Shizuka Miura
Biography. Shizuka Miura initiated in the art of dollmaking under the influence and mentorship of master dollmaker . Shizuka became recognized in Japan notably for her gothic ball-jointed dolls. In circa 1992, Shizuka started her musical career by adapting her poetry into music. Initially, she rented venues and performed by herself. Shizuka soon formed an eponymous band with musicians from the Tokyo psychedelic underground scene. With the group, she worked on the release of a studio album, three live albums, and two video albums. Shizuka also performed in many live shows in Japan, , and a . Shizuka died on  circa 31 January 2010. Her cause of death was suicide. Mason Jones wrote that "it may have been due to medication", but it remains publicly unknown. On 25 April, a DVD-video album was released by PSF Records as a tribute to Shizuka containing one of the last live performances by her group recorded at the ShowBoat live venue in Tokyo on 30 December 2008. Artistry. Dollmaking. Shizuka made modern ball-jointed dolls. Her dolls have been described as "haunted, ethereal-looking", "stunning", "sickly-looking", "beautiful and spooky". Musical influences. Shizuka was prompted to compose music after seeing Maki Miura  adapting a poems of hers to music. When asked about her favorite band, Shizuka cited Les Rallizes Dénudés specifically from the Japanese psychedelic scene. Musical styles and voice. Shizuka's music, together with her band, spanned psychedelic, folk, noise rock, acid rock, and neo-psychedelia. Musical instruments she played included guitar, and bells. Shizuka possessed distinctive vocals: chanted, slow, plaintive, and tremulous, often connoting sadness and a "gothic atmosphere". Her vocals were imperfect and tuneless, but these aspects added an emotional edge as part of the band's style. Songwriting. Shizuka's band usual creative process started by listening to  Shizuka singing lyrics, jam together, and only then arrange the song. She attributed the slow tempo in most of her music to she writing them at her natural pace, and not to a deliberate endeavor. She also said that she presented her inspirations, which in turn came from her personal experiences, in music. She wrote the song based on her experience of having stomach cancer in the late 1980s while she also had a child who was only one and a half years old, and often performed this piece with her band because she considered it important to her. Personal  life. Shizuka was married to Japanese guitarist Maki Miura. She had a child in the late 1980s, and also had stomach cancer around that time.