While she does have her fair share of soft songs (such as ~dandelion~, The Last Quarter) and fun songs (Break Out!, COSMIC LOVE), a good portion of her collection (and, indeed, the majority of her most popular songs) fall firmly in the rock category. She has remained a constant source of quality rock with a slight pop edge, and though some may argue she belongs fully in the J-Rock category, her pop-idol status and ability to work outside the rock confines would say otherwise.
-= Career =-
After she released her first single in November 1995, she released three more singles, and then her first full album Red in 1996, which sold more than two million copies in its first month, and saw her named "the brightest star" in female rock. That album won her an invitation to perform in a New Year's Eve singing contest between male and female teams of popular singers sponsored by NHK (one of Japan's television companies). Since then, she's released about an album each year, plus an average of three mini- or maxi-singles. Her second album, Paradox, was released in July 1997, selling 1.8 million copies, and coincided with her first concert tour Live Emotion '97 (consisting of 20 concert dates, attracting a total of 65,000 fans, according to Avex.) July 1998 saw her third album Crimson, and another concert tour with over 40 concert dates. Her 1999 release, I.D., was a compilation album, but it debuted at number one on the rock chart, her fourth consecutive album to release in the number one slot. In 2001, she also released a 'mini-album', something between a full album and a single, of uncharacteristically soft, though lovely, ballad-style music, recorded during her later months of pregnancy. (This album was produced by Hotei Tomoyasu.)
At the 11th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards, Nanase's album Red was voted the Best Album (Japanese Rock and Folk music, female vocalist category). Her album Paradox was voted Best Album of the Year, at the 12th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards.
-=History=-
Aikawa Nanase's parents divorced when she was young, which affected her significantly enough that she developed into a bit of a troublemaker (which also happens to be the title of one of her best songs). It is rumored that she was in a girl gang in her young teenage years, and supposedly may have been its leader. Another story has it that she was severely bullied by classmates, giving rise to nightmares, and she skipped an entire year of school. Regardless, at the age of 15, she left all that behind, dropped out of school and was discovered by well-known music producer Oda Tetsuro. Throughout her school years, Nanase would sing and participated in a few singing competitions, which routinely passed her over, though brought her to the attention of Oda. He trained Nanase as a singer for five years before she released her first single, though the details of her life in those years are sketchy.
-=Personality=-
Nanase is an intensely private person. Very little is known about her personal life except for the bits and pieces she feels confident enough to announce. For instance, on February 16, 2001, many of her male fans were heartbroken when she publicly announced that she had got married that very day. She published this, and the fact that she was already three-months pregnant, on her official website. Nothing else about her relationship was known until the birth of her son, on September 6, 2001.
She is 'polite, but seldom enthusiastic' in interviews, but frequently leaves hand-written messages on her website. Very little else is known of her. This may also be due to the lack of Japanese to English translators in the Aikawa Nanase fanbase. Oddly enough, roughly half of the non-Japanese Nanase fans are Chinese.
-=Personal Statistics=-
* Name: Aikawa Nanase (相川七瀬)
* Birthday: 1975.02.16
* Birthplace: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
* Blood Type: AB
* Height: 157cm (5'2")
* Weight: 39kg (86 lbs)
* Hair: Varies (Brown/Pink, currently)
* Eyes: Brown
* Favourite Pet: Cat
* Favourite Time of Day: Night
Official site: www.nanase.jp
No Future
相川七瀬 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
愛と呼ぶには甘くて若い ザクロ色した本能の果実
あけた身体のピアスに キズの火照り感じてる
不条理で憂鬱が渦巻く空に メンソールのキスを今は止めないで
未来なんて解らないから 2人は今を生きてる
求め合ったこの真実は 生涯消える事はないから
(No future, no future)
(No future, no future)
乱れ咲く渇望のままに
(No future, no future)
(No future, even any future)
ひとつになりたい
未来なんて解らないから 私は今に生きてる
残酷な運命だって あなたと堕ちてくなら怖くない
(No future, no future)
(No future, no future)
永遠なんてないと言うなら
(No future, no future)
(No future, even any future)
息が絶えるまで
(No future, no future)
(No future, no future)
せめぎ合いの時代の中で
(No future, no future)
(No future, even any future)
私に教えて
あなたがいるって
もっと教えて
生涯をかけながら
The lyrics of "NO FUTURE" by 相川七瀬 capture a moment of pure, youthful passion between two people who are fully engaged in their physical connection. Their relationship is defined by a shared desire to revel in the present moment without any thought of the future. The song is full of rich and sensual images, like the pomegranate-colored fruit of their desire or the warmth of a kiss flavored with menthol.
Despite the beauty of their connection, there is an undercurrent of sadness, a vague sense of melancholy that reflects the isolation and uncertainty of contemporary life. It's a momentary respite from the chaos of the world, a fleeting grasp at something real and meaningful. The two lovers seem to be reaching out to each other in desperation, hoping to cling to this moment forever, even as they know it can never last.
Overall, "NO FUTURE" captures something essential about the human condition: our desire to seek connection in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, our yearning for something real even as we know it can never last. It's a powerful and evocative song that speaks to the pain and beauty of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
2人の関係はきっと 一瞬を楽しむための 愛と呼ぶには甘くて若い ザクロ色した本能の果実
Our relationship is but a fleeting moment of enjoying each other's company. It's a young, sweet, and instinctively driven passion, like the crimson pomegranate.
あけた身体のピアスに キズの火照り感じてる 不条理で憂鬱が渦巻く空に メンソールのキスを今は止めないで
I feel the burning sensation of the piercings on my open body, don't stop the menthol kisses in this irrational and depressing world.
未来なんて解らないから 2人は今を生きてる 求め合ったこの真実は 生涯消える事はないから
We live in the present because we don't know what the future holds. The truth we sought will never fade away throughout our lifetime.
(No future, no future) (No future, no future) 乱れ咲く渇望のままに (No future, no future) (No future, even any future) ひとつになりたい
There's no future, no future, as we wild desire to bloom. There's no future, even any future - all we want is to become one.
未来なんて解らないから 私は今に生きてる 残酷な運命だって あなたと堕ちてくなら怖くない
I live in the moment because I don't know what the future holds. Even if it's a cruel fate, I'm not scared to fall with you.
(No future, no future) (No future, no future) 永遠なんてないと言うなら (No future, no future) (No future, even any future) 息が絶えるまで
There's no future, no future, as there's no such thing as eternity. There's no future, even any future - until my last breath.
(No future, no future) (No future, no future) せめぎ合いの時代の中で (No future, no future) (No future, even any future) 私に教えて あなたがいるって もっと教えて 生涯をかけながら
In this era of strife, please teach me that you're here. Please tell me more as we strive for our whole life. There's no future, no future, even any future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Nanase Aikawa, Tomoyasu Hotei
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind