Mari Hamada is a Japanese heavy metal musician and J-pop vocalist. She was born in the business district of Nishi-Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan, on July 18, 1962. Her music career started during her grade school years, when she performed in the school choir and recorded TV jingles. She released her debut album, 1983's Lunatic Doll ~ Ansatsu Keikoku, at 20 years old. Although the record introduced Hamada as one of the leading female vocalists in a genre dominated by males, it wasn't until 1984's Misty Lady that she included her own material on an album. The title track of 1985's Blue Revolution became her first hit single, reaching Number 42 on the Oricon charts. She later reached Nimbler 1 for the first time with her 1989 single "Return to Myself ~ Shinai, Shinai, Natsu," which appeared on the platinum-certified, chart-topping album Return to Myself. Return to Myself was the first of six consecutive albums that achieved gold or platinum status, including the Number 1 records Anti-Heroine (1993) and Inclination (1994). Although her chart success waned during the late 1990s and 2000s, her 2010 album Aestetica marked a return not only to her heavy metal roots, but also to the Top 40. Two years later, she charted even higher with Legenda, which hit Number 23. Mission reached Number 11 in 2016, and Hamada cracked the Top 10 once again with 2018's Gracia and 2023's Soar.
