Singer. Songwriter. Performer. Model. Artist.
Watch Mitsue perform and you might see echoes of Grace Jones in her flair, an intoxicating mix of Prince and Gwen Stefani in her voice, the bad-ass funk of George Clinton in her rhythm, and Devo’s quirkiness in her sound. But when you mix in her own heightened fashion style, take-no-prisoner attitude, and intoxicating music sensibility, you’ll come to realize she is an original. Ask her what current artist she compares herself to. “I’m a Mitsue.”
Musical artistry is in her genes, and like her music, Mitsue is a mash-up of cultures. Born in Queens, the daughter of a Japanese mother and black father, she grew up in a household surrounded by art, painting and rhythm & blues.
After nearly 3 years at SUNY Stoneybrook, she traded in college life for the struggles of an independent artist. In a basement studio she began to record the songs that she’d been writing since she was a teenager. Her exotic beauty landed her numerous commercial modeling gigs featured in magazines like Maxim and Blackmen and in video per- formances for 50 cent’s Candy Shop, Fabolous’ Diamonds, and Fat Joe’s Lean Back.
The camera loved Mitsue and Mitsue loved the camera. It was in this affair of music and photography that she began to find her unique creative voice and fierce visual language.
“I’ve never felt so clarified in my whole life, so clear in my mind about what I’m supposed to be doing,” says Mitsue.
When a good friend introduced her to the multi-platinum Rocafella producer, Boola (Beanie Sigel’s Flatline, Nicole Wray’s If I Was Your Girlfriend, and NeYo’s I Aint Gotta Tell You) he knew he had something special on his hands. Seduced not only by her sound, but by her electrifying performance on camera, Boola began recording her on his own independent la- bel, BLKLBL.
Together, they set out on a bar tour of New York City’s underground scene performing night after night at hotspots like Drome, Public Assembly, Santos Party House, Sullivan Hall. The crowd favorite, Strut, got the girls heels clicking and the gay boys cat walking.
Mitsue is currently working with Boola on the release of her first album, Sex Sells – The Hip Rock Diva Funk Expe- rience. Her innate desire to perform is the driving, irrepressible force in her life. Mitsue embodies New York City: edgy, risqué, sexy, bold, fearless. She is the future of music. Now.

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