lower (her final single peaked at #99). Avex Trax switched her from the main label to their "indies" label cutting edge. Rather than chase after mainstream success, Olivia continued on her own path. In 2003 she released 4 mini-albums instead of singles with macabre yet whimsical titles such as Comatose Bunny Butcher. Likewise, her music became both darker and cuter. These mini-albums contained only English songs. In 2004 she released her second album, The Lost Lolli, which was also all in English. This album peaked at #111 on the Oricon. However, Avex Trax released an overseas version of this album, reflecting Olivia's increasing success outside of Japan; typically, only chart-topping artists release overseas versions of their albums. After releasing The Lost Lolli, Olivia went on an unofficial hiatus (except for a performance at the "Halloween of the Living Dead" hosted by Hyde on October 30, 2005) and worked as a fashion model and designer. In 2006, it was announced that she would be recording the closing song for the new Nana anime under the name "OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (TRAPNEST)". The show debuted on April 5, 2006. The single was released on June 28, and debuted in the Top 10 of the Oricon daily charts, her first single to do so. Olivia confessed that the hiatus was because at the time of The Lost Lolli's release, she was "feeling pretty depressed", and "started to notice and realize a lot of her faults". Her musical tastes had changed and she realized her need for help in making music. In the fall of 2006, Olivia announced that she will be releasing a new mini-album in January 2007, entitled The Cloudy Dreamer. In addition to the several songs she recorded for the Nana anime, the mini-album will feature a new song called "Dream Catcher", which is used as the ending theme for the live action television drama series of Jigoku Shōjo. 2. Olivia Theresa Longott (born February 15, 1981), professionally known as Olivia, is an American R&B singer. In 2000, she became the first artist signed to Clive Davis' J Records. Her self-titled debut album Olivia was released in 2001 and featured the singles "Bizounce" which made #15 on the charts, and "R U Capable". The album debuted at number fifty-five and was RIAA certified Gold in November 2002. At the time of the album's certification, Olivia had already been released from J Records, signing to Interscope Records. In 2004, Olivia re-emerged as the first woman signed to G-Unit Records. She contributed vocals to the trio's debut album Beg for Mercy and to 50 Cent's The Massacre, including the album's number-one single "Candy Shop". Her first solo single released via G-Unit Records was "Twist It", featuring fellow G-Unit member Lloyd Banks, followed up by "So Sexy" in summer 2005. Both songs failed to debut on the charts due to little promotion. Olivia briefly attended Hofstra University in New York and planned her second album, Behind Closed Doors, which was slated for a 2007 release on Interscope and G-Unit Records. Around the same time, Olivia contributed vocals to Shaggy's single "Wild 2Nite".Olivia released her single, "Best Friend", featuring 50 Cent in 2006.