A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A third-generation Japanese-Brazilian.

At the age of 17, she came to Japan for the first time as Brazil’s representative in the Foreigner’s Japanese Song Competition. During the world championship, she caught the eye of composer Kosho Inomata, who scouted her. She made her major label debut in 1989 with the song “Looking Back at Yokohama.” She won all the awards for debut artists that year, including the Japan Record Award and the FNS Music Festival. The following year, she made her debut on NHK’s New Year’s Eve television special Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Recently, she performed with the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the Brazil/Japan collaboration pop concert ”Olha pro céu ～Look at the Sky～” held in Rio de Janeiro prior to the 2016 Olympics, singing ska arrangements of Hibari Misora’s “Ringo Oiwake” and her own hit “Looking Back at Yokohama.” Despite not understanding the Japanese lyrics, the crowd went wild over her performance. She won high acclaim as a cultural ambassador between Brazil and Japan.

As a stage actress, Marcia appeared in the Broadway musical “Jekyll and Hyde” in 2001, and although it was her first musical performance, she achieved the remarkable feat of winning the 56th annual Ministry of Culture Arts Festival Debut Award for the drama section. Since then, she has performed in many hit Broadway musicals such as “In the Heights,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Blood Brothers,” and “Annie,” as well as the Shuji Terayama musical “There’s a Blue Seed in the Sun,” starring Yukio Ninagawa.

As a TV personality, she appears regularly on many TV programs and is a household name throughout Japan.

In 2015, she was named a goodwill ambassador for the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil.

On February 19th, 2019, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her debut, Marcia will perform at Billboard Live Tokyo in a concert entitled “Debut 30th Anniversary Kick-Off Live--How did I get here?” as the start of the next phase of her career.

 

Awards Received

Won the Masao Koga Memorial Music Competition

Awarded the 22nd Japan Cable Awards Half Year Debut Prize

Awarded the 8th Annual Megalopolis Song Festival Outstanding Debut Prize

Awarded the 1989 KBC Debut Singer Golden Debut Grand Prix Ryoichi Hattori Special Prize

Awarded the 15th Annual Japan TV Music Festival Debut Award

Awarded the 19th Annual Ginza Music Festival Debut Ballad and Pops Section Judge’s Honorable Mention

Awarded the 1989 Japan Ballad Music Festival Outstanding Debut Prize

“Looking Back at Yokohama” awarded the 9th Annual Composition Competition First Prize

Awarded the 22nd Annual Shinjuku Music Festival Gold Prize

Awarded the 16th Annual Yokohama Music Festival Outstanding Debut Prize

Awarded the 15th Annual Japan Enka Competition Rising Star Prize

Awarded the 20th Annual Japan Song Awards Outstanding Broadcast Music Debut Prize

Awarded the 22nd Japan Cable Awards Debut Prize

Awarded the 18th Annual FNS Song Festival Outstanding Debut Prize

Awarded the 31st Annual Japan Record Awards Outstanding Debut Prize

Awarded the 27th Annual Golden Arrow Award Music Debut Prize

Awarded the 9th Annual Megalopolis Song Festival Enka First Prize

Won the 1990 Japan Cable Awards Half Year

Awarded the 16th Annual Japan TV Music Festival Golden Dove Award

Awarded the 20th Annual Ginza Music Festival Special Honorable Mention

Awarded the 1990 Japan Ballad Festival Gold Prize

Awarded the 16th Annual Japan Enka Awards Enka Star Prize

Awarded the 21st Annual Japan Song Awards Broadcast Music Prize

Won the 23rd Annual Japan Cable Awards

Won the 10th Annual Megalopolis Song Festival Pops First Prize

Awarded the 2001 Ministry of Culture Arts Festival Drama Section Debut Prize

Awarded the 31st Annual Kazuo Kikuta Theater Award