Ichiko Aoba

is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. She plays multiple instruments, including guitar, piano, clarinet, accordion, and flute.

Aoba is known for her dream-inspired acoustic sound and songwriting, as well as her use of field recordings, largely owed to frequent collaborator ZAK of Fishmans fame. This was inspired by her father, who was a craftsman and involved himself in environmental communities in Kyoto. which introduced Aoba to Disney films from a young age. However, Aoba said she has always "[felt] a sense of inferiority that I [she] cannot sing loud," At age seventeen, Aoba attended a concert of Japanese singer-songwriter and eight-string classical guitarist Anmi Yamada, which moved her so much so that she sought his mentorship. During her initial learning, she loved covering the songs of Yamada, whom she would later begin to call over the phone for lessons. Here, she would perform her first live shows in Tokyo's Ginza District, playing songs from Yamada's repertoire. In time, Yamada both encouraged Aoba to sing and pursue her own songwriting.

Around 2012, Aoba was introduced to frontman by their mutual friend Koji Shimotsu (frontman of Odotte Bakari no Kuni). Aoba and Mahito formed the collaborative duo NUUAMM, which has since released two studio albums: NUUAMM (2014) and w / ave (2017).

0 features two covers of her mentor Yamada's songs, "Clockwork Universe" and "Spring Summer Fall Winter" .

2012–2014: Mahoroboshiya and qp In 2013, Aoba was asked to work for a theatre production of 9 Days Queen, a stage play by playwright Go Aoki. She has also worked with Takahiro Fujita's Mum & Gypsy company in a production of Cocoon, as well as a revival of Lemmings by Shūji Terayama,

Aoba features on the soundtrack of the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Her arrangement was used to promote the game in Japan.

Aoba has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taylor Deupree, Cornelius, Haruomi Hosono, Mac DeMarco, Sweet William, and Mahito the People.

qp features a cover of one of her mentor Yamada's songs.

2019–2020: Ayukawa no shizuku and Windswept Adan Windswept Adan was released in 2020 under her newly created Hermine label.

2021–2023: Amiko and live albums Aoba composed the soundtrack of the 2022 film Amiko, an adaptation of the novel by Natsuko Imamura. The film received the 2023 Mainichi Film Award for Best Soundtrack. thumb 2024–present: Luminescent Creatures In preparation for the release of Luminescent Creatures, Aoba and the team that worked on the album spent most of their time on Hateruma, the southernmost and smallest island of the Ryukyu chain, understandings its tradition and ecosystem.

Following the release of Luminescent Creatures, Aoba embarked on the Luminescent Creatures Tour and Across the Oceans Tour promoting the album. In 2026, Aoba released "Sayonara Penguin," a studio version of a song often played during her live concerts.

Artistry

Influences In 2014, Aoba cited Björk's Debut and albums by Tavito Nanao, Mahito the People, and Django Reinhardt, among others, as albums that have "changed her life."

Aoba also cites Ryuichi Sakamoto as an influence, having collaborated with him on Radio.

Musical inspiration and process Dreams are "the most important thing" to Aoba's artistic inspiration; she says she "dream a lot," which she writes down and draws to remember them. To help her "[need]" to digest "everything that happens to [her]," Aoba always carries around a notebook and pen.

Aoba creates the "story" of her works before the music itself. She uses doodles as a means of creating imagery for the story, which upon completing mentally, she will "express" through music. Aoba believes that "being stuck is [a very important] part of the process"a struggle which "is part of the joy of making [music]," despite "not always [being] fun." When facing difficulty during this process, Aoba says she finds "the spring of inspiration" at the middle of the chaos, which she has described as "an adventure." She believe much of this process is "a very mono action," adding that it reminds her of the "aloneness that we all have."

Musical style Aoba's primary instruments are the guitar and voice, but later expanded to include more orchestral instrumentation. She describes her instruments as her "best friends," preferring "singing to talking." Despite feelings of inferiority, Aoba says that "for as long as I can use my voice, I want to make music."

Other ventures Aoba founded her own independent record label, Hermine, in 2020. She chose to found it due to "a gap between the music industry and what I [Aoba] want to do."

Personal life Despite Aoba attending a Catholic school and her father being involved with Buddhism, Aoba has described herself as "not subscrib[ing] to a certain religion."

Aoba supports her music being used on and shared across social media platforms, but reserves that its use in advertising "needs more moderating."

Discography

Studio albums 2010: Kamisori Otome (剃刀乙女) 2011: Origami (檻髪) 2012: Utabiko (うたびこ) 2013: 0 2016: Mahoroboshiya (マホロボシヤ) 2018: qp 2019: Ayukawa no shizuku (鮎川のしづく) 2020: Windswept Adan (アダンの風) 2022: Amiko (Original Soundtrack) 2025: Luminescent Creatures

Live albums 2011: Kaizokuban (かいぞくばん) 2014: 0% 2017: Pneuma 2020: "gift" at Sogetsu Hall 2021: Live at Ginza Sony Park 2021: "Windswept Adan" Concert At Bunkamura Orchard Hall 2021: Live at Jazzstate, 4 December 2019 (with Albert Karch) 2023: Live at Milton Court (with 12 Ensemble) 2025: Live at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall (15th Anniversary Concert)

Other releases 2011: Hinoko (火のこ) – Ichiko Aoba & Kazuhisa Uchihashi 2012: Meteor (流星) – Haruka Nakamura & Ichiko Aoba 2013: Radio (ラヂヲ) – Ichiko Aoba and the Fairies (青葉市子と妖精たち) 2013: Yura Yura feat. Ichiko Aoba – Ovall (Dawn) 2013: Soto wa Senjou da yo (外は戦場だよ) feat. Ichiko Aoba – Cornelius (Ghost in the Shell: Arise OST) 2019: Amaneki (あまねき) – Sweet William & Ichiko Aoba 2020: amuletum bouquet – Ichiko Aoba 2020: "gift" BGM – Ichiko Aoba 2020: Seabed Eden (海底のエデン) – Ichiko Aoba 2021: Asleep Among Endives (アンディーヴと眠って) – Ichiko Aoba 2021: Windswept Adan Roots – Ichiko Aoba 2022: hello – Ichiko Aoba 2023: Space Orphans – Ichiko Aoba 2023: meringue doll – Ichiko Aoba 2023: Sketch – Ichiko Aoba 2024: Seabed Eden - French version – Ichiko Aoba & Pomme 2024: Grandiose - Japanese version – Pomme & Ichiko Aoba 2024: Lullaby – Ichiko Aoba 2024: FLAG – Ichiko Aoba 2025: SONAR – Ichiko Aoba 2026: Sayonara Penguin (さよならペンギン) – Ichiko Aoba

Awards