Ayaka
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese female singer formerly signed to Warner Music Japan. Born in Osaka, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. She married actor Hiro Mizushima on February 22, 2009.
" as the opening theme for the Japanese drama Rondo. The full single was first released as a download-only single and went on to become one of the fastest songs to reach 1,000,000 downloads, as well as becoming the 3rd-highest-selling download debut single for a female artist.
Ayaka's second single "Melody (Sounds Real)" peaked at number 14 on the Oricon charts has gone on pass the 20,000 mark.
"Real Voice
" was Ayaka's third single and was used as the ending theme to the Japanese drama Suppli
. "Blue Days", the b-side from "Melody (Sounds Real)", was also used as an insert song for the show. "Real Voice" was released on July 17, 2006, and has sold over 50,000 copies.
Weeks before the scheduled release of Ayaka's debut album, "First Message
", the album was cancelled. In its place, the single "Mikazuki
" was released as a rerecorded version of the same song from 2005. "Mikazuki" became Ayaka's highest charting single, selling 40,091 copies within its first week and taking the highest spot on the Oricon weekly charts, remaining in the charts for 41 weeks. The single sold over 300,000 copies.
On November 1, 2006, Ayaka's debut album, First Message, was finally released after several delays. It sold 350,580 copies within its first week, making it the highest selling album of the week as well as the highest selling debut album for a female artist in 7 years. The album went on to sell 1,202,180 copies and stayed within the top two positions on the Oricon charts for four weeks straight before being listed as the 13th highest selling album of 2006.
" was a collaboration with label-mates Kobukuro
and was used to promote a new line of cars. The single reached a peak position of number 2 on the Oricon charts.
The 5th single from Ayaka was used as the ending theme to Last Love, a Japanese movie which was released one month prior to the single. Peaking at number 2, the single has since sold over 70,000 copies. Ayaka also performed "Jewelry Day", as well as many other songs, at the Japanese leg
of Live Earth
in Tokyo on July 7, 2007.
Ayaka's 6th single, "Why", released on September 5, was used for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
, a PSP
game by Square Enix
, as the theme song to the game. Peaking at number 5 on the Oricon
charts, reported sales totalled over 65,000 copies.
In November, Ayaka released her first digital single, For Today, which was used for a Pocky commercial. At the end of 2007 Ayaka performed "Peace Loving People (special piano version)" in the annual music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
was released. It was a double A-side single, first track used as a theme song for the movie, Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008
, and the second track was used for Beauté de Kosé's "Esprique Precious" commercial. Her second single of the year, "Okaeri
", was released in May 2008. Okaeri was used as the theme song of the drama Zettai Kareshi
. Ayaka also attended an interview after Okaeri's production with Hiro Mizushima, who was a member of the Zettai Kareshi cast. The two got on well, and began dating soon after.
Her second album, Sing to the Sky
, was released on June 25, 2008. It reached number 2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold over 600,000 copies.
"Anata to
", the second collaboration single with Kobukuro
, was released on September 24, 2008.
Ayaka sang "Okaeri" at the 59th annual Kōuhaku Uta Gassen
.
was made public. She announced her plans to continue singing until the end of 2009, before putting her career on hold.
On April 22, 2009, Ayaka released her second double A-side single, "Yume wo Mikata ni / Koikogarete Mita Yume". The single also include a live version of "Kimi ga Iru Kara" that was recorded from her live performance in February at Shibuya-AX. She released another single, "Minna Sora no Shita" on July 8 of the same year.
In September, a compilation album titled Ayaka's History 2006-2009 was released and contained two discs, the first disc comprising all her single tracks and the second disc comprising songs selected by fans. It sold almost 350,000 copies in its first week, the highest for a female artist of 2009, and ranked number one on the charts for two consecutive weeks. About a month and a half after its release, the album reached a million copies shipped, making it the only album by a solo artist to do so in 2009.
Ayaka's song "Mikazuki" has also been slated to be turned into a drama by TBS. Its focus on long distance relationships is to be the inspiration for the drama. The main actors are Riko Narumi and Mitsuki Tanimura, and the drama is scheduled to air in September.
In November Ayaka's MTV Unplugged performance, her last solo live before her hiatus, was recorded at Osaka-jō Hall
. In December, Ayaka performed at the 60th Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, her second consecutive year, singing "Minna Sora no Shita" as her final live performance.
Both Ayaka and her husband left their agency, and Ayaka's contract with Warner Music Japan ended in March. She and Mizushima both opened official Twitter pages in October.
On October 20, 2011, Ayaka announced that she will return from hiatus in 2012; her condition from her Graves' disease has improved over time. She will return with her own independent record label
, A stAtion (independent of her previous label Warner). Avex Group, Japan
's biggest independent record label, will distribute the label's releases.
2006
In January 2006, Ayaka recorded "I BelieveI Believe (Ayaka song)
"I Believe" is the first single from female Japanese artist, Ayaka. It entered the Oricon charts at the tenth spot and slowly rose to number three, having a total of 236,012 sales...
" as the opening theme for the Japanese drama Rondo. The full single was first released as a download-only single and went on to become one of the fastest songs to reach 1,000,000 downloads, as well as becoming the 3rd-highest-selling download debut single for a female artist.
Ayaka's second single "Melody (Sounds Real)" peaked at number 14 on the Oricon charts has gone on pass the 20,000 mark.
"Real Voice
Real Voice
"Real Voice" is the third single from female Japanese artist, Ayaka. The song was used as the ending theme to the J-Drama, Suppli. The single reached a peak of eleven on the Oricon weekly singles chart.-Charts:Oricon Sales Chart...
" was Ayaka's third single and was used as the ending theme to the Japanese drama Suppli
Suppli
is a manga series by Mari Okazaki. It is published by Shodensha, and has been running in the magazine Feel Young since 2004. It ended its serialisation in the December 2009 issue, and a sidestory to Suppli also ran in the magazine. It has been collected in seven volumes so far, and is published in...
. "Blue Days", the b-side from "Melody (Sounds Real)", was also used as an insert song for the show. "Real Voice" was released on July 17, 2006, and has sold over 50,000 copies.
Weeks before the scheduled release of Ayaka's debut album, "First Message
First Message
- Overview :After a year of releasing singles and music videos, the album was originally for an early September release but was pushed back to allow ayaka's single, Mikazuki, to correspond with the album release. It entered the Oricon charts at number one...
", the album was cancelled. In its place, the single "Mikazuki
Mikazuki (song)
-Charts:-Charice version:In 2010, Filipina pop singer Charice recorded an English version of the song entitled "Crescent Moon" as part of the Japanese Edition of her self-titled international debut album. It was released as a promotional single in Japan on June 23, 2010 via iTunes....
" was released as a rerecorded version of the same song from 2005. "Mikazuki" became Ayaka's highest charting single, selling 40,091 copies within its first week and taking the highest spot on the Oricon weekly charts, remaining in the charts for 41 weeks. The single sold over 300,000 copies.
On November 1, 2006, Ayaka's debut album, First Message, was finally released after several delays. It sold 350,580 copies within its first week, making it the highest selling album of the week as well as the highest selling debut album for a female artist in 7 years. The album went on to sell 1,202,180 copies and stayed within the top two positions on the Oricon charts for four weeks straight before being listed as the 13th highest selling album of 2006.
2007
On February 28, 2007, a new single was released. The song "Winding RoadWinding Road (song)
"Winding Road" is a first collaboration single between Ayaka and duo Kobukuro.-Information:This single was used in Japanese commercials to promote the Nissan Cube. The commercial made its first television airing on March 1, 2007...
" was a collaboration with label-mates Kobukuro
Kobukuro
is a Japanese band, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.- Members :...
and was used to promote a new line of cars. The single reached a peak position of number 2 on the Oricon charts.
The 5th single from Ayaka was used as the ending theme to Last Love, a Japanese movie which was released one month prior to the single. Peaking at number 2, the single has since sold over 70,000 copies. Ayaka also performed "Jewelry Day", as well as many other songs, at the Japanese leg
Live Earth concert, Tokyo
The main Live Earth concert in Japan was held at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo on 7 July 2007.-Running order:*Genki Rockets - "Heavenly Star", "Breeze"...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in Tokyo on July 7, 2007.
Ayaka's 6th single, "Why", released on September 5, was used for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...
, a PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
game by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
, as the theme song to the game. Peaking at number 5 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts, reported sales totalled over 65,000 copies.
In November, Ayaka released her first digital single, For Today, which was used for a Pocky commercial. At the end of 2007 Ayaka performed "Peace Loving People (special piano version)" in the annual music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
2008
On February 29, 2008, her first starring live event, Power Of Music, was held. On March 5, 2008, Ayaka's first single of 2008, Te o Tsunagō / Ai o UtaōTe o Tsunago / Ai o Utao
is the 8th single from Ayaka. It was released on March 5, 2008.-Overview:Te o Tsunagō was used as a theme song for 2008 film Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008. Ai o Utaō was used for BEAUTÉ de KOSÉ's "ESPRIQUE PRECIOUS" commercial since December 2007....
was released. It was a double A-side single, first track used as a theme song for the movie, Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008
Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008
Doraemon The Future 2008, or fully known as Nobita and the Legend of the Green Giant , is an anime film that was released in Japan on 8 March 2008.The story is based on the story in volume 26 "Forest is living" and in volume 33 "Goodbye Ki-bō"...
, and the second track was used for Beauté de Kosé's "Esprique Precious" commercial. Her second single of the year, "Okaeri
Okaeri
is the 9th single from Ayaka. It was released on May 14, 2008.-Overview:Okaeri is used as the theme song for the drama series, Zettai Kareshi. Ayaka was asked by Yuu Watase, the manga artist of Zettai Kareshi, to create a theme song. She wrote the song with her music producer after reading the...
", was released in May 2008. Okaeri was used as the theme song of the drama Zettai Kareshi
Absolute Boyfriend
is a six volume manga series by Yuu Watase, first serialized in Shōjo Comic. Chuang Yi licensed it for an English language release in Singapore, with the first volume released in March 2005...
. Ayaka also attended an interview after Okaeri's production with Hiro Mizushima, who was a member of the Zettai Kareshi cast. The two got on well, and began dating soon after.
Her second album, Sing to the Sky
Sing to the Sky
- Overview :Second album from Ayaka was confirmed on 26 April 2008. It is to include all of her singles from Jewelry Day up to the latest Okaeri. There are three versions, first press CD+DVD , CD+DVD , and CD-only version. Second bonus track "I Believe " only comes with the CD+DVD versions...
, was released on June 25, 2008. It reached number 2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold over 600,000 copies.
"Anata to
Anata to
is a second collaboration single between Ayaka and Kobukuro.-Overview:This single is used in Japanese commercials to promote the Nissan Cube since July 4, 2008. It was released under the Cube Loves Music! label, a joint venture of Warner Music Japan and Nissan....
", the second collaboration single with Kobukuro
Kobukuro
is a Japanese band, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.- Members :...
, was released on September 24, 2008.
Ayaka sang "Okaeri" at the 59th annual Kōuhaku Uta Gassen
59th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2008 from NHK Hall in Japan.- Hosts :*Red team host: Yukie Nakama*White team host: Masahiro Nakai*Mediators: Kazuya Matsumoto and Fumie Ono...
.
2009
On February 22, 2009, Ayaka married Hiro Mizushima after several months of dating. On April 2, Ayaka's diagnosis of Graves' diseaseGraves' disease
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease where the thyroid is overactive, producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones...
was made public. She announced her plans to continue singing until the end of 2009, before putting her career on hold.
On April 22, 2009, Ayaka released her second double A-side single, "Yume wo Mikata ni / Koikogarete Mita Yume". The single also include a live version of "Kimi ga Iru Kara" that was recorded from her live performance in February at Shibuya-AX. She released another single, "Minna Sora no Shita" on July 8 of the same year.
In September, a compilation album titled Ayaka's History 2006-2009 was released and contained two discs, the first disc comprising all her single tracks and the second disc comprising songs selected by fans. It sold almost 350,000 copies in its first week, the highest for a female artist of 2009, and ranked number one on the charts for two consecutive weeks. About a month and a half after its release, the album reached a million copies shipped, making it the only album by a solo artist to do so in 2009.
Ayaka's song "Mikazuki" has also been slated to be turned into a drama by TBS. Its focus on long distance relationships is to be the inspiration for the drama. The main actors are Riko Narumi and Mitsuki Tanimura, and the drama is scheduled to air in September.
In November Ayaka's MTV Unplugged performance, her last solo live before her hiatus, was recorded at Osaka-jō Hall
Osaka-jo Hall
, or Osaka Castle Hall, is a multi-purpose arena, in the Kyōbashi area, of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people...
. In December, Ayaka performed at the 60th Kōhaku Uta Gassen
60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2009 from NHK Hall in Japan.-Performers:The singers, announced on November 23, 2009, are ordered below according to the gojūon....
, her second consecutive year, singing "Minna Sora no Shita" as her final live performance.
2010–2011
Ayaka's MTV Unplugged performance was released on DVD and Blu-ray in January, the DVD edition reaching the number 2 spot on the Oricon chart.Both Ayaka and her husband left their agency, and Ayaka's contract with Warner Music Japan ended in March. She and Mizushima both opened official Twitter pages in October.
On October 20, 2011, Ayaka announced that she will return from hiatus in 2012; her condition from her Graves' disease has improved over time. She will return with her own independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, A stAtion (independent of her previous label Warner). Avex Group, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's biggest independent record label, will distribute the label's releases.
Awards
- Audience Request Award (39th Yusen Taisho 2006, 12.16)
- Best New Artist (48th Japan Record Awards48th Japan Record AwardsThe 48th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2006, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Awards winners :*Japan Record Award: Ikken...
2006, 12.30) - New Artist Award (48th Japan Record Awards 2006, 12.30)
- Gold Artist Award (49th Japan Record Awards49th Japan Record AwardsThe 49th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2007, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Awards winners :*Japan Record Award: Tsubomi...
2007, 12.30) - Gold Artist Award (2008 Best Hit Kayousai)
- Best Artist Award (Japan NTV Awards 2008, 12.16)