I first became acquainted with Kaela Kimura due to her role in [Custom Made 10.30], a movie focused on two sisters who ultimately attend a Tamio Okuda concert. There's a lot more to the film than that, but I was struck by her presence, charm, and apparent musical talent. So, I ordered up her first album, to see what I thought.

Without question, [KAELA] was not just one of the best albums of 2004, but still beats out most every release since then. All 12 tracks simply shine, with a guitar-forward pop-rock attack and nuanced vocalizations by Kaela. It's one of the rare works where all songs merge into one indivisible sequence, even though there were a few strong singles in their own right. When I start listening, I have to take it all the way to the end, and even after dozens of spins there are still little surprises and smiles to be had. Definitely a product of committee, but everyone involved did a fine job.

Born on 10.24.1984, Kaela started out as a fashion model, and ended up on [saku saku], a fanciful children's TV show. Her first album, and the movie that followed, was her attempt to take her career further, and she's been largely successful so far. [Circle], her second album, is perhaps not as amazing as her first, but it does feature [BEAT], a single written and produced by Tamio Okuda, which you can't help but love. I really think that [Circle] was one of the best albums of 2006, and it served only to fully cement Kaela as an artist I should watch.

Since then, she's had some velcro-catchy singles like [Magic Music] and [Tree Climbers], which are presently found on her third album, [Scratch]. I'm still waiting for that to arrive in the mail, but once it comes I'll update this profile.

In short, Kaela Kimura is a multi-talented rising star who can't help but shine in any medium, particularly her music. Make sure to check her out.