June 1, 2009

Singer/Songwriter Becca to Perform at Otakon

Only International Artist to Rank in the Top 100 in Japan

Baltimore, MD (June 1, 2009) – American singer/songwriter Becca, also known as Becca-chan, an up-and-coming artist who is gaining international fans, will perform at Otakon 2009.

From the time Becca was just 2 years old, she was already expressing herself through singing, and at the age of 10, she began playing guitar and writing music.

Today at 19, Becca's journey from high school freshman to emerging artist has been nothing short of a dream come true. "It all happened when a family friend sent one of my demos to Meredith Brooks", says Becca.

Meredith Brooks, a multi-platinum artist, producer and songwriter (singer of "Bitch"), was immediately impressed by what she heard. "Becca has a powerhouse voice, and when I realized that she could write songs, too... I was sold." Within the next couple of months, Becca moved from her home in Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles to begin writing and recording songs with Brooks. After spending some months developing her sound, she began to play live shows along the West Coast.

Becca's high-energy live performances began to grab the attention of the music industry and many new fans. By late 2007, Becca was offered a record deal by Sony Music. In June 2008, Becca debuted her first EP in Japan.

Since then, she has performed at the famous Japanese music festival, Summersonic. She has released a second EP, and her first full album, "Alive!!", debuted at #2 on the international charts in Japan on November 5. Her single "I'm Alive!" not only topped the international single charts, but made her the only international artist to rank in the top 100 of Japan's overall single charts.

To find out more about her, visit her official sites: http://www.beccachan.com http://www.myspace.com/beccachanofficial

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 25,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 70,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see http://www.otakon.com/

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