May 14, 2009
News for FanimeCon 2009:
FanimeCon 2009 announces Halko Momoi as a guest of honor
San Jose, CA (May 14, 2009) - FanimeCon, Northern California's largest anime convention, is proud to announce Halko Momoi as a Guest of Honor for FanimeCon 2009.
Known as the "Queen of Akihabara", Halko Momoi is a multi-talented performer and creator with experience in music, voice acting, and column writing. Not only does she sing, but writes and performs music for herself as well as other artists.
Momoi got her start performing as an amateur idol in Akihabara, embracing the culture of anime, electronics, and idols growing there before it was the famous otaku city we know today. She made her professional singing debut in 2000 with the single "Mail Me" which was featured in the movie Suicide Circle. The next year, she got her big break as a voice actress as the character Komugi Nakahara in the anime SoulTaker, and she has since voiced characters like Sun in Seto no Hanayome (Funimation's My Bride is A Mermaid), Anise in Tales of the Abyss, and Mii in Popotan.
In 2002, she teamed up with Koike Masaya to form the duo "UNDER17", who created many game and anime theme songs including "Love Slave" from DearS and "Kujibiki Unbalance" from the Genshiken spinoff. After the duo broke up, she kept performing anime and game themes as a solo artist, and signed with the major record label Avex.
In March 2009, she announced the formation of her own record label - Akihabalove Records - where she will act as a producer. Her first partner in this label will be with legendary anime song performer Masami Okui, adding to her already impressive list of collaborations, including Perfume, Chiyomaru Shikura, Hironobu Kageyama, and Manzo.
Momoi's concerts are famous for their high energy and audience participation. She encourages her audience to stand and cheer her on with glowsticks, as has been a tradition in idol otaku culture for decades. Being a proud otaku herself, Momoi connects closely to her fans for unforgettable performances.
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About FanimeCon – FanimeCon is Northern Caliifornia's largest matsuri ("celebration") of anime, manga, and related arts and cultures. Held annually over Memorial Day Weekend in Downtown San Jose, 15,000 people joined the fun in 2008. FanimeCon is "By fans, For fans" and is run entirely by volunteers who love putting together a weekend full of activities and events that feature anime, manga, cosplay, music, video/tabletop gaming, guests from around the world and much, much more! FanimeCon 2009 will be held from May 22nd – 25th in Downtown San Jose. To find out what's in store and learn more, please visit: http://www.fanime.com
