Angela Aki

The uniqueness of this artist is not limited to her music. Since her birth in September 1977 in Tokushima, Angela Aki has been bathed in different cultures: her mother is American, with Italian origins, and her father is Japanese.

She learnt to play the piano at the age of 3 and mastered other instruments like the violin and guitar during her childhood. When she was 15, she moved to Hawaii with her parents and joined an American high school. She distinguished herself thanks to her strong personnality and got a scholarship to pursue her studies. She chose a college in Washington D.C. where she could study economics, politics, and music. She wrote and composed songs, gave several concerts and even produced her first album in English, These Words, in January 2000.

Back in Japan, Angela Aki caught the attention of the public with her mini album ONE. Her songs, in Japanese this time, captured thousands of hearts and this album reached number one rank of the Oricon Charts. She was then noticed by Nobuo Uematsu who chose her to sing Kiss Me Good-Bye, the theme song of the video game Final Fantasy XII.
After years of works and persistence, Angela Aki began her rise in the Japanese music scene and released her first major single HOME on September 14.

The next year, the single Kokoro no Senshi – including a cover of the song TODAY by the SMASHING PUMPKINS – was released before the long-awaited Kiss Me Good-Bye came out in March. This Love was recorded in May and was chosen to be the ending theme of the anime BLOOD+.

In June, Angela Aki released her 3rd album Home which included some high-ranking songs like This Love, Kokoro no Senshi, and Rain. She appeared in the press, television programs, and concert halls like the Budokan. A few months later, she was back in the spotlight with a live DVD and two singles: Sakurairo in March 2007 and Kodoku no Kakera in May, theme song of the drama Kodoku no Kakera~Itoshi Hitoyo~.