Kokia

A classically-trained musician and an accomplished opera singer, J-Pop artist Akiko Yoshida (born on July 22, 1976), better known as Kokia, achieved success in both her home country and abroad largely thanks to features on anime series, video games, and TV shows. She picked up the violin at the age of 3 but quickly switched to the family piano, which she preferred over her toys. After a couple of trips to the US to attend summer music school with her sister Kyoko, Yoshida majored in opera at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music. It was there that she was spotted by scouts of the Pony Canyon label, who swiftly signed the young singer to their roster. In 1998, she made her debut with the singles “For Little Tail,” which was featured on the Tail Concerto video game, and “Ai no Field,” an orchestral-tinged pop number that made its way to the soundtrack of anime Brain Powerd. Preceded by lead single “Aishiteiru Kara,” studio debut Songbird saw the light in 1999 and was followed by the single “Arigatou,” which surprisingly became a hit in Hong Kong. Self-produced sophomore effort Trip Trip arrived in 2002 and Remember Me hit the shelves a year later. Propelled by the Top 20 single “The Power of Smile/Remember The Kiss,” the LP became Yoshida’s best-charting release by reaching Number 15 on the Oricon charts. After the lukewarm reception of Uta ga Chikara (2004), the singer decided to focus on European markets, releasing the compilation Pearls in 2006 through French label Wasabi Records. Aigakikoeru: Listen for the Love came out that same year, and was the first release managed by her own production company, Anco & Co. Sixth album The Voice hit the shelves in 2008 and spawned the single “Follow The Nightingale,” which peaked at Number 20 on the Japanese charts due to its inclusion in the video game Tales of Innocence. She wrapped up the year with the Irish-themed Fairy Dance and the festive album Christmas Gift. In 2009, Yoshida celebrated her 10th anniversary with the simultaneous release of Kokia Infinity Akiko: Balance and Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance as she kicked off her first world tour throughout Europe. Subsequently, she continued to release music at a prolific rate, starting with the Tunisia-inspired Real World (2010), Moment (2011), Where to Go My Love? (2013), I Found You (2015) and Tokyo Mermaid (2018).