Dream Ami

Dream Ami promoting "Koi no Tsubomi" (2019)

**Nakashima Ami** (中島麻未), better known by her stage names **Ami** and **Dream Ami**, is a Japanese pop singer, performer and stage actress. She is a former member of the girl groups Dream and E-girls.

Nakashima debuted as a soloist on July 29, 2015 with the single "Dress wo Nuida Cinderella" under the stage name **Dream Ami**.

Besides her activities in the entertainment industry, she is the founder and producer of the apparel brand *Amithing* and lifestyle brand *Vintry*.

## Biography

### Early Life

Nakashima Ami was born on May 11, 1988 in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Prior to debuting as a singer, Ami attended CALESS vocal and dance school.

### 2002-2011

On July 7, Nakashima was announced as one of the new members of dream, joining alongside Takamoto Aya, Ai Risa, Yamamoto Sayaka, Nishida Shizuka and Abe Erie.

In 2005, Ami was part of the unofficial duo a☆girls, which recorded and performed "Tsuioku no Heroine", a cover of 80's idol duo Wink's song at Girl's BOX concerts with soloist Kayo Aiko.

In 2008, with DRM changing their name to Dream, Nakashima started to use her first name romanized, Ami, as stage name.

On December 28, 2011, she debuted as member of E-girls, having a concurrent position between the group and Dream.

### 2014

In January, she was announced to be the new Dream leader.

In April, she participated on the line-up of the unit DANCE EARTH PARTY, participating on their second single "PEACE SUNSHINE" alongside the Dream members. She also participated on DANCE EARTH's project *Changes*.

### 2015

On May 11, day of her 27th birthday, it was announced her solo debut with the single "Dress wo Nuida Cinderella" as Dream Ami. The single was released on July 29.

### 2016

On April 20, she released her second solo single "Try Everything". The song was used as theme song for the Japanese airing of the movie *Zootopia*. Ami also dubbed Gazzele on the movie.

On October 19, she released her third single "Lovefool -Suki Datte Itte-".

### 2017

On March 22, she released her fourth single "Hayaku Aitai". The song is her first self-written single.

On June 5, with the reformulation of E-girls as E.G.family, she announced to be leaving Dream and E-girls after the *E-girls LIVE 2017 ~E.G.EVOLUTION~* concerts in July to dedicate herself as a soloist.

On July 12, she released her fifth single "Kimi no Tonari".

On July 16, at the last *E-girls LIVE 2017 ~E.G.EVOLUTION~* concert, it was announced her first studio album *Re: Dream*, released on October 4. It was also announced her first solo tour *Dream Ami 1st. Live Tour 2017 ♡ Re: Dream*, that went through the month of November.

### 2018

On April 18, she released her sixth single "Amaharu". The single includes a footage of her first tour held on November 21 in Tokyo.

On September 7, she released the digital single "NEXT". The song was used as ending song for the Netflix animation movie *Next Robo*.

On October 24, Ami released her seventh single "Wonderland". The song was used as theme song for the movie *Ozland Egao no Mahou Oshiemasu.*

### 2019

From February 22 to May 25, she participated of E.G.family's first tour *E.G.POWER 2019 ~POWER to the DOME~*.

On March 13, she released her eighth single "Good Goodbye". The song was pre-released on January 30.

On August 6, it was announced that Dream Ami would cover Koda Kumi's song "Koi no Tsubomi" for the drama *Busu no Hitomi ni Koishiteru 2019*, which stars E-girls/Flower member Sato Harumi and EXILE/Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS member NAOTO. The song was be released as a digital single on September 17.

### 2020

On February 10, she announced her first apparel brand *Amithing*.

On March 5, she released her first style book *Amithing*.

On November 5, she opened her personal YouTube channel named *AMILOG*.

### 2021

On February 22, she released the digital single "Wonderful World".

In September, she starred in the musical *#Cha Me* produced by LDH JAPAN.

### 2023

On February 13, Ami launched the lifestyle brand *Vintry*. The name is a combination of "Vintage", "Retro" and "Girly" (her favorite styles), and the first product sold was a multi-use parfum oil. The packaging of the product was designed by her husband, architect/designer Handa Yuto, based on illustrations drawn by Ami herself.

In March, she collaborated with the lingerie brand *Chut! INTIMATES* on an underwear collection.

In May, she collaborated with the brand *asebi* on the release of different items, such as T-shirts, aprons, tote bags, and hair bands.

On September 6, Ami will release her 6th digital single "Love & Laugh". In addition, on September 21, she will hold her first solo live concert in 6 years, *Dream Ami Anniversary Live ~Love & Laugh~*.

## Personal Life

Relationships
On February 22, 2020, Ami announced her marriage with architect and designer Handa Yuto. The two met through an acquaintance, and had been dating for 3 years before their marriage.

In an interview in 2021 for her role in the musical *#Cha Me*, she revealed that her state of mind and self-esteem issues had changed dramatically with her marriage: "*I feel mentally stable. It's really reassuring to have someone close by who always affirms me as I am, and I feel that pushes me forward.*" She also mentioned that her husband's words were a big factor in her decision to try her hand at acting and musicals. "*My husband has been telling me ever since we met, "You should definitely try acting" and "You shouldn't set limits for yourself, Ami", so I gradually changed my way of thinking and realized that I wanted to break out of my shell. I decided to try my hand at a musical, and now my husband is very happy to see me enjoying the rehearsals.*"

On September 5, 2022 Ami announced that she had give birth to her first child, a boy, a few days prior.

In an interview in February 2023, she revealed that since becoming a mother, her life had changed drastically: "*I am surprised at how fast a day goes by. [...] I used to spend my free time at home watching TV, but since the birth of my child, I am always busy, even on days when I don't have work or other plans.*" Nevertheless, she would enjoy this new life: "*I don't think of it as hard work; I enjoy it very much. I like to be busy, so even though I say, "I don't have time", I enjoy it.*" Additionally, she didn't feel pressure to change herself in her new role as a mother: "*I don't really think, "Now that I'm a mom, I have to be this way". I think that is why I am able to be myself. I hope that I can grow little by little as my child grows up.*" On the other hand, she also mentioned that she herself had positively changed since becoming a mother, "*I feel like I smile more and am calmer than before. I always want to smile in front of my children, and because I want them to be cheerful children, I think I need to be cheerful myself. I feel that by being conscious of this, I am smiling more and becoming happier. They say, "If you force yourself to smile, you can have fun", and I feel that this is true. I want to create a cheerful home.*" Furthermore, Ami revealed that her husband dotes on their child a lot, is very child-centered, and takes care of all the detailed procedures. Moreover, the couple's relationship wouldn't have changed that much in a good way: "*My husband has a sense of humor, so we often make puns and joke around. I love it when he suddenly does a funny dance to the music coming from the TV, and he makes me laugh by singing a song with strange lyrics, and that kind of thing hasn't changed.*" In raising children, she would like to emphasize the importance of "not denying". "*Because I am a parent, I have many opportunities to warn them (about things), but I do not deny them by saying "no" or "you shouldn't do that", and I hope that I can say things in a way that allows them to recognize when something is wrong. I want them to be able to make their own decisions.*" The reason why she places importance on not denying things is because she is conscious of having a broad perspective, saying, "'*It may be only my own sense of values that says something is bad. [...] I try not to judge anything based on my own personal values and thoughts. [...] If you look at things from a different perspective, you can avoid a bad mood and be thankful for everything.*" In addition, there is the influence of her husband: "*My husband likes philosophy, and I learn from our everyday conversations that people have different ways of thinking. I think I am influenced by him in some aspects of my daily life without realizing it.*" Lastly, she would hope to continue to "work energetically" in the future, while balancing her work with her family.

## Discography

***Main article:** List:Dream Ami Discography Featured In*
* Albums
* Singles
* Other

Studio Albums
1. [2017.10.04] Re: Dream

Singles
1. [2015.07.29] Dress wo Nuida Cinderella
2. [2016.04.20] Try Everything
3. [2016.10.19] Lovefool -Suki Datte Itte-
4. [2017.03.22] Hayaku Aitai
5. [2017.07.12] Kimi no Tonari
6. [2018.04.18] Amaharu
7. [2018.10.24] Wonderland
8. [2019.03.13] Good Goodbye

Digital Singles
* [2016.08.24] Try Everything (Y&Co. Remix)
* [2017.05.03] Hayaku Aitai (Acoustic version)

1. [2019.01.30] Good Goodbye
2. [2019.09.17] Koi no Tsubomi
3. [2021.02.22] Wonderful World
4. [2023.09.06] Love & Laugh

Pre-release Digital Singles
1. [2015.07.15] Dress wo Nuida Cinderella
2. [2016.04.15] Try Everything
3. [2018.09.07] NEXT

Collaborations/Others
* [2013.09.18] SPICY CHOCOLATE - *Shibuya RAGGA SWEET COLLECTION 3* (#2 *FREE FREE!! feat. HAN-KUN & **Ami (Dream / E-girls)***)
* [2015.08.09] tofubeats - "POSITIVE" feat. **Dream Ami**
* [2017.10.25] Various Artists - *Thank You Disney* (#5 "Kagayaku Mirai")

## Concerts/Tours

Tours
1. [2017.11.09-2017.11.29] Dream Ami 1st. Live Tour 2017 ♡ Re: Dream

Concerts
1. [2023.09.21] Dream Ami Anniversary Live ~Love & Laugh~

### Concerts Featured In

* [2016] E-girls LIVE TOUR 2016 "E.G. SMILE"
* [2017] E-girls LIVE 2017 ~E.G.EVOLUTION~
* [2019] E.G.POWER 2019 ~POWER to the DOME~

## Works

### Filmography

Musicals
* [2021] #Cha Me (＃チャミ)
* [2023] Jekyll & Hyde

Stage
* [2022] TARKIE THE STORY

TV Programs
* [2024] THE Oni Taiji ~Setsubun Kessen in Hawaiians~ (THE鬼タイジ～節分決戦 in ハワイアンズ～)

### Music

Music Video Appearances
* [2017] EXILE TAKAHIRO - "BLACK BEANZ"

### Publications

Style Books

* [2020.03.05] Amithing

## Trivia

* She was Dream's youngest member and the one with the highest voice.
* Former Representative Number: 05
* Former Representative Color: Yellow
* Favorite Animal: Killer whales
* Favorite Food: Chocolate, Fried potatoes, Dumplings,
* Hobbies: Work, Watching Movies
* Charm Point: Smile
* Shortcoming: Has a strange 'serious face'
* Dream: Filial piety
* Her blonde hair is her trademark. Nevertheless, she does not focus on it too much: "*I don't have any particular preference. I don't mind going completely dark. Hopefully I can change my hair for a role. It makes me feel like an actress and I admire it.*"
* She dropped out of school in the second year of junior high school.
* In an interview in 2021, she confessed that she is actually not a very positive person in contrast to her public image, and that she gets depressed easily and has low self-confidence. However, she tries to be the opposite in her work for people to see. She explained: "*I think I'm trying to convince myself that it doesn't matter if I'm lying at first, if I'm positive, I can take a step forward." and "When you're feeling down, sometimes forcing yourself to say positive words can help push you back up.*"
	+ When I asked what she wanted to change about herself, she revealed: "*I compare myself with others and lose confidence. I often think 'I'm not good enough' and 'I want to be like that person'. Even when I get compliments, I think they mean something other than what they say. I want to improve my self-esteem so that I can live with confidence.*"
	+ According to herself she is shy, but tries her best to pretend she's not. Additionally she is really indecisive, which she wants to change.
* Describes herself as "bold" and has honed the art of living peacefully during her career in show business. "*I have been doing this job since I was in the second grade of junior high school, so I think it is ingrained in me to "look for the right way to interact with people".*"
* In 2021, she started raising a shelter cat named "Penki".
* According to herself, working on YouTube is very rewarding. Additionally, she does all the filming and editing for her videos herself. "*[...] It's a place where I can share whatever I want in whatever way I want, so it's refreshing. I don't have a set quota, and I just upload the videos when they're done, so editing takes a lot of time, but it's fun!* "
	+ Before she started YouTube, she had a hard time deciding what kind of videos to upload. "*I had always thought that I couldn't show my work in front of people unless it was almost perfect, and I ended up not being able to do many things. I used to think that I could only start a YouTube video after I had completely decided on the content and the worldview, but then I realized that I would never be able to do that. I started this project because I wanted people to see me as I am.*"
* Want to try her hand at dramas and do location work for variety shows.

## References

1. ↑ 応援してくださっているみなさんへ。
2. ↑ 1stアルバムタイトル＆発売日決定！ Dream Ami 「Re: Dream」
3. ↑ Dream Ami 1st Live Tour 2017 ♡ Re:Dream 初の単独ソロ・ツアー開催決定‼
4. ↑ 9/17(火)より配信 FODオリジナル連続ドラマ『ブスの瞳に恋してる 2019』に佐藤晴美が出演決定＆主題歌はDream Ami新曲『恋のつぼみ』に決定!!
5. ↑ 【Dream Ami】ドラマ『ブスの瞳に恋してる 2019』主題歌 『恋のつぼみ』9/17(火)配信リリース決定！ジャケ写解禁！
6. ↑ Dream Amiの初のプロデュースブランド「Amithing」ECサイト限定で予約受付開始！
7. ↑ https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/292425
8. ↑ https://www.ldh.co.jp/news/detail.php?lang=jpn&site=Egirls&newsid=0000033836
9. ↑ https://natalie.mu/stage/news/444620
10. ↑ https://25jigen.jp/report/49450
11. ↑ https://natalie.mu/stage/news/435879
12. ↑ https://www.tokyoheadline.com/568690/
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20210907-dream\_ami/
14. ↑ https://www.ldh.co.jp/eng/news/detail.php?lang=eng&site=Egirls&newsid=0000042030
15. ↑ https://m.ldhgirls-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=42030
16. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/other/detail/3615138
17. ↑ https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000116499.html
18. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpoXbMWSN1C/
19. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CphRaDJvmF8/
20. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2271080/full/
21. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CrsUIaVPapn/
22. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CrpPjB7v6Wy/
23. ↑ https://realsound.jp/2023/07/post-1371235.html
24. ↑ https://www.tokyoheadline.com/702040/
25. ↑ https://www.billboard-japan.com/d\_news/detail/127427/2
26. ↑ http://www.billboard-live.com/pg/shop/show/index.php?mode=detail1&event=14360&shop=4
27. ↑ Dream Ami's message to people who always support her
28. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2156032/full/
29. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2156078/full/
30. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHM9CQPNir/
31. ↑ Dream Ami、第1子男児出産を報告「穏やかな愛に包まれ、幸せを噛み締める毎日です」
32. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3338625
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20230224-dream\_ami/
34. ↑ https://m.ldhgirls-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=41654
35. ↑ https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/296242
36. ↑ https://www.danceview.co.jp/news/?p=7473
37. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/4164403
38. ↑ https://natalie.mu/owarai/news/558346
39. ↑ https://numero.jp/interview237/
40. ↑ https://numero.jp/interview237/
41. ↑ https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20210908-chami/

## External Links

* Official Website
* Official Instagram
* Official Twitter
* Official YouTube channel
* Agency Profile
* Official Fanclub

Vintry
* Official Website
* Official Instagram
* Official Twitter