Kana Nishino (西野 カナ Nishino Kana, born March 18, 1989) is a Japanese singer and songwriter signed with SME Records' Newcome Inc. She debuted on February 20, 2008, with the single "I". CNN said that she was the favorite singer of teenage girls in Shibuya, Tokyo, signalling Sony's jump on the bandwagon effect started by Avex.
Nishino studied English from an early age, and went to America twice. She became interested in various genres of music, including hip-hop, R&B and reggae, but she also enjoyed Japanese literature, and started singing Japanese folk songs. Her dream of becoming a singer started in junior high school. When she was 16, her mother secretly sent a demo tape of hers to the Miss Phoenix Audition, and she was rated the top singer entrant out of approximately 40,000 applicants. A year later in 2006, she was signed to SME Records.
In 2007 while preparing to be a singer, she was also studying English literature at college. At the time she met Australian duo Nervo, who offered Nishino a song called "I Don't Wanna Know" for use in her music project. Nishino rewrote the song's lyrics into Japanese herself, and re-titled it "I".
Tora neko chanto hari ito chanto
CHIKUKAKU CHIKUKAKU nanika mitsukete
Tora neko chanto hari ito chanto PAPICHAN PAPIPAPI...
Hadashi de KOKO made PIPIPI kita yo
Ryoute de soba made PIPIPI sawatte...
Wakaranai no yo. nani ga taisetsu?
ZAKU ZAKU ZAKU ZAKU kowashite kette
GIZA GIZA ishi koro kinka wa doko yo?
Marui chikyuu ni shikakuku sagasu
Tora ni? omoi? neko ni? omoi? (kyuu kyuu PAPI*)
Tora hari neko ito ana hori PAPICHAN
Tora hari neko ito ana hori PAPICHAN
(Kyuu kyuu PAPIPI*)
Yubisaki namete wa PIPIPI PAPIPI
Ashisaki shimete wa PIPIPI matte...
IRANAI no yo nani mo NAI yo.
KECHI KECHI KECHI KECHI katate de motte
Mawatte onaji basho wa NAI no?
Tomatte uchuu ni kizami nokosu
Tora ni? KOKORO? neko ni? KOKORO? (kyuu kyuu PAPI kyuu*)
Tora hari neko ito ana hori PAPICHAN
Tora hari neko ito ana hori PAPICHAN
PAPICHAN PAPICHAN ana hori PAPICHAN
Tora hari neko ito ana hori PAPICHAN
PAPICHAN PAPICHAN ana hori PAPICHAN
Tora neko chanto hari ito chanto
CHIKUKAKU CHIKUKAKU nanika mitsukete
Tora neko chanto hari ito chanto PAPICHAN