Kokia

Kokia never topped the Oricon charts, but her exquisite, honed brand of J-pop brought her a number of theme song contracts for video games, TV shows, and anime series, and won a devoted fan base, not just in Japan but overseas (particularly France) as well. Born Akiko Yoshida in 1976, she took up violin at the age of three, learned to play piano, and attended a music school in the U.S. twice, the first time with her sister Kyoko, later a professional violinist. She studied at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music, and soon attracted scouts from Pony Canyon and debuted as...