Born to Japanese and American parents, AKINA experienced diverse cultures during her childhood as her family moved between countries around the world. In 2015, she relocated to Japan to join the “girls’ union” group FAKY, who made their major-label debut when AKINA was just 15 years old. FAKY have since hit the Top 10 of Spotify’s Viral Chart in both Japan and the United States, performed in Brazil, Canada and Spain, and appeared at Japan’s Summer Sonic music festival two years in a row, cementing their success not only domestically but globally too.
FAKY’s appeal lies in their powerful yet delicate vocal style and dance skills that have been praised by choreographers worldwide. Their songwriting skills draw on a wide range of genres, from mainstream American pop to independent R&B, through European singer-songwriter sensibilities to Japanese city pop, resulting in a varied collection of self-written hits that reflect the members’ personal tastes.
AKINA’s solo efforts make the most of the challenger spirit and unique musicality that informed her FAKY debut at 15, along with her strong singing voice and a talent for expression formed by her experiences on the world stage.
Finding yourself and where you belong: AKINA’s debut solo release ‘Touch’ is deeply introspective and highly expressive. The track is a cover of a song released by Manchester-born singer-songwriter Shura in 2016; AKINA’s version reconstructs the simple and beautiful atmosphere of the original but with an interpretation that is all her own, conveying with the personal reflection of a diary entry the ache of longing for a forbidden touch.
The track was produced by Yaffle, who has worked with artists such as Fujii Kaze and iri. Yaffle combines classical music roots with an ear for experimental music and J-pop to create top-level production. Combined with AKINA’s multicultural musical sense, the pair have perfect chemistry, creating a song that transcends genres and hints at the musical zeitgeist of the decade to come in the 2020s.
Revealing a side of AKINA that will be new to FAKY fans, ‘Touch’ is available from today. Expect big things from this talented young artist going forward.
AKINA comment
“I’m looking forward to showing a much different side of me that you’ve never seen before. I’m so excited to create music to share with you. The good and the bad, my solo will be 100% unfiltered emotions. Please look forward to what I have coming…!”
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