Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A t… Read Full Bio ↴Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A tricky artist to categorize, her works incorporate various genres such as neoclassical darkwave, world music, experimental, jazz, synthpop, new age, classical, ambient, and more ordinary Japanese pop, among many others. She launched her career in 2001, with the vocal EP Midori no mori de nemuru tori ("Sleeping Bird in the Green Forest"), which she made on her own using a synth and a laptop. In 2002, she released an instrumental album, Kurenawi, showing various influences such as Caribbean music, traditional Japanese folk and classical piano music. In 2003, she released her first full-length vocal album, Haikyo to Rakuen ("Ruins and Heaven"), showing influences from Old Europe, classical and ethnic music, in which she sang Italian poetry, but also Japanese lyrics and what is seemingly an invented language ("Iuripuka"). This album gained critical success in Japan through the indie music platform Muzie, where it stayed on top of the sales for two years.

Her latest release is the avant-garde album Ayashi (2018) which could be labeled as world fusion.

Kalliope
志方あきこ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

黄昏の色に染まり微睡(まどろ)む世界
幾多の強く煌めく命の結びたち

儚き宿命のその軌跡讃えて
歌声よ響け風に乗せ

貴方の灯火の温もり想い出す
み空を仰げば瞬く星に紡ぐ願い

折り重なる歴史流れる時の中
再び巡り逢えるその日迄この歌奏でて

喜び溢れる波に生まれる光
惑える心を照らす慈しみの笑顔

泉は滴る想い出を湛えて
悲しみの音が続く宵

貴方の灯火でこの胸を癒して
安らぎの音色与えておくれ夜の夢に
7つの海を越え大地を包み込む
暖かな揺り籠の旋律(メロディー)をもう一度聴かせて

絶える事なく歌を捧げる
憂いの園にいつか花開く日迄

貴方の灯火の温もり想い出す
み空を仰げば瞬く星に紡ぐ願い

折り重なる歴史流れる時の中
再び巡り逢えるその日迄この歌奏でて

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Kalliope" by 志方あきこ evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, as well as a celebration of the connections between different people's lives. The beginning lines describe a world that is filled with life and energy, with the reference to the "煌めく命の結びたち" suggesting the interconnectedness of all living things. The second verse speaks of "折り重なる歴史流れる時の中" meaning "overlapping histories in the flow of time", emphasizing the idea of the cyclical nature of life, and the idea of being able to reunite with those who have been lost in the passage of time. The song ends with a reassertion of the singer's dedication to singing, as they will continue to sing until the "憂いの園にいつか花開く日迄" - or the day that happiness finally blooms.

Line by Line Meaning

黄昏の色に染まり微睡(まどろ)む世界
The world is painted in the colors of twilight and sleeps restlessly

幾多の強く煌めく命の結びたち
Many strongly shining ties of life exist

儚き宿命のその軌跡讃えて
Praising the fleeting trajectory of destiny

歌声よ響け風に乗せ
Let the singing voice resound on the wind

貴方の灯火の温もり想い出す
Remembering the warmth of your light

み空を仰げば瞬く星に紡ぐ願い
Looking up at the sky, I weave my wishes into the twinkling stars

折り重なる歴史流れる時の中
In the midst of overlapping history and flowing time

再び巡り逢えるその日迄この歌奏でて
Until we meet again, let this song play

喜び溢れる波に生まれる光
The light born from waves overflowing with joy

惑える心を照らす慈しみの笑顔
A compassionate smile that illuminates a confused heart

泉は滴る想い出を湛えて
The spring is filled with dripping memories