Emi Maria is an R&B singer from Papua New Guinea and raised in Kobe, Japan. In 2000, she drew on influence from her older sister listening to R&B artists such as K-Ci & JoJo, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson. From there she became very interested in producing music and enrolled in music classes with an enthusiastic interest. By 2004 she auditioned for the television show "MTV STAR TOUR" featuring Japanese artists ZEEBRA, KEN-BO, and 今井了介 (Ryosuke Imai).