Olivia Ong

Born on October 2, 1985, Singaporean vocalist Olivia Ong reached prominence in Japan by delivering English-language versions of classic bossa nova material. The multilingual performer launched her professional path at fifteen when a contest victory brought a recording agreement in Japan during 2001. Early on she sang with the J-pop outfit Mirai. At nineteen she stepped forward as a solo artist via the 2005 album A Girl Meets Bossa Nova, an English-language set of bossa nova standards prepared for the Japanese audience. Although she later ventured into other styles, her bossa nova work drew the strongest response and led to the 2006 sequel A Girl Meets Bossa Nova, Vol. 2.