Aiko appeared as a witness on the 18th at the Tokyo District Court for the trial of former director Atsushi Chiba (58), who is accused of causing damages of about 100 million yen to singer Aiko's talent agency. Aiko said that she met the defendant, who was an employee of a record company, when she made her debut, and followed his advice. What is Aiko's journey as she faces her "foster parent" in court 26 years after her debut?
Aiko was born in 1975 to a father who ran a restaurant in Suita, Osaka, and a mother who was a nurse. She started playing the piano at the age of three, and when she went on to study at the Osaka College of Music, she began participating in music contests while still in school. One of these was the 9th TEENS' MUSIC FESTIVAL, an audition sponsored by Yamaha, in 1995, where she won the grand prize. After six months of being an indie artist, she made her major debut in 1998 with the song "Ashita." Among her "contemporaries" who debuted that same year were many big-name female singers who are still active today, such as Shiina Ringo, Utada Hikaru, MISIA, and Hamasaki Ayumi, and they are also known as the "98 generation."
As a singer-songwriter, she expressed her life-sized views on daily life and love in familiar words, and her light-hearted singing style, which skillfully switched between her normal voice and falsetto, sparked her popularity in live houses in Osaka. Her charming way of speaking also made her a regular DJ on several radio shows even before her debut.
In 2011, the year after her debut, Aiko's songs "Hanabi" and "Kabutomushi" became consecutive hits, and she made a big breakthrough nationwide. Her second album "Sakura no Ki no Shita" released in 2012 was a huge hit with cumulative sales of 1.4 million copies. The defendant Chiba was the "foster parent" who produced these early hits, and he was appointed as a director of Aiko's personal office from the record company.
The secret to Aiko's enduring popularity is said to be her commitment to performing live, where she can directly interact with her fans. She was known for her lively, entertaining audiences with her witty talk and her improvised songs using words collected from the audience.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry about so many things. I'm fine! Thank you." On the 18th, the day she appeared in court, Aiko posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account, expressing concern for her fans.
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