Kanon Wakeshima is a Japanese singer and cellist whose music blends classical training, gothic-pop sensibilities, and anime song work. Produced by Mana (MALICE MIZER～Moi dix Mois), she debuted on May 28, 2008 under DefSTAR Records with the single "Still Doll," the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the manga series Vampire Knight. She also provided the voice for a maid who appears in the eighth episode of the series, helping deepen her connection to the franchise from the start of her career.
Her second single, "Suna no Oshiro" (砂のお城), was released on November 12, 2008 and used as the ending theme for the second season of Vampire Knight. That early run established Wakeshima as an artist closely associated with anime music, especially through songs that pair delicate vocals with dramatic cello arrangements. She was also nominated for a Best Newcomer award for 2008 in the fourth annual Shojo Beat Music Awards, whose nominees were selected by surveying record companies, music journalists, music experts, and music fans.
Wakeshima’s musical background began long before her debut. Her music-loving parents hoped she would become a musician, and at the age of three she started learning cello. In junior high school she formed her own ensemble group, and at fifteen she moved from her former classical ensembles into playing in the baroque section. Throughout her school years she appeared in recitals and concerts, and by sixteen she had begun writing her own music and combining singing with her cello playing. As she moved from junior high school to high school, she continued writing her own material and singing, giving her first vocal performances during a high school festival.
She later auditioned at Sony Music Entertainment as a singer and initially did not plan to include cello on her demo tape, but changed her mind after experimenting with performing alongside the piano. Reaching the finalist stage, she signed with the Sony subsidiary DefSTAR Records and made her official debut with "Still Doll." Wakeshima is also known for using three named cellos in her work: the white "Mikazuki-san" ("crescent moon") for live performances, the red "Nanachie-san" ("wisdom") for music videos, and the brown "Yaeharu-san" ("multi-layered spring"), the instrument she has had since middle school and uses for practice and recording. More recently, she has also had a silver cello named "Momotose."
