Ichiko Aoba is a Japanese singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist well known in Japan for collaborating with artists like Haruomi Hosono, Cornelius, and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Ichiko's music on the soundtrack of the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and her album Windswept Adan connected with an international audience. Western publications like Pitchfork and The Needle Drop started paying attention as well as fellow musicians abroad, leading to collaborations and playing alongside artists such as Japanese Breakfast, Mac DeMarco, Owen Pallett, Pomme, Weyes Blood, and Black Country New Road.
No matter where she performs, whether it’s an intimate venue, a huge festival like Big Ears, or Walt Disney Concert Hall, the entire room looks on in stunned silence, hanging on every breath. Ichiko sings in Japanese, but her delicate voice operates on an emotional frequency that pierces through language barriers and cultural divides.