Anime Expo has announced that it will host Japanese singer-songwriter MELL at the July 1-4 event in Los Angeles. The singer's voice can be heard on the soundtracks of such anime series as Black Lagoon, Hayate the Combat Butler, Rideback, Shakugan no Shana, and Sky Girls. She also wrote the lyrics for many of the theme songs she sang.

MELL first became popular as the original vocalist of Kazuya Takase and Yasutaka Ipposhi's techno/trance group I'VE Sound. She launched her successful solo career with her 2006 single "Red fraction," which became the opening theme song for the first Black Lagoon anime series. She released her first album, Mellscope, in August 2008.

Konishi will join Anime Expo's previously announced guests: musical group AKB48; singer Erina Mano; voice actor Katsuyuki Konishi (Gurren Lagann's Kamina, D.Gray-man's Komui Lee, Skip Beat!'s Ren Tsuruga); director Kenji Kamiyama, chief animation director Satoru Nakamura, and producer Tomohiko Ishii of the Eden of The East television anime series and films; director Shinichi "Nabeshin" Watanabe (Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy, Tenchi Muyo GXP); voice actress Yuu Asakawa (Love Hina, Azumanga Daioh, Bubblegum Crisis 2040); animation director and co-founder of the BONES animation studio Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain); voice actor Kyle Hebert; J-rock band SOPHIA; and six Japanese DJs.