is a Japanese singer, actress and model. Her music ranges from pop, rock to
R&B. She resides in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
, and is signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She is the vocalist of the rock band
Uroboros
The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnos ...
and the rock duo Sonic Lover Reckless with
Lovebites guitarist Miyako.
Biography
Kamiki learned to play the
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
when she was 4 years old. In junior high school, she began singing live. Influenced by punk rock, she also learned how to play the
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
.
In 2005, Kamiki released her two mini-albums "Constellation" and "Rock On" from the
independent record label Weed Records. Kamiki's singing career was mainly active in Osaka, where she garnered positive results. Her voice was so full of force that it was part of her reputation. She made appearances in music and fashion magazines, which caught people's attention.
In 2006, Kamiki signed on with Giza Studio and released her first major label single "Communication Break" on March 15. On April 12, her second single "Pierrot" was released. The song was respectively written and composed by
B'z members
Koshi Inaba
(born September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama) is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a su ...
and
Tak Matsumoto
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the Rock music, rock duo B'z, the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music act in their native Japan. He also ...
, although the lyrics in Kamiki's version were slightly modified. It was released on the same day as the B'z single "ゆるぎないものひとつ" (
Yuruginaimono Hitotsu), which contained "Pierrot" as its 2nd Beat (
B-side). The single reached 9th place on the
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...
charts. Her third single "Mou Kimidake-wo Hanashitari-wa Shinai" peaked at the 11th place, and her first full album "Secret Code" debuted at 5th place. In order to promote Secret Code's release, Kamiki held two mini-concerts. One was as "Black Kamiki" and was performed at Tower Records in Shibuya. The other (later on the same day), was as "White Aya" and was performed at HMV in Shibuya. Entrance was free, provided that you had purchased Secret Code at the corresponding store.
Early 2007, Kamiki was one of the winners of th
21st Japan Gold Disc Awards New Artist of the Year. In 2009, she moved the Avex Trax label and before leaving Ginza Studio, she released a best album titled, "Greatest Best" and she released her 12th single named "
WBX (W-Boiled Extreme)" on November 11.
She makes an appearance as an in-game character in the 2008
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
''
428: Shibuya Scramble'' (later released internationally in 2018). She also sang its theme song "Sekai wa Sore Demo Kawari wa Shinai" (
世界はそれでも変わりはしない), known in English as "The World Doesn't Change So Easy", which was released as a single in December 2008.
In 2010, her fourth album, ''Individual Emotion'', was released on January 27, and one track, "The Light" was released as a PV. Then on July 14, her 13th single, "Revolver" was released, then shortly after on August 11, she released her mini-album, "Gloriosa".
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Video albums
Extended plays
Singles
UNREAL and V/S singles were sold during live concerts; the title songs can be downloaded via iTunes.
Notes
References
External links
Aya Kamiki official GIZA studio site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamiki, Aya
Japanese women pop singers
1985 births
Living people
Musicians from Sapporo
Avex Group artists
Being Inc. artists
21st-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese women singers