♬ Home is calling…

For the first time ever today, I attended a concert at NHK Hall. Yes, the NHK Hall that hosts the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red vs. White Singing Battle) here in Japan. Whose concert did I attend?

An amazing singer/songwriter who can lift your spirits up with one note and break your heart with the other.

Her name? Angela Aki.

Singer/songwriter extraordinaire Angela Aki

Angela Aki popped onto the J-pop scene in 2005 with her debut single, “Home”. Born in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, to a Japanese father and an Italian-American mother, Angela was said to have started playing the piano at age 3. After relocating to Okayama Prefecture, Hawaii and eventually Washington, D.C., Angela worked on her music, making demos and playing live wherever she could. After many years as a struggling artist in the US, it wasn’t until Angela’s trek back to Japan that her independent release, “ONE”, caught the ear of Sony Music. The rest they say is history.

Her 4th single, “This Love”, proved to be her breakthrough hit and since then, she has released hit after hit including “Sakura Iro” (The Color of Cherry Blossoms), “Kodoku no Kakera” (The Edge of Solitude), “Again”, and “Tegami” (Letter). Angela caught my ear with “This Love” and her music has touched my heart as well as the hearts of others all around the world. If I had to put artists together in terms of looks and sounds, she is a combination of Nana Mouskouri, Tori Amos, Carole King, and Janis Ian (known as one of Angela’s mentors) put together. Angie – her nickname – is also perfectly bilingual in English and Japanese.

I FINALLY (yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!) saw her live for the first time today. In one word, her performance was…AWESOME…BREATHTAKING…that’s two words. The concert was divided into two parts: (1) Angie and her piano and (2) Angie, her piano, and her 3-piece band. She sang a majority of her hit singles as well as tracks from her latest album, “LIFE”. The concert also included some special segments with Angie singing some popular songs from awhile back, such as snippets of “I Just Called To Say I Love You” and “I Will Always Love You”. Add to that her charming and humorous talk, and the show was simply amazing. Her rapport with the audience was so warm and filled with personality – it made you feel as though you were in the living room listening to her sing. Absolutely down-to-earth – Angie shone through like the sun.

I plan to see her special 5-year anniversary live concert in Nippon Budokan on December 26, 2010. I CAN’T WAIT!

For those who are still new to Angela Aki, the following are some of my favorite tracks from her…

HOME (September 2005 release – Angie’s debut single)

This song truly touches my heart. It’s about where you come from – your furusato (home). It makes me remember my family and friends, and those people who gave me their love, from my hometown of Vancouver.  A great song.

SAKURA IRO (March 2007 release – The Color of Cherry Blossoms)

This is my all-time favorite Angela Aki song. The song is based on events in Angie’s life when she was a struggling artist living in Washington, D.C. The song also details her relationship at the time.

TEGAMI (September 2008 release – Letter)

This song always drives me to tears. A letter from a 15 year old you, addressed to an adult you. And the reply from the adult you to the 15 year old you. No matter how hard life gets, you can’t give up. You need to keep on believing. The lyrics and melody are touching and haunting.

EVERY WOMAN’S SONG (September 2010 release – track from the album LIFE)

I LOVE this song. Angie’s collaboration with the legendary, Janis Ian. It’s a BEAUTIFUL song. It makes me remember my grandmother (Bachan as I used to call her) who lived me with in Vancouver from when I was born. She passed away in November 2003 just before her 92nd birthday. Before I left for Japan, she told me that she would wait for me until I came back home, and she did. I flew back from Japan just in time to be at her bedside. I held her hand and talked with her until she left this world. This song is dedicated to all those wonderful women who have touched my life in this journey called life.

Thank you, Angie, for your beautiful talent! May your songs reach an even bigger audience all around the world!

Angela Aki (Wikipedia)
Angela Aki (Blog)
Angela Aki (Sony Records Official Homepage)