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.
Eyes On Me
アンジェラ・アキ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the stage on my own
Whenever said these words
Wishing they would be heard
I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar
My last night here for you
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly laid your eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if your never hurt
As if your never down
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure
If a frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
So let me come to you
Close as I want to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whispered
How I love your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you
Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if your holding back
Or pain if that's what it is
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice
Just reach for me then
You will know that you are not dreaming
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if your never hurt
As if your never down
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure
If a frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
The song Eyes On Me by Angela Aki is a beautiful portrayal of a performer's connection with their audience. The lyrics capture the feeling of vulnerability that comes with sharing one's art with the world, and the hope of being seen and understood by others. The first verse speaks to the singer's experience of being on stage alone, singing their songs and hoping that the audience will hear and connect with their words. The mention of seeing someone smiling in the corner of a bar adds a personal element to the song, hinting at the possibility of a relationship forming from this musical connection.
The second verse is where the song gets more intimate, with the singer addressing a specific person in the audience who caught their eye. There is a sense of mutual attraction, with the singer confessing that they were looking at this person as much as they were being looked at. The lines "Close enough for me to feel your heart beating fast" and "How I love your peaceful eyes on me" express a desire to be physically and emotionally close to the object of their affection.
The chorus repeats the same lines, almost like a mantra, as the singer asks if they can be the one to comfort or support this person. The last line, "If a frown is shown then I will know that you are no dreamer," suggests that the singer is looking for someone who is real and genuine, someone who feels deeply and is not afraid to express their emotions.
Overall, Eyes On Me is a beautiful ode to the power of music to connect people and inspire love and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Whever sang my songs
Whenever I have sung my songs
On the stage on my own
Performing alone on stage
Whenever said these words
Whenever I have spoken these words
Wishing they would be heard
Hoping that someone would listen
I saw you smiling at me
I noticed you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy
Wondering if it was real or just my imagination
You'd always be there in the corner
You were always there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar
In this small little bar
My last night here for you
This is my last night here with you
Same old songs, just once more
I'll sing the same old songs one last time
Maybe yes, maybe no
I'm not sure if it's goodbye or not
I kind of liked it your way
I enjoyed the way you did things
How you shyly laid your eyes on me
I liked the way you looked at me bashfully
Did you ever know
Did you realize
That I had mine on you
That I was also looking at you
Darling, so there you are
My dear, there you stand
With that look on your face
With that expression on your face
As if your never hurt
As if you have never been hurt
As if your never down
As if you have never been down
Shall I be the one for you
Should I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure
Who pinches you gently, but firmly
If a frown is shown then
If I see you frown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
I will know that you are not a dream
So let me come to you
Let me approach you
Close as I want to be
As close as I desire to be
Close enough for me
Near enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
To sense your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whispered
And remain there as I murmured
How I love your peaceful eyes on me
How I adore the way you look at me with peaceful eyes
Did you ever know
Did you realize
That I had mine on you
That I was also looking at you
Darling, so share with me
My dear, please share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your love, if you have enough of it
Your tears if your holding back
Your tears, if you are holding them back
Or pain if that's what it is
Or your pain, if that's what you are feeling
How can I let you know
How can I make you understand
I'm more than the dress and the voice
I am more than just my attire and my singing voice
Just reach for me then
Just extend your hand to me
You will know that you are not dreaming
You will realize that this is not a dream
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NavySpace
Whever sang my songs
On the stage on my own
Whenever said these words
Wishing they would be heard
I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar
My last night here for you
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly laid your eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if your never hurt
As if your never down
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure
If a frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
So let me come to you
Close as I want to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whispered
How I love your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you
Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if your holding back
Or pain if that's what it is
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice
Just reach for me then
You will know that you are not dreaming
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if your never hurt
As if your never down
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure
If a frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
@nkt2014
いや、改めて聞いて上手すぎじゃないですか。
感動しました。
@user-ph5ex6bq3m
いつ聞いてもアンジェラアキだいすきです❤️
@lionheart4424
I was blown away years ago when I first heard this version. Her English is so clean, and the fast pace makes sense with the slight "desperate" context of the story behind the song. I love it, FF8 I my favorite.
@AlonsoMontero
I love that she corrected the grammar from the original lyrics.
@pancha7278
I don't get why everyone says this version is bad, it's very nice
@FurqanaFathuzzaman
Pancha it's good, but IMO, compared to the original version, you simply don't get the feeling.
For example, just imagine Julia plays this version in her bar while looking at Laguna. Or maybe between Squall and Rinoa.
@ksborg
I actually don't like the other versions at all. This one for me is the best around. No doubt
@AA-db9cb
Because it got the pep treatment - off key, different tempo. There was nothing wrong with the original version aside from the Engrish. If she fixed just that (which she did in this version) but kept the original tempo and key, it'd be perfect.
@swordpetals
@ksborg agreed, the other one is not powerful enough, a little too nasaly and pitchy for my taste
@felixoktafmidza5512
I see this as a different interpretation and Angela did amazing job