Do you know Akiko Yoshida - KOKIA?

Yoshida Akiko (吉田亜紀子) is a Japanese singer and songwriter, who is best known by her stage name Kokia (stylized as KOKIA). She is most known for the songs “Arigatō…” (which reached number one on the music charts in Hong Kong, when Sammi Cheng did a cover of it) and “The Power of Smile”. She is also known for soundtracks for anime and video games, such as:

• Ai no Melody/Chōwa Oto from the movie Gin-iro no kami no Agito;
• Follow the Nightingale from the game Tales of Innocence;
• Tatta Hitotsu no Omoi from the anime Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino;

We are talking about her today in this article at the request of a friend who is trying to bring her to do a tour in Brazil. For this, we ask that you follow her social media at the end of the article to show the interest of us Brazilians in her visit.

KOKIA’s Career

Childhood and early career – Kokia was born in 1976 and raised by her mother. She started playing the violin when she was two and a half years old, but preferred the family piano. Many times, instead of playing with toys, Kokia preferred to play the piano. She remembers putting illustrated books on the music stand and creating songs that represented the scenes. When she was ten, she went, along with her sister Kyoko, to the United States to study at the Summer Music School, which she did again four years later. During high school, she studied music and opera, which she later specialized in at Toho Gakuen Daigaku.

At university, a classmate delivered a demo tape that Kokia recorded to a music executive. Then, she was signed by Pony Canyon and began her career as a singer in 1998 by participating in the album Brothers, with the songs “Aishiteirukara” (愛しているから?) and “You”, while still in university. She created her stage name by reversing the syllables of her name. In the same year, she recorded “For Little Tail”, used as the opening theme in the game Tail Concerto and, later, as a secondary track on the single “Road to Glory” from 2010. After four singles, she released her debut album Songbird in 1999.

Although up to that point none of her singles had reached a very high position on the music charts in Japan —”Aishiteirukara” reached 99th on the Oricon—, “Arigatō…” (ありがとう…?) was a hit in Hong Kong. The song placed third in the award for the most popular international song in Hong Kong (香港国際流行音楽大賞) in 1999. In 2000, the artist Sammi Cheng released a cover version of the song in the country, included in her self-titled album (多謝) and it became a hit.

Victor Entertainment

After the release of her debut album, she left Pony Canyon. Her first work after leaving the label was a participation, with five songs, in the album Kanata Made (彼方まで?) by Ryuichi Kawamura, the vocalist of the band Luna Sea, released in 2000. The album was released by Victor Entertainment, which began her relationship with the label through which, in 2001, she released three singles: “Tomoni”, “Tenshi” (天使?) and “Say Hi!!”. The following year, she released her second album, Trip Trip, the first to be produced by herself.

In 2003, she released the single “Kawaranai Koto (Since 1976)”, which took her to the “top 50” of the Oricon charts, reaching 47th place. Her biggest success, however, was “The Power of Smile”, which gained notoriety for promoting the brand Kao, reached 15th place on the Oricon music chart, and was certified by RIAJ with a gold record. The album in which it was included, Remember Me, also entered the “top 20” of the Oricon. She released Uta ga Chikara, in 2004, which included the song “Yume ga Chikara” that was used as an encouragement song for Japan’s participation in the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2006, she compiled her best songs in the album Pearl: The Best Collection. Aigakikoeru: Listen for the Love was released the same year in France; its release in Japan occurred in 2007. By 2008, the singer released the albums The Voice, Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland and Christmas Gift.

In 2009, Kokia released Kokia Infinity Akiko: Balance and Coquillage: The Best Collection II. Real World, released in 2010, reached 44th place on the Oricon music chart, being her eighth best-selling album. In the same year, she released an album solely with covers of songs, Musique a la Carte. In 2011, she released the album Moment and in 2013, the Where to Go My Love?.”

Embedded video (YouTube)

Embedded video (YouTube)