Ayaka Hirahara

With jazz in her bloodstream (her dad, Makoto Hirahara, is a noted Japanese saxophonist, and her grandfather a trumpeter), Ayaka Hirahara seemed an unlikely applicant for pop stardom. Performing ballet and traditional alto saxophone in college, her first solitary was certainly a pop vocal version (partly in British) of Gustav Holst’s collection The Planets, filled with a little string section in the backdrop. The track climbed the Oricon graphs quickly, peaking at number 2 and at the forefront for her 1st full-length recording, Odyssey. A sophomore recording, The Voice, offered strongly, overshadowing several singles released through the same period by Hirahara. Together with a major nationwide tour in 2005, a cover recording premiered to moderate achievement, as was 2006’s 4tsu No L. Released in 2007, Sora noticed Hirahara broadening to a wider globe influence with extra classical influences as well as the enlistment of songwriters from all filled continents. The recording briefly cracked the very best Ten, but offered weakly in comparison to earlier endeavors. Having a greatest-hits compilation released in early 2008, Hirahara experienced returned to Best Five status around the Oricon graphs and cemented her position as children name in Japanese pop.