Ayaka was first introduced to public singing in her early years and throughout high school where she would sing song covers at school concerts. Her first solo concert was held in her second year of high school; it was a small high school concert in where she sang only covers of famous musicians. After speaking with an audience member, Ayaka was referred to the voice music center in Fukuoka. Ayaka began practicing original song composition as well as learning about the various recording methods used in mass media recording.
Ayaka performed at various music venues and as the opening act to various other groups during much of 2005. Though she had not officially debuted yet, in December 2005, Ayaka was contracted to perform the ending theme "Mikazuki" for a television Japanese Drama known as @Human. Even though a music video had been produced, the actual single would not be released for almost a year.
Ayaka performed three songs, Mikazuki, I Believe, and a Japanese rendition of the popular German Christmas carol, Silent Night.
On November 10, 2005, Lyor Cohen, the North American Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group described her in public: "After Mariah Carey, Hikaru Utada, now it's the third encounter with an amazing talent over my life". After Ayaka's performance, he stood up clapping and praised "World class to be!".
In January 2006, Ayaka recorded "I Believe" as the ending theme for the Japanese Drama, Rondo. At the time of its premiere, Rondo was one of Japan's highest rated dramas and is credited with exposing "I Believe" to wide audiences. The full single was first released as a downloadable only single and would go on to become one of the fastest downloadable song to reach 1,000,000 sales as well as becoming the 3rd highest selling downloadable debut single for a female artist.
"I Believe" was officially released on February 2, 2006 and debuted as the 3rd highest single of the week. The single would go on to stay in the top ten for six more weeks as well as selling a total of 220,000 copies in its entire chart run. An English cover of the song was used by Miki Ando in 2006 Skate America which Ando would go on to win. Ayaka would later perform the song live during the exhibition at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.
Ayaka's second single "melody ~Sounds Real~" would go on to have only moderate success on the Oricon charts. The single was limited to 50,000 copies, of which only approximately 10,000 were sold in its first week. "Melody ~Sounds Real~" peaked at number 14 on the Oricon charts and then steadily declined in both sales and chart position. When compared to her earlier songs, melody was a much more rock oriented song, a factor that earned her praise from various Japanese critics for her versatility. To date this is Ayaka's lowest selling single, but it was gone on to stay a while in the charts, slowly gaining sales, and has gotten past the 20,000 mark.
"Real Voice" was Ayaka's third single and was used as the ending theme to the Japanese Drama, Suppli. A B-Side single from "Melody ~Sounds Real~" known as "Blue Days" was also used as an insert song for the same show. "Real Voice" was released on July 17, 2006, selling 15,387 copies within its first week and charting as the 11th highest selling single of the week. To date the single has sold over 50,000 copies.
Weeks before the scheduled release of Ayaka's first album, "First Message", the album was canceled. In its place, the single "Mikazuki" was released as a rerecorded version of the same song from 2005. "Mikazuki" has become Ayaka's highest charting single, selling 40,091 copies within its first week and taking the highest spot on the Oricon weekly charts. The single would then go on to sale over 200,000 copies, making it one of the highest selling singles of the third quarter of 2006.
On November 1, 2006, Ayaka's first album "First Message" was finally released after months of push backs. It sold 350,580 copies within its first week, making it the highest selling album of the week as well as the highest selling debut album for a female artist in 7 years. The album went on to sell 1,003,412 copies and stayed within the top two positions on the Oricon charts for four weeks straight before being listed as the 13th highest selling album of 2006.
On February 28, 2007, a new single was released. The song Winding Road was a collaboration with label mates Kobukuro and used to promote a new line of car. The single reached a peak position of #2 on the Oricon charts.
The 5th single from Ayaka was used as the ending theme to Last Love, a Japanese movie that was released one month prior to the single. Ayaka also performed Jewelry Day, among many other songs, at the Japanese leg of Live Earth in Tokyo on July 7, 2007.
Te o Tsunagō Promo
Ayaka's 6th single, 'Why", released on September 5th, was used for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a PSP game by Square-Enix, as the theme song to the game.
At the end of 2007 Ayaka performed "Peace Loving People (special piano version)" in the annual music show Kōuhaku Uta Gassen.
On February 29, 2008, her first starring live event, Power Of Music was held. On March 5, 2008, Ayaka's first single of 2008, Te wo Tsunagō / Ai o Utaō was released. It was a double A-side single, first track used as a theme song for the movie, Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008, and the second track was used for Beauté de Kosé's "Esprique Precious" commercial. Her second single of the year, Okaeri, was released in May 2008. Okaeri is used for Zettai Kareshi drama theme song.
Her second album Sing to the Sky was released on June 25, 2008. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has thus far sold over 500,000 copies.
Anata to, the second collaboration single with Kobukuro, was released on September 24, 2008. The single was released due to fan requests after hearing the song performed live in concert.
Ayaka sang 'Okaeri' at the 59th annual Kōuhaku Uta Gassen
Ayaka announced in April her marriage to famous actor Mizushima Hiro [Asamoto Soshi from Zettai Kareshi -drama which she sang the theme song to-] They registered their marriage on February 22. It was also learned that immediately after Ayaka's debut in 2006, she became ill with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder. Ayaka tearfully reported that her symptoms have been increasing. As a result, Ayaka will continue with her music until the end of this year, after which she will put her career on hold. Mizushima promised to protect and support her.
Start to 0
絢香 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
本当の自由 探し歩いた
大きなラインの狭間で迷ってる
もう少しここに居たいけど 行かなきゃ
思い切ればいい
強くはないから
性に合わないみたい
"ゴメンネ バイバイ"
失敗して やり直して くり返した
自分の枠ん中 プライド守る
何かに押されて 枠から出れず
疑っては傷負い わからなくなるよ
足元にからみついた
重い鎖 全部 投げ捨てるんだ
矛盾だらけの世界
蹴散らしてみたけど yeah
見えてくる空が言った気がした
うんざりするなら start to love
右のポケットたたけば ほら
「欲」がこぼれるけれど
Oh yeah 自分を見失わない 強さがあれば
疲れ果てたなら
バスに乗って 旅に出ればいい
急ぎ足の街の中でも
失敗して やり直して
あの日のフレーズ 思い出す
いつでも 胸には start to love
憧れの場所へ夢見る"seventeen"
The lyrics to 絢香's song "Start to 0" express the journey of a young person who dreams of a place they long for, symbolized by their nostalgia for being seventeen. They search for true freedom, longing to break free from the constraints of their current circumstances. Caught in the middle of a big divide, they are torn between wanting to stay where they are and the realization that they must leave in order to truly pursue their dreams. They yearn for the courage to make bold decisions, acknowledging their lack of strength to live solely for others, as it goes against their nature. They apologize and say goodbye, accepting failure and starting over repeatedly, hoping to find their own path and preserve their pride within their own boundaries. However, they feel trapped, unable to escape the pressures that keep them confined and doubt begins to cause them harm. Determined to break free and throw off the weight of the heavy chains that have entangled them, they reject the contradictions of the world and discover that the sky, seemingly speaking to them, offers a solution. If they are fed up, they should start to love, embracing love as a means to overcome their frustrations and find a new beginning. The lyrics encourage them to reach into their right pocket, where desires overflow, but with the strength to not lose themselves in the process. When they feel exhausted, it suggests taking a bus and embarking on a journey, even within the fast-paced city, where they can make mistakes, start over again, and recall the melody of the past that still resonates in their heart. The underlying message is to always have love in their heart as they strive for the place they yearn for.
Line by Line Meaning
憧れの場所へ夢見る"seventeen"
Dreaming of the place I longed for as a seventeen-year-old
本当の自由 探し歩いた
I walked in search of true freedom
大きなラインの狭間で迷ってる
Lost in the gap between big lines
もう少しここに居たいけど 行かなきゃ
I want to stay here a little longer, but I have to go
思い切ればいい
I should be more decisive
強くはないから
Because I am not strong
誰かの為に生きるのは
Living for someone else
性に合わないみたい
Seems incompatible with my nature
"ゴメンネ バイバイ"
"Sorry, bye bye"
失敗して やり直して くり返した
I failed, restarted, and repeated
自分の枠ん中 プライド守る
I protect my pride within my own limits
何かに押されて 枠から出れず
Unable to break free from being pushed by something
疑っては傷負い わからなくなるよ
Doubting and getting hurt, losing sight of things
足元にからみついた
Entangled at my feet
重い鎖 全部 投げ捨てるんだ
I'm going to throw away all these heavy chains
矛盾だらけの世界
A world full of contradictions
蹴散らしてみたけど yeah
I tried to kick it away, yeah
見えてくる空が言った気がした
I felt like the visible sky was speaking
うんざりするなら start to love
If you're fed up, start to love
右のポケットたたけば ほら
If I pat my right pocket, look
「欲」がこぼれるけれど
Desires spill out
Oh yeah 自分を見失わない 強さがあれば
Oh yeah, if I have the strength to not lose myself
疲れ果てたなら
If you're exhausted
バスに乗って 旅に出ればいい
Just get on a bus and go on a journey
急ぎ足の街の中でも
Even in the fast-paced city
失敗して やり直して
Failing and starting over
あの日のフレーズ 思い出す
Remembering the phrases from that day
いつでも 胸には start to love
Always in my heart, start to love
憧れの場所へ夢見る"seventeen"
Dreaming of the place I longed for as a seventeen-year-old
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing
Written by: Ayaka, Yoshihiko Nishio
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind