Ami Wajima

Ami Wajima (和島あみ, Wajima Ami, born December 29, 1998) is a singer from Kutchan, Hokkaido who is signed to Pony Canyon. After passing an audition held by the Japanese entertainment agency Horipro, she debuted in May 2016 with her first single "Gensō Drive", the title track of which was used as the opening theme to the Japanese anime television series The Lost Village. She released her first album I Am in February 2017.

Ami Wajima
Background information
Born (1998-12-29) December 29, 1998
Kutchan, Hokkaido, Japan
OriginJapan
GenresJ-Pop
Years active2016 (2016) – 2017 (2017), 2018 (2018) – present
LabelsPony Canyon
Websiteamiwajima.com

Wajima's music has been used in The Lost Village, Kuromukuro, and Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters. She has also performed in China, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. In July 2017, her management announced that she would put her career on hiatus due to health reasons. She resumed her music activities in March 2018.

Biography

Wajima was born in Kutchan, Hokkaido on December 29, 1998. From an early age, she loved to sing; however, her voice was frequently mocked during her elementary years. Due to bullying, she stopped going to school after her first semester of middle school. After listening to the music of Akina Nakamori, she regained confidence, and after her original school merged with another school, she eventually resumed her schooling. While she was studying in a high school in Sapporo, she attended the P's Voice Artist School in Hokkaido, and she worked part-time to support her studies. She also became interested in anime music and decided that she wanted to become an anison singer. At the urging of her family and friends, she decided to participate in an audition held by the talent agency Horipro and record label Pony Canyon. Although she passed the initial screening, she nearly decided to withdraw from the competition, as the final judging was to be held in Tokyo and Osaka, which were far from Hokkaido. With the support of her father, she decided to push through with her application, and she went on to win the audition grand prize, beating more than 10,000 other applicants. Following her winning the audition, she was offered a contract with Pony Canyon.[1]

Wajima made her major debut in May 2016 with the release of her first single "Gensō Drive" (幻想ドライブ, Fantasy Drive), the title track of which was used as the opening theme to the anime television series The Lost Village;[2] the single peaked at number 43 on the Oricon weekly charts.[3] She later made her first overseas appearance at the Bilibili Macro Link event in Shanghai, China in July 2016.[4] She released her second single "Eien Loop" (永遠ループ, Eternal Loop) on August 10, 2016; the title track is used as the second ending of the 2016 anime television series Kuromukuro;[2] the single peaked at 102 on the Oricon weekly charts.[5] She made an appearance at Animax Carnival Philippines in October 2016,[6] and at Anime Festival Asia Singapore in November 2016.[7] She also made an appearance at Animax Musix 2016 in Yokohama.[8] She held a birthday event for her fans on December 29, 2016.[9] Her first album I Am was released on February 22, 2017;[10] the album includes the song "Ai", which was used as the ending theme to the anime television series Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters.[11] I Am peaked at 220 on the Oricon weekly charts.[10]

On July 11, 2017, Wajima's management announced that she would put her career on hiatus due to poor health. Her upcoming appearances, including an appearance at Anime Festival Asia Indonesia, a series of duet concerts with artists Haruko Momoi and Faylan, and a solo concert planned for December 2017, were cancelled.[12][13]

In March 2018, Wajima's management announced that she would resume her music activities with a solo concert in May of that year.[14] This was followed by an appearance at C3 AFA Indonesia 2018.[15] Her third single, a cover of the song "Kowarekake no Radio" (壊れかけのRadio, Broken Radio) by Hideaki Tokunaga, was released in October 2018; the title track is used as the ending theme to the anime series The Girl in Twilight.[16]

Discography
Singles
  • Gensō Drive (幻想ドライブ) (2016)[3]
  • Eien Loop (永遠ループ) (2016)[17]
  • Kowarekake no Radio (壊れかけのRadio) (2017)
Albums

References
  1. "アニソンオーディションでグランプリ！和島あみ「迷家-マヨイガ-」OPでデビュー" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. March 23, 2016. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  2. "17-Year-Old Ami Wajima Sings Kuromukuro's New Ending". Anime News Network. July 4, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  3. "幻想ドライブ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  4. "7月24日（日）Bilibili Macro Link – Star Phase 2016 への出演決定！" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. May 6, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  5. "永遠ループ(初回生産限定盤)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  6. "Animax Carnival Philippines to Host Elisa, yanaginagi, Ami Wajima, May'n". Anime News Network. August 23, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. "An Interview with Ami Wajima: An Upcoming, Young Anisong Talent!". JNetworkOnline. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  8. "ANIMAX MUSIX 2016 横浜公演の模様を、どこよりも早くオンエア！" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  9. "【NEW】12月29日（木）和島あみの初となるバースデーイベントの開催も決定！！" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. November 23, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. "I AM" (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  11. "Ami Wajima Performs New Ending Theme For Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters Anime". December 19, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  12. "【ご報告】年内活動休止のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. July 11, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  13. "Singer Ami Wajima Puts Career on Hold Due to Health". Anime News Network. July 12, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  14. "【ご報告】 和島あみ 活動再開のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. March 31, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  15. "和島あみ「C3AFA Jakarta 2018」出演決定！" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. June 23, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  16. "Animax's Akanesasu Shōjo Original Anime Unveils Cast, Story Intro, Song Artists, More Staff". Anime News Network. August 9, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  17. "永遠ループ【初回生産限定盤】".
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