Ayane (singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayane | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | 彩音 |
| Born | October 9 |
| Genres | J-pop, anime song, video game songs |
| Occupation | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004 - present |
| Label | Mages |
| Website | Official website |
Ayane (彩音; born October 9) is a female Japanese singer from Saitama Prefecture, who is mainly known for having performed several songs used in video games and anime.
She has performed theme songs for numerous animated works, including Higurashi When They Cry, Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō, Ayakashi, 11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shōjo, the Memories Off series, and Steins;Gate, among others.[1]
She studied piano, and began writing lyrics and dancing since early childhood.[2]
In 2004, she released her debut single, entitled "Kizuna", which was used as opening theme for the TV anime series W Wish.[1] Her 2007 single, "Nageki no Mori", which was used as the opening theme of the PlayStation 2 game Higurashi: When They Cry – Matsuri[1] and became her first Top 30 entry on the Oricon charts.[3]
On August 6 2008, Ayane released her second album, Elephant Notes.[4] The album featured fourteen tracks, all of which are theme songs or ending themes from anime and video games. To promote the album, Ayane held campaigns with mini concerts in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka starting late August 2008. A sold-out solo live concert followed on September 28, 2008, at FAB in Omotesando, Tokyo.[4]
In 2009, Ayane celebrated the fifth anniversary of her debut. That year marked a significant milestone as she received recognition at the Bishōjo Game Awards, where her song "Lunatic Tears..."—the opening theme for the PC game 11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shōjo-—won the Gold Prize in the Theme Song category.[1][5] In spring of the same year, she embarked on her first major live tour, titled Ayane Live Tour 2009, covering the three Japanese cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. While she had previously conducted promotional events in these locations, the tour featured her debut solo live performances in Nagoya and Osaka accompanied by a live band.[5] Additionally, this year she was also invited to perform for the first time at the anime song festival Animelo Summer Live 2009, which took place on August 2 at the Saitama Super Arena.[6]
On January 22, 2011, Ayane performed at the live event J-Pop in China 2011 held in Beijing, co-organized by the Japanese Embassy. She appeared alongside R&B singer Jay'ed, marking her first visit to China.[7]
In 2012, Ayane released her single "Cry Out", her first collaboration with Japanese rock band Nagareda Project.[8]
In 2013, Ayane performed the opening theme song "Phenogram" for the video game Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[9] This marked her first time contributing an opening theme to the Science Adventure series.[9] She was subsequently appointed to also perform the opening theme for the Playstation Vita edition of the same game, entitled "Kaikō no Fatalität",[10] and then "Isumo Kono Basho de", which was used as ending theme for the theatrical film Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu.[11] This year she also launched her first solo-hosted radio program, titled Ayane no Choco-Bana Radio, which began streaming on July 3, 2013, via HiBiKi Radio Station.[11]
In January 2014, Ayane released her fourth studio album, Luminous Flux, marking her first album in approximately three years.[12] To support the album, Ayane embarked on her two-venue tour Ayane Live Tour 2014: Luminous Flux, consisting of two performances: February 15 at Osaka Muse in Osaka, and March 22 at Shinjuku Blaze in Tokyo.[12] On July 30, she released her double A-side titled "Headway! Buccaneers"/"Never Give Up", the first song serving as the opening theme for the pirate-themed game Sōkai Buccaneers!, while the latter served as ending theme for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2.[13] On October 8, 2014, Ayane released her tenth anniversary commemorative album Base Ten, for which she included re-arranged versions of previous singles, self-covers, and anime covers.[14] This year she was also invited to numerous international anime-related events, and performed live in Russia,[15] the United States[16] and Taiwan.[17]
In 2015, Ayane collaborated for the first time with fellow singer Kanako Ito on the duet track "Ascension", which was released on March 4 as part of the soundtrack single for the complete edition visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Iki.[18] She also released her single single "If", which continued her long-standing association with the Steins;Gate franchise., as the title track was selected as the original song for the Japanese slot machine Steins;Gate Kaiten Sekai no Inductance.[19] The single's B-side featured the song "Mirai e no Resolve," which served as the ending theme for the Playstation 4 game Megadimension Neptunia VII.[19]
In November 2016, her 23rd single "Soul Buster" was used as theme song of the Chinese-Japanese co-produced anime of the same name.[17]
In 2019, she celebrated the 15th anniversary with the release of the EP for Dearest, whose leading song was used as theme song for the video game Memories Off: Innocent Fille, and also held her 15th anniversary concert Ayane 15th Anniversary Live -for Dearest- at Club Seata in Kichijoji, Tokyo.[17]
In 2020, Ayane was appointed to perform the ending theme song for the Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou anime.[20] She subsequently also performed the second ending theme of Gou,[21] and the opening theme of the final season Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu in 2021.[22]
Discography
| Ayane discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 5 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 3 |
| Singles | 27 |
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [24] | |||
| Archive Lovers |
|
99 |
|
| Elephant Notes |
|
55 |
|
| Lyricallya Candles |
|
79 |
|
| Luminous Flux |
|
82 |
|
| Life Time |
|
— | |
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [24] | |||
| For Dearest |
|
142 |
|
| Songs for... Music from Mages Studio |
|
— | |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [24] | |||
| Base Ten |
|
132 |
|
| Resilience: Memories Off Best |
|
164 |
|
| Analogy: Ayane Higurashi Song Collection |
|
38 |
|
Remix albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [24] | |||
| Hyper Moe Trance |
|
— | |
| Hyper Moe Trance II |
|
— | |
| Hyper Dance Remix |
|
— | |
Singles
- 2000s
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [25] |
JPN Hot 100 [26][a] | |||||
| "Kizuna" | 2004 | 95 |
|
Elephant Notes | ||
| "Ribbon" | 2005 | 112 |
| |||
| "Orange" | 71 |
|
Archive Lovers | |||
| "Film Makers" | 2006 | 114 |
| |||
| "Nageki no Mori" | 2007 | 30 |
| |||
| "Dolphin Jet" | 78 |
|
Elephant Notes | |||
| "Cloudier Sky" | 2008 | 81 | — |
| ||
| "Lunatic Tears..." | 68 | —[b] |
| |||
| "Sono Saki ni Aru, Dareka no Egao no Tame ni" | 64 | — |
|
Lyricallya Candles | ||
| "Endless Tears..." | 2009 | 25 | —[c] |
| ||
| "Gravity Error" | 60 | — |
| |||
| "Arrival of Tears" | 22 | —[d] |
| |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
- 2010s
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [25] |
JPN Hot 100 [26] | |||||
| "Angelic Bright" | 2010 | 40 | —[e] |
|
Lyricallya Candles | |
| "Jūjika ni Sasagu Septet" | 45 | —[f] |
| |||
| "Crest of Knights" | 2011 | 151 | — |
|
Luminous Flux | |
| "Cry Out" | 2012 | 168 | — |
| ||
| "Itsumo Kono Basho de" | 2013 | 34 | —[g] |
| ||
| "Phenogram" | 54 | —[h] |
| |||
| "Genjutsu no Crossroad" | 157 | 74 |
| |||
| "Kaiko no Fatalitat" | 170 | — |
|
Non-album singles | ||
| "Headway! Buccaneers" | 2014 | 165 | — |
| ||
| "Never Give Up" | — | |||||
| "If" | 2015 | 156 | — |
| ||
| "Soul Buster" | 2016 | — | — | |||
| "Resilience" | 2018 | — | — | Resilience: Memories Off Best | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
- 2020s
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales [23] |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [25] |
JPN Hot 100 [26] | |||||
| "God's Syndrome" | 2020 | 39 | —[i] |
|
Analogy: Ayane Higurashi Song Collection | |
| "Irregular Entropy" | 2021 | 57 | —[j] |
| ||
| "Anagram of Coda" | 2022 | 181 | — |
|
Life Time | |
| "Dream On" | 2023 | 197 | — |
| ||
| "Our Days" | 2024 | — | — | |||
| "Love Groove" | — | — | ||||
| "Tatoeba Kimi ga Kodoku demo" | — | — | ||||
| "Not Always True" | 2025 | 53 | — |
|
Non-album singles | |
| "Unreal Nonfiction" | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Other appearances
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album/EP |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Eien no Mukō" | 2010 | Kōrin no Machi, Lavender no Shōjo Theme Song | |
| "Ascension" | 2015 | Kanako Itō | Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sui Theme Song Collection |
| "Hoshizora Orgel" | 2021 | Since Memories: Off the Starry Sky Theme Song Collection | |
Other
- カカシ (Kakashi) — crystal2 ~Circus Vocal Collection~ Vol.2
- 月と夜空とホウキ星 (Tsuki to Yozora to Houkiboshi) — Yanezutai no Kimi he opening song
- Fractal Tree — PS2 game Que -Fairy of ancient leaf- opening theme
- デコトラ☆愛らんど～伝説の男達～ (Dekotora ☆ Airando ~Densetsu no Otokotachi~) — Wii game Zenkoku Dekotora Matsuri ~Yosakoi Bakusou Onban~ insert song
- After Rain (Live ver.) — THE WORKS Chiyomaru Shikura Gakkyoku Shuu
- 宵闇の月に抱かれて (Yoiyami no Tsuki ni Dakarete) — FAR EAST OF EAST / Tatsh Music Circle Touhou project Arrange CD
- 旋風ノ舞 (Senpuu no Mai) — Wii game Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Do Don to 2 Daime
- Close Your Eyes (kors k mix) - ULTRA RELOAD Vol.1 feat. AKABEi SOFT2
- Lunatic Tears... (DJ Shimamura Remix) — SUPER SHOT3: Bishōjo Game Remix Collection
- Red Rose Evangel — Arcade game Taiko no Tatsujin playable song
- Purple Rose Fusion - Arcade game Taiko no Tatsujin playable song
- 覚醒 - Fractional Vision (Kakusei - Fractional Vision) - Visual Novel SINCLIENT theme song
- Divine Beast - Hatsukoi 1/1 character theme song
- Re-Start - Aikomyu!! -IDOL Communication- ending theme
- punitive justice～千年の錯綜～ (Sennen no Sakusou) - PC game Shoujo Shin'iki ~ Shoujo Tengoku -The Garden of Fifth Zoa- ending theme
- いつもこの場所で (Symphonic Ver.) (Itsumo Kono Basho de) - STEINS;GATE SYMPHONIC REUNION
- REALIZE (vocals) - Cytus
With platoniX
- CARRY ON NIGHT (English Version) — "beatmania IIDX 10th Style"
- PLATONIC-XXX — "beatmania IIDX 10th Style"
- Don't be afraid myself — "beatmania IIDX 11: RED"
- Under the Sky (with Sayaka Minami from BeForU) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY" & "Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2"
- Xepher (with Yumi Natori) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY"
- DOUBLE ♥♥ LOVING HEART (with Sayaka Minami from BeForU) — "beatmania IIDX 13: DistorteD"
- CARRY ON NIGHT (Dub's Old Gamers Remix) — "V-RARE SOUNDTRACK 12"
- Don't be afraid myself (trance edge mix) — "V-RARE SOUNDTRACK 14"
As Junko Hirata
- Xepher (ver1.1) (with Tatsh and Yumi Natori) — "Bemani Top Ranker Ketteisen"
- 月光 (ver0.99) (Gekkou (ver0.99)) — "Bemani Top Ranker Ketteisen"
- Love Again... (with Tatsh) — "beatmania IIDX 11: RED CS"
- With Your Smile (with Shoichiro Hirata) — "beatmania IIDX 14: GOLD"
- 旅立ちの唄 (Tabidachi no Uta) (with Tatsh) — "pop'n music 14 FEVER!"
- Love Again... 'Brand New Life Mix' - Tatsh album MATERIAL
- 旅立ちの唄 'Graduation Mix' - Tatsh album MATERIAL
Songs written for other artists
- GLORY DAYS (lyrics) — from W Wish, performed by Saeko Chiba
- WONDERLAND (lyrics & composition) — performed by Maria Yamamoto
- MOON PARTY (lyrics & composition) — performed by CoCo☆HONEYMOON (Atsuko Enomoto & Maria Yamamoto)
- LOVE&HISTORY (lyrics & composition) — performed by Maria Yamamoto
- Reijou Doll (lyrics) — PC game Reijou Trader opening theme, performed by Yuuri Nashimoto
- Gekkou (lyrics) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY" performed by Kanako Hoshino
- Lunatic Tears... (lyrics) — "EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS SPEED ANIME TRANCE BEST ECSTASY" performed by xue
- Next Relation (lyrics) — Xbox 360 game Memories Off 6 Next Relation opening song, performed by Velforest.
