Yuna Ito strides into the room, brimming with confidence. And she has every reason to. Not only has she recorded a No. 1 album a mere two years since moving to Japan, but she’s now living the life she’s fought years to achieve. “It’s just the beginning,” she proclaims.

Ito is at ease with herself and her newfound celebrity status, and she has the acumen to realize where to draw the line between the two. “The entertainment world is a fantasy world, and it should be—people don’t need to see the normal parts, otherwise it wouldn’t be entertainment.”