She is a singer-songwriter, who is completely bilingual in English and Japanese because she was raised in Japan but moved to Hawaii at the age of fifteen where she graduated from Iolani School. From there, she moved on to George Washington University where she graduated with majors in politics and music.
She originally released an indie album in the United States in 2000, called These Words, which received much critical acclaim. In 2002, she composed two tracks for Let It Fall by Dianne Eclar, a teenage pop singer from the Philippines. In 2005, in Japan, she released an indie mini-album under Virgo Music entitled One, which alerted 植松伸夫 (Nobuo Uematsu) to her music. Angela Aki is now signed under Sony Music Associated Records Inc. . In 2005 she was announced as the singer of the FINAL FANTASY XII theme song, "Kiss Me Good-Bye".
On March 9, 2007, she revealed in her official blog that she is married to a music director who has been supporting her before her debut. She also revealed that while she was in Washington D.C., she had married once before but the marriage ended in a divorce.
She is good friends with JPOP star 伊藤由奈. Both singers attended the same Japanese language school.
Angela Aki is the daughter of Kiyoshi Aki, the owner/co-founder of AEON Institute of Language Education. This is one of the "Big Four" Eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan.
In May 2006, Angela signed with Tofu Records in order to release English singles and albums. Her first release with Tofu was releasing Kiss Me Good-Bye as a digital single in the USA with a slightly altered track list. Later that month she performed the FINAL FANTASY XII theme song, "Kiss Me Good-Bye" at the premiere PLAY! A Video Game Symphony concert in Chicago on May 27, 2006. With orchestral backup, she played piano and sang the English lyrics, which she had written herself. She also performed her own version of "Eyes On Me," the theme song of FINAL FANTASY VIII with only the piano and her voice.
On Aki's blog, dated March 9, 2007, she announced her marriage to Japanese music producer, Hide Sanjougi. She also mentioned that it will be the second marriage for her. Her first marriage was to engineer, producer, and artist Tony Alany who coproduced her first album in Vienna, VA.
On November 29, 2013, Aki announced on her blog that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus beginning in the fall of 2014, stopping her music activities in Japan in order to attend school in the United States and study music. The subsequent TAPESTRY OF SONGS -THE BEST OF ANGELA AKI compilation and "アンジェラ・アキ Concert Tour 2014 TAPESTRY OF SONGS -THE BEST OF ANGELA AKI" tour are her final respective events prior to this hiatus.
Black Glasses
アンジェラ・アキ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a frame of me you see
Fancy window dressing
In the mirror glass,
I reflect a bigger me
I use them as a curtain
With two holes to see the world
When I'm not too certain
who needs to hide
In my glasses
I'm the Wizard of Oz
You can hear my voice;
I hear your applause
Would you see a clown
if the curtain came down
It could all turn around
If I take them off
Would you call it off?
If I take them off
Take them off for you
Take them off for you
When I wear black glasses
Am I hiding me from view?
Where's my Lion's Courage
And the Tin Man's heart to feel
I'll be enough for you
In my glasses
I'm the Wizard of oz
You can hear my voice;
I hear your applause
Would you see a clown
if the curtain came down
Would you stick around
And see me through?
See me as you?
If take them off
Take them off for you
So I wear black glasses
Am I hiding me from view?
In my glasses
I'm the Wizard of Oz
You can hear my voice；
I hear your applause
Would you see a clown
if the curtain came down
Would you stick around?
If take them off
Is the whole thing off?
In my glasses
I'm the Wizard of Oz
You can hear my voice;
I hear your applause
Would you see a clown
if the curtain came down
Would you stick around
And see me though?
See me as you?
If I take them off
Take them off
Take them off
For you
The song "Black Glasses" by Angela Aki is a reflective piece that explores the notion of hiding one's true self behind a façade. The lyrics indicate that the singer wears black glasses as a shield, a frame that only allows a small part of her to be seen by the world. She views the glasses as a curtain, with two holes that allow her to see out, but with an inability to be seen completely by those around her. It is as though she is hiding a more significant part of herself, a part that may be too fragile or vulnerable to expose. She wonders if the 'Wizard of Oz' persona she portrays in the glasses would be seen as a 'clown' if the curtain were taken down, causing people to see her as she really is for the first time. The song concludes with the singer asking whether someone would "stick around and see [her] through," or whether taking off the glasses would prove too much for them, causing the whole thing to crumble.
Overall, the song is an introspective exploration of a person's relationship with themselves and others. It suggests that sometimes we are hesitant to reveal our true selves, to let others see behind the mask we present to the world, and question if they would like what they see if we reveal it. The lyrics suggest that it can be challenging to navigate this relationship with ourselves and others, but ultimately, it is essential to take off the glasses and show our true selves if we want to be known and loved for who we truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
I wear black glasses
I use these glasses as a means of hiding something about myself
Just a frame of me you see
You only see a small part of me, as if looking through a window or a frame
Fancy window dressing
I use these glasses as a way to dress up or decorate myself
In the mirror glass, I reflect a bigger me
When I look at myself in the mirror wearing these glasses, I appear larger or more confident than I really am
I use them as a curtain with two holes to see the world
I use the glasses as a means of filtering what I see and how I interact with the world
When I'm not too certain if the real me inside is the one who needs to hide
I sometimes feel like I need to hide who I really am, and I'm not always sure if that's the right thing to do
In my glasses, I'm the Wizard of Oz. You can hear my voice; I hear your applause
When I wear these glasses, I feel like I'm performing on stage - I'm putting on a show and getting the attention and praise of others
Would you see a clown if the curtain came down? It could all turn around
If people were to see the real me without my glasses, they might see me as foolish or silly, and everything could change
If I take them off, would you call it off?
If I were to reveal who I really am, would you still want to be with me?
When I wear black glasses, am I hiding me from view?
I'm not sure if wearing these glasses is helping me or hurting me. Am I really hiding the true me or just showing a different side of myself?
Where's my Lion's Courage and the Tin Man's heart to feel? I'll be enough for you
I worry that without these glasses, I won't be brave enough or have enough heart to be what you need. But maybe I don't need to pretend to be someone I'm not - maybe I'm already enough
Would you stick around and see me through? See me as you?
If I were to reveal who I really am, would you be there to support me and love me for who I am?
If I take them off, is the whole thing off?
If I were to reveal my true self, would everything change? Would our relationship be over?
Take them off for you. Take them off for you
If I do decide to take off these glasses, it would be for you - to show you who I really am, and to be honest with myself
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: anjeraaki / benforuzu
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind