Izumi Masuda

Izumi Masuda is a graduate of the Kunitachi Music College, where she studied as an opera singer. She acquired many prizes in professional competitions. As a result, she was chosen in 1997 to study abroad in New York through a grant awarded by the the Agency for Cultural Affair. Studying abroad allowed Masuda the opportunity to gain experience working in the American opera, and paved the way for her entry into popular music. Returning home, she performed at the Roppongi suite "YZUMY pop opera concert" held in 2000. She sang for NHK's drama "Musashi" in 2003 March, directly preceding the debut of her CD release, "Heal my heart." Her participation with Square came in 2005 when Nobuo Uematsu chose her to perform the vocals for Final Fantasy VII's "Distant Worlds." She performed the song live at the Final Fantasy XI Summer Carnival 2005 concert.