Angela Aki (アンジェラ・アキ), birth name 安芸聖世美 (Kiyomi Aki), was born on 15 Septem… Read Full Bio ↴Angela Aki (アンジェラ・アキ), birth name 安芸聖世美 (Kiyomi Aki), was born on 15 September 1977 in Itano, Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan to a Japanese father and an Italian-American mother

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.

Our Story
アンジェラ・アキ Lyrics

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おとぎの世界はいつも
ハッピーエンドになるけど
現実は続いて行くものなんだ
シンデレラは恋のチャンスを
靴と共に無くしたのに
完璧なロマンスが舞い降りた
でも今の時代
自分の足に合う靴を

待っているだけじゃ
王子様なんて現れない
Our story is
meant to be continued
Meant to be continued
白雪姫は何回も
魔女に騙され続けたのに
素直な心を失わなかった
毒リンゴを隠し特っている
味方のふりをしている人が
この世の中には沢山いるから
今の時代
少しくらいの警戒心は
生きて行くためには必要だ
Our story is
meant to be continued

Life's a story
but it's no fairytale
Life's a story
but it's no fairytale
おとぎ話をたまに夢見たいが
私達の生きる日常(ストーリー)は
人生(ストーリー)は生易しくない
Our story Our story
Our story's meant to be，
it's meant to be
Our story is
meant to be continued

Meant to be continued
It's meant to be continued

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Our Story" by Angela Aki reflect on the contrast between the idealized world of fairy tales and the realities of life. The song acknowledges that in fairy tales, happy endings are always achieved. However, in the real world, life continues with its ups and downs. The song references Cinderella, who lost her chance at love along with her lost shoe, but eventually experiences a perfect romance. The lyrics suggest that in the modern era, simply waiting for the perfect prince charming to appear while fitting into societal expectations is not enough. Instead, one must actively pursue their own happiness and find their own path.

The song also alludes to the story of Snow White, who is repeatedly deceived by the evil queen but never loses her honest and kind heart. The lyrics imply that in this world, there are many people who pretend to be allies while hiding their true intentions, and thus, it is necessary to maintain a cautious nature. The singer emphasizes that in the current era, a little skepticism and self-protection are essential for survival.

Overall, "Our Story" is a reminder that life is not a fairy tale, and while it may be tempting to occasionally dream of a magical world, it is important to embrace the reality of everyday life and continue writing one's own story, overcoming the challenges that arise.

Line by Line Meaning

おとぎの世界はいつも
The fairy tale world always

ハッピーエンドになるけど
ends in a happy ending,

現実は続いて行くものなんだ
but reality keeps going on.

シンデレラは恋のチャンスを
Cinderella lost her chance at love

靴と共に無くしたのに
along with her shoe,

完璧なロマンスが舞い降りた
yet a perfect romance descended upon her.

でも今の時代
But in this era,

自分の足に合う靴を
if you just wait for the shoes that fit you,

待っているだけじゃ
the prince charming won't appear.

王子様なんて現れない
Our story is meant to be continued,

Meant to be continued
meant to be continued.