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This is where you'll find translated entries of Angela's blog, kindly translated and allowed to be posted here by Luminaire (THANK YOU!). These are all actually written by Angela, (except for Luminaire's translation notes, obviously) and feature the pictures that Angela included in her original entry. The blog isn't quite up to date yet, but I'll post them as Luminaire translates them. :)

20/06/2006: “HOME” charting in at #2 in its first week!

To those who listened to me on “All Night Nippon” last night, thank you all very much! It was 2 hours of laughter and tears. What made me the happiest is having received all that mail from all of you. Even though I couldn’t read them all out during the program (and that was due to my talking too much… *sweatdrops*) I read them later after the program. Thank you very much!

After the broadcast ended, my staff popped champagne for me while we were still in the studio, congratulating me with, “Congratulations on your Oricon #2~!!” To all my staff who believed in my music and worked hard together with me from day 1, please take good care of me from now on!

Today, I went to Nagoya on the back of 2 hours of sleep. Many people turned up to support me for the live ZippFM broadcast! I was really touched by a little girl and her father turning up in a matching pair of “ONE” T-shirts! Thanks for your message of love! Right now, I’ve arrived in Sapporo. I’ll be spending 3 days in Sapporo, and then when I’ve returned to Tokyo on Friday I’ll be heading straight for Music Station from Haneda Airport. I’ll give my best this week, while reading all of your warm comments!

The photos are a twin shot with Madam Mikhael, who did a spot of name-reading with my name for me on “All Night Nippon”, as well as one of my staff and me, who couldn’t keep my joy at hitting #2 to myself!

19/06/2006: And at long last, Angela Aki’s All Night Nippon!

Today’s the long-awaited date of Angela Aki’s “All Night Nippon!” This’ll be the first time that I’ll be talking over the radio waves for 2 hours, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll write here again after the broadcast’s ended~!

Right now, I’m here at NHK, preparing for the recording of my appearance on PopJam!

And I’ll fight on today as well, while drinking Chocola BB! (I’m full of phrases like these… *bitter laugh*)



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Luminaire's Notes:

* And finally, translator’s notes in a long while! XD “All Night Nippon”, or “All Night Japan”, is basically a late night radio program.

* Chocola BB’s a health drink that contains much of the B Vitamins, which are purportedly good for the skin.

17/06/2006: News23!

To all who live in the Kansai region, I’m terribly sorry! It was only after the program ended and I read the email I received from my cousins that I realised for the first time that the program isn’t broadcasted in the Kansai area. *tears* But to those who watched it, thank you very much. I’ve read all your comments one by one. (I’ve even read all the booing that came from those who weren’t able to watch it! *laughs* I’m really, really sorry!)

This appeared in all of your comments quite a bit – “Angie, you seem a lot quieter than usual?” Ahahaha. I exposed it eh? I was really, really nervous~. From the start till the end, my heart was like going “Thud! Thud!” It made me think about my first date. (Hmm, that was really quite a long time ago…)

Whatever the case, Mr. Chikushi is really quite a wonderful person~! After the program ended, he even took a photo with me upon my request!

16/06/2006: Sorry for using such an old phrase!

Reading all the comments I’ve received from all of you out there, my tears started flowing and wouldn’t stop. Thank you all very, very much. There are many out there who are chasing their dreams, and their comments became my power for me to carry on. “There’s things I want to do, but I just can’t reach them” – I really understand the feelings of those who keep such thoughts close to their hearts. Chances can be found lurking everywhere, so even if you think that you’re heading in the wrong direction, it may just be the important path leading you on to the next stage. And even though I say that, when you’re lost you’re really lost! When you’re heartbroken you’re really heartbroken! And when you lose sight of your dreams, you’ve really lost sight of them… I can’t really express it well, but at any rate all of your words directly hit my heart! (This phrase is really old, isn’t it? *laughs*)

Being able to feel something through the lyrics and melody of a song together with the listeners – it’s a pretty unique strength of music. And I think that, via this way, I’m connected with all of you. (In my opinion! *laughs*)

The photos are from the “Bespectacled Girls-Only Live” I held the other day, and I got them taken with everyone after the live. Because there were more than 10,000 application forms sent in, there were many, many of you who didn’t get the chance to attend (I’m very sorry!), so I’m going to put up these pictures! Thanks for always giving me your support!!!

PS – The “Bespectacled Girls-Only Live” was held at the viewing space in Tokyo Tower. It was my first time holding a live at such a high venue. I was really surprised that the helicopter I saw in the distance while singing was at a lower elevation than us! Tokyo Tower is really high! (As if that wasn’t obvious enough. *laughs*)

PPS – Tonight, I’ll be performing live on Mr. Chikushi Tetsuya’s “NEWS 23”. I’m getting nervous now! Everyone, please tune in!

14/06/2006: The voice of instinct

To those who’ve already heard my debut album, “Home”, which will finally be released today, thank you all very much. I’m also very, very happy reading all your wonderful comments!

Seeing this day arrive makes me think of quite a few things; it will be long, but please listen to what I have to say.

When I was a first-year student in university, I went with a friend who was living in the same dorm to attend a concert of an artist called Sarah Mclachlan. At that time, I was listening to a lot of punk, rock and hip-hop, so that was my first time attending a female singer-songwriter’s live. It was a really large venue, and our seats were quite a distance away from the stage, but I was drawn into the live right from the start. Even till today, I cannot forget the expressions of those around me when I took my eyes off the performing Sarah and looked around me. All I could see around me were emotionally moved faces, and people who were filled by Sarah’s unique world view. It was then, that realisation hit me. It felt like it was like a scene from a movie, where everything around me suddenly became shrouded in darkness, and a spotlight was shining on me. Time stopped in its tracks for a moment, as I very clearly realised that I was born to do something like this.

And 10 years have passed since then. And I’ve been continuing my music ever since, unable to forget the emotions I felt at that moment. After I graduated from university and secured a job, I continued my music activities while working. And after that, I still continued performing live while working as a waitress. And ever since I returned to Japan in 2003, I’ve been continuing my music, while performing live in live houses all over Tokyo on a regular basis. I would like to say that my eyes were only focused on music, and that I’ve carried on till today, believing in myself, but that hasn’t always been the case.

The times when the people passing by wouldn’t look back at me, even as I gave my all, playing on the piano in the lobby of Starbucks. The times when the sounds of drunken conversation were louder than music, whenever I performed live at taverns. The times when my tears wouldn’t stop flowing when I asked myself, “What exactly am I doing?”, stopping my car in the carpark at my part-time job venue. The times when I listened to the songs of other artists and thought that I had no talent. The times when the record companies refused to listen to my demo tapes that I had made and brought along with me, telling me “Half-Japanese just won’t sell” or “You’re pretty old, aren’t you”.

During those moments, I was full of emotions I wanted to hurl out. I even thought that there was no point for me to do music. Even so, I didn’t once forget the time when, at Sarah’s concert, I thought “I was born to do something like this”. I guess you could call it “the voice of instinct”. The sort of voice whose presence wouldn’t disappear even if you ignored it.

I guess you could say it’s pretty close to a miracle that today, my album will be lining the shelves of the stores. It’s a very precious album that took me 10 years to arrive at. I’m really, really glad. I’m glad that I clung onto this dream of mine. I’m glad that I followed my “voice of instinct”. Right now, these thoughts are running through my head. This album is an opus created through such a process. I hope that this album of mine, “Home”, will touch all your hearts…

I’m sorry that it’s this long! And, to those who’ve bought my album, thank you, thank you, thank you. No matter how many times I say it, it’ll never be enough. Thank you! *tears*

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