Ayaka Hirahara

With jazz in her blood (her father, Makoto Hirahara, is a noted Japanese saxophonist, and her grandfather a trumpeter), Ayaka Hirahara seemed an unlikely candidate for pop stardom. Performing ballet and classical alto saxophone in school, her first single was indeed a pop vocal adaptation (partially in English) of Gustav Holst's suite The Planets, complete with a small string section in the background. The song climbed the Oricon charts quickly, peaking at number two and leading the way for her first full-length album, Odyssey. A sophomore album, The Voice, sold strongly, over...