Nakashima had dreamed of becoming a singer since she was a child. She decided not to attend high school or college, and pursued her dream in a musical career. She was chosen out of three thousand girls as the heroine of the 2001 fall season drama, 傷だらけのラブソング (Kizudarake no Love Song, Scarred Love Song) from Fuji TV Station. In November, she made her sensational debut under Sony Music Associated Records with the song STARS, which was also the theme song of the drama. STARS is Nakashima's best-selling single to date, with sales nearing 470 000 copies since its release in November of 2001.
Her second single, CRESCENT MOON, was limited to only 100 000 copies. Amazingly, it sold out on the first day of its release.
In March of 2002, she released her third single ONE SURVIVE and her first video compilation DVD, FILM LOTUS. In May her fourth single HELPLESS RAIN. In August her fifth single, WILL, was released, tying up sales of over 200 000 copies. She released her first album, TRUE, in August of 2002. TRUE peaked at #1 on the Oricon 200 Album Chart in Japan, and has sold 1,174,000 copies since its release.
In 2003, she released five singles, 愛してる (Aishiteru, I Love You), Love Addict, 接吻 (Seppun, Kiss), FIND THE WAY and 雪の華 (Yuki no Hana, Flowers of Snow), a mini-album, RESISTANCE, and a full-length album, LOVE. LOVE went on to sell over 1.5 million copies, surpassing the sales of her debut.
During the next two years, Nakashima released another five singles: SEVEN, 火の鳥 (Hi no Tori, Phoenix), LEGEND, 桜色舞うころ (Sakura Iro Mau Koro, When the Colors of Cherry Blossoms Flutter), and ひとり (Hitori, Alone). She also released another mini-album, 朧月夜～祈り (Oborodzukiyo～Inori, A Misty, Moon-lit Night ～ Prayer), and her third full-length album, MUSIC. Her compilation album BEST, which was released in December 2005, surpassed the 1.2 million sales mark, and is the second best-selling album in Mika's career after LOVE.
Nakashima was chosen to play one pf the main roles in the live-action movie NANA in 2005, and also sang its theme song, GLAMOROUS SKY under the name NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA.
In December of 2006, Nakashima released 一色 (Hito Iro, A Single Color) for the NANA 2 movie under the name NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA, as well as a NANA album titled THE END, which marked the conclusion of her association with NANA.
Nakashima released another five singles, CRY NO MORE, ALL HANDS TOGETHER, MY SUGAR CAT, 見えない星 (Mienai Hoshi, A Star that Can't Be Seen), and 素直なまま (Sunao Mama, Gentle Ways). that led up to the release of her fourth album in 2007, YES.
During the last part of 2007 and during 2008, Nakashima released five singles, LIFE, 永遠の詩 (Eien no Uta, Song of Eternity), SAKURA ～花霞～ (SAKURA ～Hanagasumi～, SAKURA ～Mist of Flowers～, I DON'T KNOW, which was a collaboration with the comedy group 森三中 and released under the artist name MICA 3 CHU (pronounced Mika San Chū), and ORION. She then released her fifth album in November of 2008, entitled VOICE.
In the current era, which began in March of 2009 with the release of the compilation album NO MORE RULES., Nakashima has released two singles entitled Over Load and CANDY GIRL. The single 流れ星 (Nagare Boshi, Shooting Star) will be released on November 4th, and the single ALWAYS will be released in January of 2010.
Nakashima is known to make cover versions of English songs, such as AMAZING GRACE, THE ROSE, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD and YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO.
Apart from singing and sometimes modeling, Nakashima has been involved in several commercial campaigns, including KANEBO Cosmetics 「KATE」, Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd. 「BODA」「GALBO」「FRAN」, SONY 「Hi-MD Walkman」, and ROHTO 「ROHTO Zi:φ」.
Official Website: www.mikanakashima.com
MY SUGAR CAT
中島美嘉 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ちゃんと忘れてね
プレゼントも
全部捨てるのよ
冗談もいつか
風に乗って飛んでく
期待するのもさせるのも嫌なの
気付かないでいるの?
誘ってるのに
邪魔にしないでね
比べたりしないでね
私は他の誰でもない
今なら少し聞いたげる
あなたの話も
ひねくれた 私
慰める あなた
泣いたりしない
誰の前でも
あなたに愚痴るのは
褒めてほしいから
君は間違ってないと言ってよ
鳥に食べられた魚みたい
ただ綺麗な空を
見たいだけなのに
「逃げたっていいよ
捕まえにゆくよ
君の好きに生きればいい」
いつだって迎えに来てよね
独りは嫌いなの
心がゆれるこんな夜は
すべてうめつくして
こわい夢みてしまうのよ
あなたがいないから OH
邪魔にしないでね
比べたりしないでね
私は他の誰でもない
今なら少し聞いたげる
あなたの話も
「逃げたっていいよ
捕まえにゆくよ
君の好きに生きればいい」
いつだって迎えに来てよね
独りは嫌いなの
OH MY SUGAR CAT...
OH SWEET SWEET SWEET SWEET
The lyrics of MY SUGAR CAT by Nakashima Mika are quite melancholic and thought-provoking. The singer talks about death and the desire to be forgotten. She asks that when she dies, her loved one forgets about her completely and throws away any presents that were given to her. She even makes a joke about how the expectation to be remembered or forgotten is equally unappealing to her. The singer’s outlook on life seems to be that things are best enjoyed in the present and not dwelled on too much. Her words indicate that she doesn't want to be compared to anyone else or left alone, needing some form of validation and closeness.
The song switches between different metaphors that symbolize the singer’s desire for freedom, and to just live in the present. She compares herself to a peacock or a fish, wanting to be free and not caught, and only wanting to see the beauty of the sky. The overall mood conveyed in the lyrics is one of loneliness and a search for validation, as the singer desires closeness with the person she’s addressing. In the end, she returns to the refrain, repeating 'Oh my sugar cat' multiple times, highlighting her need to be loved and her sensitivity to solitude.
Line by Line Meaning
私が死んだら
If I die,
ちゃんと忘れてね
Please forget me completely,
プレゼントも
Get rid of every gift,
全部捨てるのよ
I don't want anything to be left behind,
冗談もいつか
Even the jokes that we share will eventually,
風に乗って飛んでく
Drift away on the wind.
期待するのもさせるのも嫌なの
I don't want to have any expectations or make you do anything you don't want to.
羽を広げた孔雀みたい
Like a peacock spreading its feathers,
気付かないでいるの?
Are you not aware?
誘ってるのに
That I'm inviting you in.
邪魔にしないでね
Please don't interfere,
比べたりしないでね
Don't compare me with anyone else,
私は他の誰でもない
I am unique.
今なら少し聞いたげる
But I will listen to you for a while,
あなたの話も
And hear you out.
ひねくれた 私
I may be stubborn,
慰める あなた
But you'll be the one comforting me.
泣いたりしない
I won't cry,
誰の前でも
No matter who's watching,
あなたに愚痴るのは
I just need you to listen to me vent,
褒めてほしいから
Because I want to be praised.
君は間違ってないと言ってよ
Please tell me that I'm not wrong.
鳥に食べられた魚みたい
Like a fish eaten by a bird,
ただ綺麗な空を
I just want to admire the beautiful sky.
見たいだけなのに
But that's all I want.
「逃げたっていいよ
It's okay to run away,
捕まえにゆくよ
I'll come catch you.
君の好きに生きればいい」
You can live your life as you want.
いつだって迎えに来てよね
But please come and get me.
独りは嫌いなの
I don't like being alone.
心がゆれるこんな夜は
On nights like this, when my heart is restless,
すべてうめつくして
I'll bury myself in everything,
こわい夢みてしまうのよ
And end up having frightening dreams.
あなたがいないから OH
Because you're not here, OH
OH MY SUGAR CAT...
OH MY SUGAR CAT...
OH SWEET SWEET SWEET SWEET
OH SWEET SWEET SWEET SWEET
Contributed by Jack N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.