PROFILE
- Aya Shimazu
- 島津亜矢
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Aya Shimazu Birthdate March 28, 1971 Birthplace Ueki Village, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture Blood type O Family Father, mother, older sister Debut May 21, 1986 "Hakama wo haita watari dori" "I'll sing until my last breath." -Aya Shimizu
"Enka's godsend", as Aya has been called, began participating in competitions from an early age, with more than 100 under her belt by the time she turned 6. A local television producer gushed, declaring her a prodigy. With a natural-sounding mellow yet firm voice, her incredible singing ability has given rise to rumors of a talent seen only once every 10 years.
Composer Tōroku Takagi predicted in her a bright future when she passed an NHK audition with the highest possible score. The late Ichirō Fujiyama asserted her to be "a treasure of Japanese enka", and the spotlight of the industry turned her way at the time of her impressive debut at the age of 15.
As "Enka's godsend" steadily and surely makes her way across the world stage, it is foredained that one day her name will be synonymous with ENKA itself!
Bio May, 1986 Debuted with "Hakama wo haita watari dori" Lyricist： Tetsuro Hoshino Composer： Shosuke Ichikawa
December 31, 2001 Aya's first appearance on the 52nd Annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, or New Year's Eve special music broadcast, with her song "Kanshajo".
Since 2015, she's appeared on the show for 5 years straight.