Sowelu, born Aki Harada (原田亜希, Harada Aki), is a J-pop singer. She was born… Read Full Bio ↴Sowelu, born Aki Harada (原田亜希, Harada Aki), is a J-pop singer. She was born on November 6, 1982 in Tokyo to a Japanese father and a half-Irish half-Japanese mother. Her career started in 2002 with the release of her first single Beautiful Dreamer, a soft love ballad which did very well in the charts, and was later featured on the Relaxin’ with Japanese Lovers compilation album. Her first single was modestly successful, and it wasn't until the release of her album Geofu in the summer of 2003 that she gained recognition. Geofu did exceptionally well in the charts, scoring a number 4 position with more than 300,000 copies sold. Her first single after Geofu, "Rainbow" was used as the theme song for the Japanese drama Netsuretsuteki Chukahanten, and the other A-side song on that single, "breath ~Omoi no Youryou~" was used for the national promotion campaign of JFN Radio. She performs under Sony Music Japan's DEFStar records label.

Her next big single "Glisten" was used in a make-up commercial for Menard products, and did fairly well in the Japanese market. With this success, she gained even more popularity, and was asked to sing the end theme for the popular TBS animated series Fullmetal Alchemist, entitled "I Will", giving her an easy in with American fans. Because of "'I Will"', the two other songs included with her "I Will" single, "Candy Rain" and "Pearl Color ni Yurete", became popular among American fans. In 2005, her song "Candy Rain" was featured on the Soul Tree: a Musical Tribute to Toshinobu Kubota album and "Pearlcolor ni Yurete" was on the Momoe Yamaguchi tribute album Thank You For.... Likewise, her third single "Fortune" was selected for the American J-Pop compilation album Neo Soul, and "Across my Heart" from the Geofu album was added to the "Smooth Listening Compilation" album.

In November 2004, Sowelu released her 8th single, "Last Forever", which became the TV insert song for the new drama There goes Nurse-man, and her cover of "The Rose" was featured on a Nescafe commercial. Then finally, after one and a half years of waiting, Sowelu released her second album Sweet Bridge on January 7, 2005.

In 2005, Sowelu contributed to m-flo's album BEAT SPACE NINE on the track "So Exclusive", and again on their album DOPE SPACE NINE in the same song, remixed by Korean fusion band, Clazziquai.

In the music video for the song "to YOU" several photographs of her family and her childhood are intercut with scenes of her singing in a wide room with large glass windows. According to her website, the video location is a church about one hour away from Tokyo by car. At the end of the PV, the family members in the photos make an appearance together with Sowelu, including her grandmother, her mother and even Sowelu's pet chihuahua.

Her latest album "２４－ｔｗｅｎｔｙ　ｆｏｕｒ－" was released on July 12, 2006. It debuted at #3, her highest ranking yet. The album remained at the #3 spot for two weeks on the Weekly Oricon Album Charts. One of the album's songs entitled "守るべきもの", is used as the ending of the 9th Pokemon movie Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy.

On December 12, 2007 Sowelu released her latest single "光". The single had moderate success and reached #28 on the Oricon Weekly Charts. More recently Sowelu will participate in the 2008 Nike ad campaign, "MY MUSIC,MY FORCE"; along with Perfume, Home Made Kazoku, Tohoshinki, Shota Moriyama and Shoko Nakagawa.

I Will
Sowelu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

溢れ出す涙なら
今は止めなくていい
悲しみの最後には
光が差し込むはず

そう同じ気持ち信じてた
消去したメモリー見つめてた
今あなたに逢えないけど

切ない想い隠して
強くなれるもっと確かめていくの
溢れ出す涙なら
今は止めなくていい
悲しみの最後には
光が差し込むはず
急ぎすぎて壊してきたもの
取り戻すの私らしく歩くために
ねえまたあなたに会う時は
さきに「さよなら」言わせて
信じているきっと新しい明日を
迷わずに焦らずに
過ぎていく時間は
優しさに変わってく
痛みも忘れない
無邪気すぎて傷ついた心を
抱きしめるの
生まれ変わる自分のために

溢れ出す涙なら
今は止めなくていい
悲しみの最後には
光が差し込むはず
迷わずに焦らずに
過ぎていく時間は
優しさに変わってく
痛みも忘れない

急ぎすぎて壊してきたもの
取り戻すの私らしく歩くために

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sowelu's song I Will convey a message of resilience and hope in the face of loss and pain. The first verse talks about not holding back tears, acknowledging that sadness is a natural emotion that needs to be lived through in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The chorus repeats this message, emphasizing that even in the midst of sorrow, one can be strong and confident in facing the future. The second verse appears to be addressed to a loved one who is no longer present, expressing the desire to see them again but also acknowledging the need to let go and move on. The bridge talks about the transformative power of time and the importance of embracing both the joy and pain that life brings in order to grow and heal.

Overall, I Will is a song that speaks to the human capacity for resilience and hope in the face of hardship. Its lyrics encourage listeners to face their emotions honestly, to acknowledge their pain and sadness, but also to trust in their ability to overcome and find a way forward.

Line by Line Meaning

溢れ出す涙なら
If tears overflow

今は止めなくていい
We don't need to stop them now

悲しみの最後には
At the end of sadness

光が差し込むはず
Light will shine through

そう同じ気持ち信じてた
Yes, we believed in the same feelings

消去したメモリー見つめてた
Gazing at the erased memories

今あなたに逢えないけど
Even though I can't see you now

切ない想い隠して
I'll hide my painful thoughts

強くなれるもっと確かめていくの
I'll become stronger and check more

急ぎすぎて壊してきたもの
We hurried and broke things

取り戻すの私らしく歩くために
To take them back and walk in my own way