Wakeshima, Kanon

Wakeshima Kanon is a Japanese singer and cellist. Produced by Mana (MALICE MIZER～Moi dix Mois), Wakeshima debuted under the DefSTAR Records label on May 28, 2008 with the single "Still Doll," the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the manga series Vampire Knight. She also provided the voice for a maid that appears in the eighth episode of the series. Wakeshima's second single "Suna no Oshiro" (砂のお城), released on November 12, 2008, was used as the ending theme for the series' second season. She was nominated for a Best Newcomer award for 2008 in the fourth annual Shojo Beat Music Awards, nominees of which are determined by surveying "record companies, music journalists, music experts, and music fans." Before her birth, Wakeshima's music loving parents wished for her to be a musician. At the age of three, she began learning the cello beginning her entry into the world of music. In junior high school she formed her own ensemble group. At the age of fifteen, she transitioned from her former classical ensembles into playing in the baroque section. Appearing in a variety of recitals and concerts throughout her school years, she began writing her own music and combining singing with her cello playing at the age of sixteen. As she transitioned from junior high school to high school, she began writing her own music and singing. She gave her first vocal performances during a high school festival. Wakeshima auditioned at Sony Music Entertainment as a singer, originally not intending to include her cello playing with her demo tape, but later changing her mind after experimenting with performing with the piano. She became a finalist at the audition, contracting with the Sony subsidiary DefSTAR Records and debuting on May 28, 2008 with her first single, "Still Doll." The single was chosen to be used for the ending theme of the first season of the anime adaptation of the manga series Vampire Knight. She uses three cellos, one for performing, one for music videos and one for recording. Wakeshima has given each cello a name. The white cello is known as Mikazuki-san which means "crescent moon." This is the cello she is normally seen performing on during live performances. The red cello is known as "Nanachie-san" which means wisdom. This is the cello commonly seen in her music videos. According to Wakeshima, Nanachie-san is very hard to play but she manages. Her third cello is a brown cello called "Yaeharu-san" which means "multi-layered spring." Yaeharu-san is very special to Wakeshima since it is the cello she had since middle school and is the one she practices on and records with. Currently, she had a new silver cello named "Momotose."