MINMI

Working her way up the scene from live events into a bona fide pop star in Japan, Minmi (born Michiko Evwana) works a mix of world influences into her music, notably reggae, soca, and American hip-hop. Somewhat surprisingly for the hyper-engineered Japanese pop apparatus, Minmi makes a point of writing her own pieces and holding down most production duties at the same time, keeping tight control of her finished product. Minmi burst onto the charts with 2002's "The Perfect Vision," a reggae-infused piece of pop that quickly found its way onto the Oricon charts. Building her sou...