19-year-old Japanese singer Azuma Aki is making waves in Korea with the release of her first full-length album, “To You, the Most Precious Person in the World,” marking the start of her official domestic activities.
According to the organizer Popcorn Music Gallery, Azuma Aki held an album release showcase on the afternoon of the 23rd at the White Hall of the Hinmulgyeol Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where she performed new songs filled with Korean lyricism.
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2007, Azuma Aki showed her talent early on, winning the student category at the China World Song Festival in Dalian at age 4 and receiving the top singing award at the Crown Record singing competition in the Tokai region of Japan. At age 7, she received a special award at a world K-pop competition, and at age 8, she became the youngest winner of the Endo Minoru Grand Prize 2016 and won the Koga Melody category at the 35th Koga Masao Memorial Okawa Music Festival.
After working on movie soundtracks and performing in Hawaii, USA, she built a connection with Korea at age 16 by placing in the Top 3 of the audition program “Trot Girls Japan.” She later appeared on MBN’s “Korea-Japan Song Battle,” where she won the “Rising Star” award, and became a regular cast member on MBN’s “Korea-Japan Top Ten Show.”
Over the past two years, Azuma Aki has made a strong impression on Korean music fans through more than 100 performances, with several of her stages surpassing 1 million views on YouTube.
Popcorn Music Gallery shared, “Azuma Aki had to cross the Genkai Sea for every weekly recording and master Korean lyrics. Despite the grueling schedule of traveling between Japan and Korea every week, she achieved steady growth by perfectly delivering Korean songs. Based on these experiences, she is making a new start with her first Korean full-length album that tells her own story.”
Her first album, “To You, the Most Precious Person in the World,” features a total of 11 tracks, including three new songs—”A Postage Stamp,” “Mother’s Sea,” and “Dasoni”—as well as eight of her favorite Korean songs. The album highlights her clean tone, delicate breathing, and expressive ability to move between chest voice and falsetto. Azuma Aki personally participated in the entire preparation process, including song selection, recording, and music video production.
“A Postage Stamp” is a pop ballad that compares longing for someone who has left to a letter. “Mother’s Sea” expresses a mother’s infinite love through a children’s song-style sensibility, comparing it to the ocean. “Dasoni,” titled with a pure Korean word meaning “loved one,” is a sorrowful song about the preciousness of love.
The album also includes timeless classics reimagined in Azuma Aki’s own style, such as “Gaeyeoul,” “Come Back to Busan Port,” “Forgotten Season,” “Tears of Mokpo,” and “Story of an Old Couple in Their 60s.”
Starting with this album release showcase, Azuma Aki will continue her activities in Korea with a concert tour across the country, including Seoul and Busan.
