UA

Kaori Shima (嶋歌織, born March 11, 1972), know by her stage name, UA, which is Swahili for both flower and kill, is a Japanese singer and occasional actress. Born and raised in Suita, Osaka, Japan, she worked as a lounge singer in her hometown after graduating from Saga University of Arts. She was scouted at her workplace by producer 藤原ヒロシ. In 1995, she debuted with the Fujiwara-produced HORIZON under the Victor Entertainment sub-label, Speedstar Records. Her fourth single, 情熱, became a smash hit and UA was recognized all over Japan as one of the premiere Japanese jitsuryoku-ha (実力派) artists. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.