Come all, come wide, come far! This Wednesday, May 6th, we welcome you to join us at the Bleach Listening Room for the 13th instalment of Sensational Listening Session (SLS).
This month on SLS we listen to the delicate sounds, intimate compositions and dreamlike storytelling of Japanese artist Ichiko Aoba ahead of their tour stop at the Orpheum Theatre.
Japanese singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba believes in the power of magic and music. With whispered vocals and ethereal melodies primarily performed on classical guitar with lyrics inspired by her dreams, this folk singer has taken her sound all over the world.
She sings mostly in Japanese, but language barriers don't worry her—her music transcends into a shared resonance. Her captivating melodies feel like a spell, dreamy and Ghibli-esque, as soothing as an ASMR lullaby.
With very little press outside of her home country, her music has attracted a devoted worldwide following, mainly due to word-of-mouth exposure on various online forums. She has released several studio albums, founded her independent label Hermine, and performed in a growing list of territories worldwide.
She’s active in a variety of fields, including narration, radio hosting, commercial and stage music production, and art festivals. In 2023 she received the prestigious ANCHOR Award at the Reeperbahn Festival. Her eighth album, Luminescent Creatures, was released on February 20th, 2025, taking her across 57 cities around the world.
