1. Kiyomi Angela Aki known professionally as Angela Aki, is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and pianist.
23 Facts About Angela Aki
1. 2.
Angela Aki's mother is Italian American and her father is Japanese.
3.
Angela Aki began to take piano lessons when she was three years old.
4.
Angela Aki lived in Tokushima through sixth grade and spent her junior high school days in Okayama.
5.
Angela Aki 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.
6.
Angela Aki grew up listening to a mix of enka, The Carpenters and The Bee Gees.
7.
Angela Aki moved to Hawaii when she was fifteen years old and attended the Hawaii Preparatory Academy, but transferred to and graduated from Iolani School.
8.
Angela Aki was immersed in music there for four years.
9.
Angela Aki graduated from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and majored in political science.
10.
Angela Aki is good friends with J-Pop star Yuna Ito.
11.
Angela Aki worked as a waitress for 2 dollars 13 cents during the day, and she played songs at night at a nightclub.
12.
Angela Aki briefly married her first album's engineer in Vienna, Virginia, USA.
13.
On September 27,2003, Angela 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.
14.
Angela Aki 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 made several demo CDs.
15.
Angela Aki contracted with Epic Records and made her major debut with the single "HOME" in September, 2005.
16.
In May 2006, Angela Aki signed with Tofu Records in order to release English singles and albums.
17.
Angela Aki performed a cover version of Faye Wong's "Eyes On Me", the theme song of Final Fantasy VIII, with her piano accompaniment.
18.
In September 2010, Angela Aki released her fourth full album in Japan, Life, and then in September 2011 released her fifth full album White.
19.
Songbook, a cover album by Angela Aki, was released on January 11,2012.
20.
On March 5,2014, Tapestry of Songs: The Best of Angela Aki was released in two versions, the standard version consisting of tracks of singles released since 2005, and a two disc version, which added songs Aki considered her favourites on the second disc.
21.
In 2014, Angela Aki announced that she would be putting her music career on hold while she went to America to study music as she prepares herself to take on the role of musical director for a Broadway project being undertaken by a friend.
22.
In November 2023, Angela Aki announced via her Instagram and X accounts that she would be resuming her activities in Japan with the release of "Here and There in This World" in February 2024.
23.
The song is the lead single from the musical adoption of Fumiyo Kouno's In This Corner of the World, for which Angela Aki composed all of the music.