Ayaka Hirahara (平原 綾香 ,Hirahara Ayaka) is a J-Pop singer who work for the music label Dream Music. Her father, Makoto Hirahara, is a saxophone player; grandfather, Tsutomu Hirahara, was a trumpet player, and her older sister, Aika Hirahara, is also a singer. From the age of 6, she belonged to The Matsuyama Ballet for 11 years. She started playing saxophone when she was 13 years old, then learned classical saxophone at Senzoku Gakuen High School. Currently, she is studying in the Faculty of Jazz majoring in saxophone at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music.
Her first single, "Jupiter", was released in Japan in December 2003, and went on to be one of the biggest selling singles of 2004. The melody of the song is based around the melody to the "Jupiter" section of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. In 2006, she sang the ending theme "Reset" of the PlayStation 2 game Ōkami and the opening theme for the anime The Story of Saiunkoku.
Birth name: Ayaka Hirahara 平原 綾香 (Hirahara, Ayaka)
Also known as A-ya (あーや)
Born May 9, 1984 (1984-05-09) (age 24)
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genre(s) Japanese pop, Classical
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s) Saxophone
Years active 2003-present
Label(s) DREAMUSIC
Website http://www.ayaka-hirahara.com/
Discography
Albums
Cover Albums
Compilation Album
DVD Albums
* Ayaka Hirahara Music Video Collection Vol. 1 (2005)
* LIVE TOUR 2006 “4つのL” at Nihon Budōkan (日本武道館 ?) (2006)
* Ayaka Hirahara Music Video Collection Vol. 2 (2007)
* Concert Tour 2007 "そら" at International Forum (国際フォーラム ?) (2008)