MANAMI is a Japanese singer from Kanagawa-ku, Japan, born in 1987. She is a female hip-hop and R&B artist associated with the Japanese urban pop, R&B and J-R&B scene.

She wins the STAR BAPE SEARCH audition, a project created by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes and NIGO, who is known for A Bathing Ape and TERIYAKI BOYZ. The audition seeks a female hip-hop/R&B artist with the potential to work in Japan, across Asia and internationally. It attracts entries from across Asian countries, and its final stage takes place at UNIT Daikanyama in Japan, where MANAMI is chosen as the winner.

The project is presented as a route to a major-label record and full production support from Pharrell Williams and NIGO through BAPE SOUNDS. MANAMI is identified as 中村麻奈未.