MIQ, known up until the early 2000's as MIO, is a Japanese pop singer who is most notable for her contributions to various anime in the 1980's and early 1990's. Unlike most singers of the time, MIQ had a soulful, deeper voice inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, and Chaka Khan. Her husky vocal range caught the attention of King Records, a record company whose artists were often contracted to perform the vocals for Japanese animation opening and closing theme songs, who signed her on in the early 1980's.