JAPANESE R&B chanteuse Misia is celebrated for her five-octave voice and ability to sing in the human voice's highest possible register, the so-called whistle register.

So it is no surprise that her minders take great pains to ensure that her voice stays in top condition.

This includes adjusting the room temperature and humidity so that they do not affect her delicate throat.

When Life! interviewed her at The Velvet Underground prelounge last week, the air-conditioner was switched off despite the fact that the club was warm and stuffy and a humidifier hummed quietly in the background.

Sporting her trademark dreadlocks, the 1.5m-tall singer was in Singapore to promote her first concert at Singapore Expo on Sept 13. It was her first visit here.

Speaking in Japanese, the 30-year-old songstress expressed her delight at the fans who gave her a warm reception at Changi airport.

DEEP THROAT: Misia takes particularly good care of her throat as she has a five-octave voice and the ability to sing in the human voice's highest possible register.

They presented her with gifts including a batik dress and a purple fedora which she promptly wore at the press conference.

'That was very sweet and touching,' she said.

Her speaking voice is soft, almost whispery, but she gave a glimpse of that famous singing range when she belted out a few lines from her recent hit, Yes Forever, during the press conference.

Misia, who is single, first came to prominence in the Japanese pop scene in 1998, when her debut album Mother Father Brother Sister went to No. 1.

Her second, third and fourth albums also peaked at the top of the Japanese charts. Her latest and eighth album Eighth World was released in January this year.

It was only last year that she held her first concert outside Japan, in Taiwan.

Her Singapore date is part of her first Asian tour to mark her decade-long involvement in the music industry. But it was her first live performance in Japan early in her career that had the most impact.

'The first time I heard the fans cheer, I told myself that I can't leave this place anymore,' she recalled. 'That first high left a deep impression.'

1. You're a star in Japan. Do you get to lead a relatively normal life?

Basically, yes. If I am not recording, I listen to music or watch movies. If I have a complete day off, I like to read. I can read 24 hours a day.

I read all kinds of books - novels, non-fiction books on history, social studies and nature. I also read comics. I like manga by Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy) and Naoki Urasawa.

2. Do you have a daily regimen to maintain your singing voice?

I don't practise every day. From time to time but not every day. But I always care about the condition of my throat.

3. What can fans expect from your debut concert here?

I promise that it will be one of the best concerts I have ever done. The theme of the tour is also the title, Discotheque Asia, so I want to create an environment where we can all sing and dance.

We need to have happiness all around so I would really like to create a place where everybody can be happy and enjoy the show together.

4. If you did not become a singer, what would you have been?

I like to play with children a lot, so I think that I would have been a kindergarten teacher.

I would build a ninja house, play and have fun with the kids, singing and dancing. I would have been that kind of kindergarten teacher.

5. You've maintained your popularity despite not making any appearances on television music programmes. Why the reluctance to go on television?

It's not that I don't want to go on television, but I spend so much time recording and doing live tours that I can't fit it in my schedule. But my live concerts have been televised before.

6. In your 10 years in the music business, what is the most important lesson you have learnt?

All things happen for a reason and all things happen as a result of the connections between people. In other words, if people don't communicate with one another, nothing will happen.

7. Who are your musical idols?

I admire American soul singer Minnie Riperton, from the 1960s and 1970s, who sang Loving You. And, of course, all the other artists whom I have collaborated with on my albums or in concerts - there're just so many of them.

8. If I could live my life all over again, I would...

Want to be born as a singer and I want to be Misia.

The Tour Of Misia Discotheque Asia will be on at Singapore Expo on Sept 13 at 8pm. Tickets at $68, $98, $128 and $148 are available from Sistic (log on to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555).

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 4, 2008.