Indie folk darling Ichiko Aoba lands at the Esplanade Recital Studio in 2020. She released her first album Kamisori Otome in 2010, and has since released six solo albums. From 2018 to 2019, Aoba has toured throughout Japan in 30 locations to promote her latest album qp. The highly successful tour has also extended to Reykjavik, Copenhagen, London and Paris.
Aside from her work as a solo artist, she is also a part of the unit NUUAMM with MahiToThePeople of GENZAN. Aoba has recorded with the likes of Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Keigo Oyamada. She also worked with U-Zhaan, which saw the release of the collaboration album Radio.
Aoba has proven to be a versatile artist, providing commercial music for well-known brands such as UNIQLO, Kewpie, Odakyu Romance Car, Tokyo Electron, Zojirushi, Tama Home and Zexy. She has also starred in musicals such as Watashi wa Shingo, Lemming Sekai No Hate Made Tsuretette and cocoon, the former of which she also wrote the lyrics for. Aoba has also extended her talents to voice acting, playing the role of Trixie in the short animation film Blade Runner Blackout 2022.
About ASPIDISTRAFLY
“With a hushed wispy voice in the spirit of Vashti Bunyan, ASPIDISTRAFLY have more in common with ambient composers like Max Richter—and, along the way, have found their own leaf-covered path.” – NPR Music
Taking their name from George Orwell’s novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying, ASPIDISTRAFLY was formed by Singapore-based singer-songwriter April Lee and producer Ricks Ang in 2003. The duo play a flickeringly filmic mixture of ambient folk with gossamer-like vocal harmonies and guitar-based drone wrapped in delicate lo-fi haziness. After two independently released EPs, the duo released their first album I Hold A Wish For You in 2008, which led to a seven-city Asia tour in 2009.
In 2011, they released their second album A Little Fable, crafted around compelling vocals, gentle fingerpicking, distorted guitars, tape loops and orchestral arrangements. The track Landscape With A Fairy was also featured as NPR Music’s Song Of The Day. The duo has collaborated with artists such as Kyo Ichinose, Akira Kosemura, Seigen Tokuzawa and haruka nakamura. ASPIDISTRAFLY has also collaborated with Japanese fashion labels LAD MUSICIAN and NARS. ASPIDISTRAFLY third full-length album is set to be released in 2020.
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