Mayuka Thais

Mayuka Thais is an award winning multi-faceted singer-songwriter, artist, art educator and motivational speaker for youth. The product of two cultures, Mayuka was born in San Francisco, California, to a Japanese father and American mother and raised in Tokyo and California. Starting her entertainment career at the age of 5, the "Californian Tokyoite" began her career on stage and as a voice over and recording artist in the edutainment industry (education+ multi-media entertainment) with such clients as Columbia Music Entertainment, NHK Software and Polygon Records. She has continued to be a force in edutainment, appearing as a television personality on Shimajiros Kodomo Challenge and lending her voice to countless children's bilingual singles and albums. Her most recent song "Song Without You" has been featured in the Hollywood indie film "Half Way To Hell."

Mayukas strong belief that in order to create change, every individual must take action to become one with the change, and that humans must find creative methods to co-exist with all beautiful species on the planet, comes across in every creative effort, including her first music video, "When Elephants Cry," released in 2007 on Youtube. Following the positive reception of When Elephants Cry, Mayuka was contacted by worldwide organizations requesting her help in advocating for elephant rescue, leading to her performance as the main vocalist at the L.A. Comedy Store for a recognition dinner for high profile celebrities including Jorja Fox (CSI), comedian Lily Tomlin and Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas, who were advocating for the freedom of elephants in captivity.

Mayuka has expanded her roll as an advocate for elephants, serving as a speaker and vocalist at Town Hall Meetings and for radio stations, newspaper interviews, schools and volunteer training centers. To gain first-hand experience and increase her knowledge of the plight of Asian elephants, she also volunteered at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. More recently, Mayuka and her band were chosen to perform her original songs for endangered animals at the observation deck of the Tokyo Tower for the "Chikyu no Nakamatachi, an event aimed at drawing attention to endangered species.

Mayukas gift as a songwriter is evident in her music; she has the gift of painting lush soundscapes with words and creating melodic, emotional songs that linger in the hearts of all ages. Pouring her heart into her original music, Mayuka uses her voice and guitar to connect with listeners from all generations. Using this talent to help disadvantaged youth find their own voice in song, Mayuka has worked with Youth Speak Collective students to cultivate their songwriting skills, giving them a voice to communicate with adults and bring deeper understanding to the way adults hear our youth.

Mayukas gift for painting translates directly to the canvas as well. A 2007 graduate of Otis College of Art and Design with Honors, Mayuka is also a talented painter and art educator. Her ability to use arts of all kinds to make lasting emotional connections makes her a force to be reckoned with in the educational world, and an asset to the arts community.

When Mayuka is not busy appearing on television specials to inspire children, she enjoys spending time writing soulful country-pop love songs that she and her band perform live in Tokyo. The worldwide release of her first album is expected in 2014 and fans describe the sound of the release as an unforgettable collection of love songs for the ages.