Angela Aki

Angela Aki (安藝 聖世美 アンジェラ; born September 15, 1977, in Tokushima) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and pianist. Born to a Japanese father and an Italian-American mother, she began playing piano at the age of three. She spent her childhood in Tokushima and Okayama, then moved to Hawaii at 15. She later studied Political Science at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While at university, she began shaping her professional music career. After graduation, she continued performing in Washington before returning to Japan in 2003. In 2005, she made her Japanese CD debut with the independent piano mini-album "ONE." Later that year, she made her major-label debut with the single "HOME" on Epic Records Japan. Her first album, also titled HOME, followed in 2006. That same year, she collaborated with composer Nobuo Uematsu on "Kiss Me Good-Bye" for Final Fantasy XII. She also fulfilled a major career goal with a solo concert at the Budokan, where she performed alone at the piano. Among her best-known works is "Tegami." She also performed "This Love," the ending theme for Blood+, and "Kokuhaku (告白)," the ending theme for Uchuu Kyoudai. Since then, Angela Aki has balanced her music with further study and creative projects, including work on a Broadway musical project.