Akiko Yano

Artist

Akiko Yano is a singer-songwriter and pianist who has remained at the forefront of Japanese music since the mid-1970s. Her highly improvisational piano work and distinctive, conversational singing have won her devoted fans at home and abroad, and she also toured as a support member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. For Studio Ghibli she handled the entire score of Isao Takahata's My Neighbors the Yamadas, writing, composing, arranging, and singing the theme Hitoribocchi wa Yameta on her own. She has also left a singular mark on short-film music, including Fly Me for Sora Tobu Toshi Keikaku and Take the A Train for X-Densha de Ikou.