She is a musician. Her songs remind us something nostalgic, but hit our heart as fresh sounds. She is the most noteworthy artist in Japan. Where did her songs came from, and what kind of history she walked?

She was born in Tokyo and began to write lyrics like a diary. She settled in Fukuoka in 14 years old, and went to university to study an oil painting. Then she was interested in and absorbed in music. She won a prize in the "YAMAHA Popular Music Contest in Tsumagoi" (in 1985, now discontinued) for the song "The Golden Eye" and participated in "World Song Festival" (now discontinued). After that, she began live concerts in her mother's coffee shop.

When she graduated the university, she was offered to debut as a singer by Victor Ongaku Sangyo (now Victor Entertainment). Her friend had got a job in that company and handed Akino's demonstration tape to the company's director. For the first time she didn't know what to do because she couldn't leave from Fukuoka, but she was back to Tokyo because of her mother's word, "You have nothing but singing because you couldn't continue anything except it."

That song of hers "This beautiful star" was adopted in the image song of the original animation video "Windaria". She debuted by the theme song of it (the title is not "This beautiful star", but another song "Promise"). Then she released the first album "Nostalgia for the Future" (*1) in 1986, and soon became a free-lancer because she wanted to reflect her own song and herself. She began to support TANE Tomoko, Psy's, ZABADAK, and so on as a chorus member. On the other hand, she met the manga "Please Save My Earth", and she sang the image song of it (the title is "Moon Light Anthem") in 1988. She recalled her own song by that song.

She wrote words and composed the theme song of "Record of Lodoss War" (animation) and was drawn by public attention. Then she wrote words and composed theme songs and image songs for many animations, game, and manga. She also handles the CM song, CM narration. For example, "Masheri" (Shiseido), "Navic" (LION), and so on.

In 1997, she flew up. In March, she gave live concerts in SHIBUYA EGG-MAN for two consecutive days (each day, the hall was packed to capacity). Then she released two albums, "Forest in the sky" (*2) in August and "Garden in the sky" (*3) in October. And, in December, she again gave live concert in ON AIR EAST (in Shibuya), and that hall was packed to capacity (over 700).
In 1998, she released a single "The Moon at Noon" in January, and will release a single"The House in the Moon" in April. She will again have the next live concert in May, and is planning a new album.
Now she stands steady on her own leg, and is going to go further. We should watch her act.

(*1) "Nostalgia for the Future"

Her first album released in 1986. 10 songs are put in. "The Golden Eye", "This Beautiful Star", and "Promise" are in it. We can see her starting point. Perhaps the main arranger, KADOKURA Satoshi, influenced her very much.

(*2) "Forest in the Sky"

Her best album in which she collected songs she had sung for the theme song or image song of animation, radio drama, and manga. 15 songs are put in. "Moon Light Anthem" is in it. We can fully understand and enjoy her songs and her variety.

(*3) "Garden in the Sky"

Her second album after 11 years "silence". 11 songs are put in. They are; songs which ask us to go to the world of illusion, songs which are composed for the chance she saw social bad events, and so on. We can see what she expresses and will express through "songs".