Highly-talented Japanese singer/songwriter, Angela Aki

Birth name: Kiyomi Angela Aki

安藝 聖世美 アンジェラ Born:     September 15, 1977 (age 36)

Itano, Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan Genres: Pop Occupations: Singer, Songwriter Instruments: Vocals, piano, guitar

Years active: 2000–present Labels: Sony Music Japan, Tofu Records Website: www.angela-aki.com (Japanese) Angela Aki was born in the small town of Itano, population 14,600, in the mostly rural island of Shikoku.  She began to take piano lessons when she was three years old and lived in Tokushima through sixth grade, and spent her junior high school days in Okayama. She has admitted that growing up in rural Japan proved very difficult, as she was bullied and she turned to the piano as an escape from the isolation she felt. She grew up listening to a mix of enka, The Carpenters and The Bee Gees. Aki moved to Hawaii when she was fifteen years old and graduated from Iolani School-she speaks English and Japanese. She was immersed in music there for four years. She graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and majored in political science. After producing commercial music for several Japanese companies, including one for milk product Yakult which was sung by US Jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott, she decided to move back to Japan. On September 27, 2003, Aki saw Shiina Ringo's concert in Nippon Budokan Hall, and promised herself she would perform at the same place within three years, even though she was unheard of, had not yet been offered a contract with any record label, nor had she made an album or major debut. She performed live in many small venues and bars in Tokyo while working as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant, wrote 100 or more songs, and also made several demo CDs. In 2005, she released an independent mini-album under Virgo Music entitled "One," which was the #1 selling Indies album of 2005. This alerted Nobuo Uematsu to her music, and he asked her to write lyrics and perform the theme song for Final Fantasy XII, "Kiss Me Good-Bye". She contracted with Epic Records and made her major debut with the single "HOME" in September, 2005. The album sold over half a million copies and reached #2 on the Oricon charts. On December 26, 2006, she held a concert in Nippon Budokan Hall, making history there as the first artist to ever perform in the famous venue solo (with just her piano) -- no backup singers, band or opening act.  Major Singles:     2006: "Kiss Me Good-Bye"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0-QwdOnpA [Japanese version/LIVE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27dpF2wtiJ0 [English version]

2006: "This Love"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WydZLIkYrg [LIVE]        2007: "Sakurairo" http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1878654/sakura_iro_angela_aki/

2008: "Tegami (Haikei Jūgo no Kimi e)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZzXQP5Y0M     2011: "Hajimari no Ballad"

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/Angela-Aki---Hajimari-no-Ballad/76bb6a582a1f209447800b3e2504d860     2012: "Kokuhaku"
http://mp3.zing.vn/video-clip/Kokuhaku-Angela-Aki/ZW60FOIF.html
2013: "Yume no Owari Ai no Hajimari" http://en.musicplayon.com/play?v=166199