is a former Japanese

pop singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

under the

Giza Studio is a Japanese record label. The Giza Studio started as an indie label in the late 1990s under the name Garage Indies Zapping Association, but soon Being Inc. bought it as their sister label company. Giza Studio is located in Osaka, Japan and ...

label.

Biography

Aiko's interest in music was inspired by her mother's love for

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

and

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...

, which have had a big influence on her songs.

2002-2003: Piece of Love

On 17 May 2002, she released debut single "Grand Blue". In the media it was used as an opening theme for Anime television series ''

Tenshi na Konamaiki is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Nishimori. The story revolves around the adventures of 15-year-old schoolgirl Megumi Amatsuka, a popular and beautiful tomboy that always get into fights with a secret: she used to ...

''. On 17 July, the Giza Studio has released cover album ''Giza studio MAI-K & Friends Hotrod Beach Party'' where she participated in cover song "

Little Honda "Little Honda" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it pays tribute to the small Honda motorcycle and its ease of operation, specifically the Honda 5 ...

" and "

Surfin' U.S.A. "Surfin' U.S.A." is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys, credited to Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. It is a rewritten version of Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" set to new lyrics penned by Wilson and an uncredited Mike Love. The song w ...

" by

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

. On the same day, she released first mini album ''Sol de verano''. The promotional music videoclip covers the cover song " La Bamba" by

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed i ...

. The album failed to reach on Oricon Weekly Charts. On 26 July 2002, she appeared on Giza Studio live event ''Giza studio MAI-K & Friends Hotrod Beach Party Vol.1: 2002 Summer'' and performed here cover song. On 6 November 2002, she released second single "Sun rise train". In the media it was used as a second opening theme for Anime television series ''Tenshi na Konamaiki''. On 18 December 2002, the debut single was included in the Giza Studio compilation album ''Giza Studio Masterpiece Blend 2002''. On 4 June 2003, she released third single "Himawari no you ni". In the media it was broadcast as an ending theme for

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Television) ...

television program ''Mogumogu Gombo''. On 6 August 2003, she released fourth single "Nijiiro ni Hikaru Umi". In the media it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series ''

Detective School Q is a Japanese manga series, written by Seimaru Amagi and illustrated by Fumiya Satō (the creators of ''Kindaichi Case Files''), originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' between June 2001 and August 2005, with its cha ...

''. On 25 September 2003, she released fifth single "Special Days". In the media it was used as an ending theme for

Yomiuri TV JOIX-DTV (channel 10), branded as , is the Kansai region flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned by the subsidiary of the eponymous Yomiuri Shimbun#Yomiuri Group, Yomi ...

program ''Pro no Domyaku''. On 19 November 2003, she released first studio album ''

Piece of Love ''Piece of Love'' is the debut studio album by Japanese singer and songwriter Aiko Kitahara. It was released on November 19, 2003, through Giza Studio. The album consists of five previous released singles, such as grand blue, Sun rise train/Kimi ...

''. The single "Special days" has received new arrangement under subtitle "album mix". On 23 November 2003, she participated in cover song " Sono Ki ni Sasenaide" by Candies along with Saegusa Yuuka and

Ai Takaoka is a former Japanese pop singer and songwriter under the Giza Studio label. Biography Before her solo debut, Ai participated in the cover album " The Hit Parade" covering the song ''Sono Mama Kinisanaide'' (by ''Candies'') alongside Giza singer ...

. The cover song was recorded on cover album '' The Hit Parade'' produced by

Tak Matsumoto is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He also has a successful solo career where, in addition to winn ...

. On 17 December 2003, the single "Special Days" was included in the Giza Studio compilation album ''Giza Studio Masterpiece Blend 2003''.

2004-2005: Message

On 24 March 2004, she released sixth single ''Omoide ni Sukuwaretemo''. In this single, two of former members

Makoto Miyoshi is a Japanese musical composer and arranger under Giza Studio label from 1998 till 2007. In 2019, through social network he announced resume of music activities. Biography *He started playing on guitar during his high school days. He worked on ...

and Kazunobu Mashima from band

Rumania Montevideo Rumania Montevideo is a Japanese pop band under the Giza Studio label. They were active from 1998 to 2002 and reformed in 2019. The band name comes from the combination of the Latin spelling of Romania and Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Me ...

has provided musical composition. In the media it was broadcast as an theme song for Yomiuri TV program ''Pro no Domyaku''. On 28 July 2004, she released seventh single ''Da Da Da''. In the media it was broadcast as an ending theme for

TBS television TBS may stand for: Entertainment * Taipei Broadcasting Station, a radio station in Taipei, Taiwan * Tokyo Broadcasting System, a stock holding company in Tokyo, Japan ** TBS Television (Japan), a television station ** TBS Radio, a radio stati ...

program ''Sunday Japon''. On 5 February 2005, she released eighth single ''Fuyu no Urara''. In the media it was used as an ending theme for TBS television program ''8Ji Desu! Minna no Monday!''. On 11 May 2005, she released second studio album ''

Message A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means, including courier, telegraphy, carrier pigeon and electronic bus. A ...

''. The single ''Omoide ni Sukuwaretemo'' has received new arrangement under subtitle ''album mix''. The album track ''Message'' was used in the media as an ending theme for the

Nihon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

program ''Sekai! Chou Mane Tenkyuusho'' On 20 July 2005, she released ninth single ''Te Quiero Te Amo: Natsu no Natsu no Koi''. In the media it was broadcast as an ending theme for Nihon TV program ''Himitsu no Hiramekin''

2006-2007: Sea and Shanti

On 1.1 January 2006, she released first music videoclip DVD ''Aiko Kitahara Visual Collection''. On 18 January 2006, she released tenth single ''Tango''. It has multiple media promotion, it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series ''

Fighting Beauty Wulong is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūgo Ishikawa. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Sunday'' from August 2002 to May 2007, with its chapters collected in eight ''tankōbon'' volum ...

'' and broadcast as an opening theme for

Chiba TV , doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture but spill-over is received in the neighbouring prefectures. It is a mem ...

program ''MU-GEN〜Music Generations〜''. On 26 April 2006, she released eleventh single ''Mou Ichido Kimi ni Koishiteiru''. In the media it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series ''Government Crime Investigation Agent Zaizen Jotaro'' On 19 July 2006, she released twelfth single ''Moshi mo Umare Kawattara Mou Ichido Aishitekuremasuka?''. It's the longest title she ever used for the single. In the media it was broadcast as an opening theme for

program ''MU-GEN〜Music Generations〜''. The B-side song ''Dreaming'' was also promoted in the media as an theme song for Ohsaka's Commercial facility ''EST'' (

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

). On 9 August 2006, she released third studio album ''

Sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

''. On 1 November 2006, she released thirteenth single ''Mou Kokoro Yuretari Shinaide.'' It's the first song she has composed by herself. In the media it was used as a seventh ending theme for Anime television series

MÄR ''Märchen Awakens Romance'', officially abbreviated as ''MÄR'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai, serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from January 2003 to July 2006. ''MÄR'' follows 14-ye ...

. On 21 March 2007, she released fourteenth single ''Sekaijuu Doko wo Sagashitemo''. In the media it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series ''Kekkaishi''. On 22 April 2007, she released fifteenth single ''Samba Night''. In the media it was broadcast as a theme song for

Tokyo Broadcasting System Television JORX-DTV, branded as is the flagship station of the Japan News Network (JNN), owned-and-operated by , a subsidiary of JNN's owner, TBS Holdings. It operates in the Kantō region and broadcasts its content nationally through TBS-JNN Networ ...

program ''Doors 2007''. On 26 September 2007, she released final studio album '' Shanti''.

2008-2011: Compilation album and retirement

On 6 August 2008, after more than year she released sixteenth single ''Amore: Koiseyo! Otome''. The single has received three media broadcasts, as an ending theme for Chiba TV program ''Bilive'', as a theme song for NTV program ''Nittele Poshlet'' and as a theme song for NTV television program ''Shiodome Event Bu''. On 8.10 January 2008, she released second music videoclip DVD ''Aiko Kitahara Visual Collection 2''. On 5 November 2008, she released seventeenth single ''Sono Egao yo Eien ni''. In the media it was used as an ending theme for Anime television series

Golgo 13 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic'' since October 1968. The series follows the title character, a professional assassin for hire. ''Golgo ...

. On 4 February 2009, she released final single ''Harukaze ga Mau koro ni wa''. The single received two media broadcasts, as an monthly theme song for Asahousou program ''Music File'' and as an opening theme for Nihon TV television program ''Nittele Poshlet''. On 24 June 2009, she released compilation album ''Aiko Kitahara Best''. The album includes all released singles, some album tracks and four unreleased songs. In 2011, after performing her last live show in Hills Factory, Aiko announced her retirement through her blog. Aiko didn't made any appearances on television music programs. In 2017 the official website has been removed. During her career, she released eighteen singles, four studio albums, one mini album and one greatest hits album.

Discography

Singles

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Video albums

Magazine appearances

From J-Groove Magazine: *July 2002 Vol.21 *September 2002 Vol.23 *December 2002 Vol.26 *July 2003 Vol.33 *September 2003 Vol.35 *May 2004 Vol.43 *March 2005 Vol.53 *September 2005 Vol.59 *February 2006 Vol.64 From Music Freak Magazine: *May 2002 Vol.90: ''Grand Blue'' Interview *July 2002 Vol.92: Self Liner Notes ''Sol de verano'' *October 2002 Vol.95: Information *November 2002 Vol.96: ''Sun rise train'' Interview

References

External links

*Official website

*Official blog

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitahara, Aiko Living people Being Inc. artists Anime musicians Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese singer-songwriters 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 1982 births