Ichiko Aoba | Artist
Ichiko Aoba is a Japanese folk singer and songwriter born 1990 in Urayasu, Chiba and raised in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Her main instrument is guitar, which most of her music is mainly composed of, and she also plays the piano, clarinet, accordion, and flute. Aoba, who has been dubbed "The Ethereal Voice of Japanese Folk Music", began to learn classical guitar at the age of 17, and she cites Disney and Studio Ghibli as inspirations for her music. At the age of 17, Aoba attended a concert that would greatly influence her signature style and career. During a performance by Japanese musician Anna Yamada, Aoba was introduced to the wonders and beauty of Yamada’s approach to composition and sought her mentorship. Yamada’s style is characterized by gentle, jazzy guitar melodies and airy vocals, a style that would play a big role in Aoba’s own quest for her musical identity under Yamada’s guidance. Critics have described Aoba's style as "very fine stripped back, softly presented, chamber-folk". Her evocative and picturesque minimalistic folk consists mainly of a symbiosis of a woman and a guitar with ambient and noise passages, and lyrics inspired by her dreams. Her music feels like a mushy cloud taking you on a dreamy journey. Aoba released her first album, Razor Girl at the age of 19 in 2010. Since then, she has released eleven studio albums, as well as several exquisite live albums. Standout albums include Kamisori otome (2010), O (2013), Mahoroboshiya (2016), qp (2018), Windswept Adan (2020), "Gift" at Sogetsu Hall (2020), and her most recent Luminescent Creatures (2025). The album Windswept Adan in particular has attracted many rave critical reviews, including the following excepts from RYM "The whole album is gorgeous.. like a siren singing Eastern European renaissance choral hymns", "Each track is a force in the soul that makes you at once relax and settle into an atmosphere of pure tranquility and magic", and "one of the most lush, scenic, beautiful albums I have ever heard". Aoba is also a member of two bands; Kensuke Ide & His Mothership, and NUUAMM. In addition to her work as a radio presenter, narrator, and film composer, she was also featured in the soundtrack of the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and her arrangement was used to promote the game in Japan. Aoba has also collaborated with fellow musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taylor Deupree, Cornelius, Haruomi Hosono, Mac DeMarco, Sweet William, and MahiToThePeople. With very little press outside of her home country, Aoba's music has attracted a devoted worldwide following, mainly due to word-of-mouth exposure on various online forums. She releases music on her own label, hermine.
Artist Website: ichikoaoba.com
Featured Albums: Ichiko Aoba
Related Artists: NUUAMM, Kensuke Ide, Anna Yamada
