is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to being the lead singer of the rock band The Teenage Kissers, she has (or had) success as a solo artist, model, actress, and fashion designer. Kitade is particularly known for her songs appearing in various anime, TV shows, doramas and movie opening and endings. Kitade was featured on the cover of the Gothic & Lolita Bible, as well as featured in Neo and Kera magazines. She has toured Asia, Europe, and North America. Life and career 1987–2001: early life As a child, Kitade wanted to be a singer and/or an anime artist. She started learning the piano at the age of three and wrote her own lyrics at twelve. In junior high school, she became a fan of Ringo Shiina and learned to play the guitar, traveling frequently to Tokyo for singing lessons. 2002–05: debut and 18: Eighteen In February 2002 Kitade passed a Sony Music Japan audition and was chosen as the Sapporo area representative and was given the opportunity to debut as a singer. In March 2003, the demo which she submitted caught the attention of Susumu Nishikawa, session guitarist and Ringo Shina's sideman at the time of the debut. She signed a deal with SME Records, a subgroup of Sony Music Japan. On October 29, 2003, she debuted with the single "Kesenai Tsumi", which was used as the first ending theme song of the popular anime Fullmetal Alchemist. The single reached number 14 on the Oricon charts and stayed on the charts for twenty-two weeks. With the success of "Kesenai Tsumi", Kitade then released "Kesenai Tsumi: Raw 'Breath' Track", a slower version of the song, which charted on the Oricon charts and peaked at number 87. On November 1, Kitade appeared on the NHK television program Pop-jam. Her second single, "Utareru Ame", was released February 4, 2004, and peaked at No. 55 on the Oricon singles chart. Her third single was released July 22, called "Hold Heart", which peaked at No. 95 on the Oricon chart. From July 25 to August 15 Kitade had her first tour, touring 7 cities, performing 8 shows. Starting September 30, the song "Pureness" was featured as the ending theme of the anime Beet the Vandel Buster. "Pureness" was released as a single on November 17, and peaked at No. 60 on the Oricon chart. On June 1, 2005, Kitade's fifth single, "Kiss