How a high schooler's last-minute audition led to stardom
In short: In her third year of high school, Reina Ueda applied for a voice acting audition just three days before the deadline. This impulsive decision transformed a girl seeking a personality change into one of Japan's most versatile voice actresses and singers.
Born on January 17, 1994, in Toyama Prefecture, Reina Ueda's journey into performance began in elementary school when she joined her school's theater club. Her interest in voice acting specifically emerged during junior high school after interacting with a club member pursuing the profession. Interestingly, Ueda noted that she chose this career path partly because she wanted to change her own personality.
After winning 81 Produce's Second Class Grand Prix during a 2011 audition, she achieved her first professional milestone. After formally joining the agency in 2012, she began a prolific career, landing her first role in the anime series Inazuma Eleven: Chrono Stone. By 2014, she secured her first major role as the protagonist Naru Sekiya in Hanayamata.
Recognition of Ueda's skill arrived quickly; at the 9th Seiyu Awards in 2015, she was among three winners of the Best New Actress Award. Beyond voice acting, she has established herself as a singer, releasing her mini-album RefRain on December 21, 2016, followed by her first solo single, "Sleepland," on February 7, 2018. Her diverse range includes voicing characters such as Mallow in Pokémon: Sun & Moon and Akane Shinjō in SSSS.Gridman.
Throughout her career, she has been involved in various musical projects, including the unit Anisoni∀ alongside fellow newcomers Rie Takahashi, Chiyeri Hayashida, and Kayoto Tsumita. From her early work voicing 18 different sisters in Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono in 2013 to her later roles in series like Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Ueda has become a staple of the anime industry.
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