Anly (born January 20, 1997) is a Japanese
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
singer-songwriter from
Ie, Okinawa
is a village located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The village lies on the island of Iejima.
As of October 2016, the village has an estimated population of 4,192 and the density of 180 persons per km². Ie is in a period of s ...
. She started playing the guitar at six years old, and started writing music in junior high school. In high school, she played live at various locations in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
and Tokyo, allowing her to release two
indie singles in 2015 before being signed to
Sony Music Records
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
. She released her debut single "Taiyō ni Warae" in 2015 and her debut album ''Anly One'' in 2017.
Biography
Early life and career
Anly was born on
Iejima, an island in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, Japan. Anly started playing the guitar after her father bought her one at six years old.
Anly grew up without access to a computer or the Internet at home, and often listened to blues and rock CDs her father bought while strumming her guitar. After her father taught her the basic
chords, she learned the rest mainly on her own up through when she was in third grade, at which time she began to
play songs by ear.
She had wanted to be a singer from a young age, but because she wanted to sing her own songs, she began writing lyrics when she was in her second year of junior high school. The following year as a third year in junior high school, she also started composing her own music, and she thought about becoming a singer-songwriter.
Due to there not being a high school on Iejima, Anly moved to
Naha
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...
when she started high school.
Anly joined the
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
in high school playing the trombone, but continued to write music between club activities. She resigned from the marching band in her second year of high school when she became serious about aiming to be a professional singer-songwriter. Anly began performing at
live house
A live house (ライブハウス) is a Japanese live music club – a music venue featuring live music. The term is a Japanese coinage ( wasei eigo) and is mainly used in East Asia. It most frequently refers to smaller venues, which may double as ...
s on Iejima and later in Naha.
Anly released her first indie single "Sixteen" on January 19, 2015. After graduating from high school in early 2015, she was selected to
open
Open or OPEN may refer to:
Music
* Open (band), Australian pop/rock band
* The Open (band), English indie rock band
* ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969
* ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999
* ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001
* ''Open'' (YF ...
for
Miwa
Miwa (みわ, ミワ) is a feminine Japanese given name which can also be used as a surname.
Possible writings
Miwa can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*三和 "three, harmony"
*三輪 "three, wheel/ring"
*美和 "beauty ...
at a live house in Naha as part of Miwa's acoustic live tour ''Acoguissimo'' in June.
Later that year, she was discovered at a live house in
Shimokitazawa
is a commercial and entertainment area in Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Kitazawa district, hence the name "Shimo-kitazawa" (literally ''lower Kitazawa''). Also known as "Shimokita", the neighbourhood ...
,
Setagaya
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. The ward calls itself Setagaya City in English. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orch ...
, Tokyo and was employed as a reporter for
J-Wave for the 2015
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. ...
and the 2015
Summer Sonic Festival.
Anly released her second indie single "Bye-Bye" on August 26, 2015, which included a
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of
Gabrielle Aplin's "
Please Don't Say You Love Me
"Please Don't Say You Love Me" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin. It was released as the second single from her debut studio album, ''English Rain'' (2013). It was released as a Music download, digital download in the United ...
".
Major debut
Anly signed to
Sony Music Records
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
in 2015 and released her debut single on November 25, 2015. In 2016, Anly released her second single on March 23 and her third single "Emergency" on June 15.
Included on "Emergency" as a
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
is a cover of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's "
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
".
She released her fourth single on January 18, 2017; the song was used as the final opening theme to the ''
Naruto: Shippuden'' anime series. Anly played a musician in the 2017 Japanese film ''
Shinjuku Swan II
is a 2017 Japanese comedy film directed by Sion Sono based on the manga ''Shinjuku Swan'' by Ken Wakui. It was released in Japan on January 21, 2017. It is the sequel to ''Shinjuku Swan'' (2015), also directed by Sion Sono.
Plot
One year has pa ...
''. Anly collaborated with
Sukima Switch to release the single on March 1, 2017.
She released her debut studio album ''Anly One'' on April 26, 2017. Anly released her fifth single on August 9, 2017. Anly's sixth single "Venus" was released on November 29, 2017, and it included a cover of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Come Together".
Anly's seventh single "Beautiful" was released on February 28, 2018, and it included a cover of
Ed Sheeran's "
Shape of You
"Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...
". "Beautiful" is used as the ending theme to the 2018 anime series ''
The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments''. Anly released her second studio album ''Loop'' on July 25, 2018. Anly released "Sunshine" as a
digital single on December 5, 2018. Anly collaborated with
Hiroyuki Sawano on the single "Tranquility", released on October 2, 2019; the song was used as the ending theme to the anime film series ''
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis - Stellar War''. She released her third studio album ''Sweet Cruisin'' on April 8, 2020. Anly's eighth single was released on January 6, 2021; the song is used as the theme song for the 2021 film ''
Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor''. Her ninth single "Voltage" was released on February 16, 2022; the song is used as the 19th ending theme song for the anime series ''
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations''. She released her fourth studio album ''Quarter'' on October 12, 2022.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Collaborations
Music videos
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
1997 births
Japanese women pop singers
Living people
Musicians from Okinawa Prefecture
21st-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese women singers