Singer Stephanie will debut as an actress in "Pride," a movie based on Yukari Ichijo's manga series "Pride." The film is being directed by Shusuke Kaneko, whose recent works include the first two "Death Note" films.

"Pride" tells the story of two women aiming to become opera singers. Stephanie stars as Shio Asami, the daughter of a wealthy family who attends a prestigious music university. Hikari Mitsushima plays her eventual rival, Moe Midorikawa. Unlike Shio, Moe's father ran a business that went bankrupt, so her opera dreams have been sidelined while she struggles to pay her own way through school.

Stephanie, 20, made her major label debut in Japan last year and won a New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards.

The cast of "Pride" includes Dai Watanabe and Mitsuhiro Oikawa. The movie is scheduled to open next year.