Ayane (singer)

Ayane
Also known as彩音
BornOctober 9
Saitama, Japan
GenresJ-pop, anime song, video game songs
OccupationVocals
Years active2004 - present
LabelMages
WebsiteOfficial website

Ayane (彩音; born October 9) is a female Japanese singer from Saitama Prefecture, who is mainly known for having performed several songs used in video games and anime.

She has performed theme songs for numerous animated works, including Higurashi When They Cry, Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō, Ayakashi, 11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shōjo, the Memories Off series, and Steins;Gate, among others.[1]

Biography

She studied piano, and began writing lyrics and dancing since early childhood.[2]

In 2004, she released her debut single, entitled "Kizuna", which was used as opening theme for the TV anime series W Wish.[1] Her 2007 single, "Nageki no Mori", which was used as the opening theme of the PlayStation 2 game Higurashi: When They Cry – Matsuri[1] and became her first Top 30 entry on the Oricon charts.[3]

On August 6 2008, Ayane released her second album, Elephant Notes.[4] The album featured fourteen tracks, all of which are theme songs or ending themes from anime and video games. To promote the album, Ayane held campaigns with mini concerts in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka starting late August 2008. A sold-out solo live concert followed on September 28, 2008, at FAB in Omotesando, Tokyo.[4]

In 2009, Ayane celebrated the fifth anniversary of her debut. That year marked a significant milestone as she received recognition at the Bishōjo Game Awards, where her song "Lunatic Tears..."—the opening theme for the PC game 11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shōjo-—won the Gold Prize in the Theme Song category.[1][5] In spring of the same year, she embarked on her first major live tour, titled Ayane Live Tour 2009, covering the three Japanese cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. While she had previously conducted promotional events in these locations, the tour featured her debut solo live performances in Nagoya and Osaka accompanied by a live band.[5] Additionally, this year she was also invited to perform for the first time at the anime song festival Animelo Summer Live 2009, which took place on August 2 at the Saitama Super Arena.[6]

On January 22, 2011, Ayane performed at the live event J-Pop in China 2011 held in Beijing, co-organized by the Japanese Embassy. She appeared alongside R&B singer Jay'ed, marking her first visit to China.[7]

In 2012, Ayane released her single "Cry Out", her first collaboration with Japanese rock band Nagareda Project [ja].[8]

In 2013, Ayane performed the opening theme song "Phenogram" for the video game Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[9] This marked her first time contributing an opening theme to the Science Adventure series.[9] She was subsequently appointed to also perform the opening theme for the Playstation Vita edition of the same game, entitled "Kaikō no Fatalität",[10] and then "Isumo Kono Basho de", which was used as ending theme for the theatrical film Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu.[11] This year she also launched her first solo-hosted radio program, titled Ayane no Choco-Bana Radio, which began streaming on July 3, 2013, via HiBiKi Radio Station.[11]

In January 2014, Ayane released her fourth studio album, Luminous Flux, marking her first album in approximately three years.[12] To support the album, Ayane embarked on her two-venue tour Ayane Live Tour 2014: Luminous Flux, consisting of two performances: February 15 at Osaka Muse in Osaka, and March 22 at Shinjuku Blaze in Tokyo.[12] On July 30, she released her double A-side titled "Headway! Buccaneers"/"Never Give Up", the first song serving as the opening theme for the pirate-themed game Sōkai Buccaneers!, while the latter served as ending theme for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2.[13] On October 8, 2014, Ayane released her tenth anniversary commemorative album Base Ten, for which she included re-arranged versions of previous singles, self-covers, and anime covers.[14] This year she was also invited to numerous international anime-related events, and performed live in Russia,[15] the United States[16] and Taiwan.[17]

In 2015, Ayane collaborated for the first time with fellow singer Kanako Ito on the duet track "Ascension", which was released on March 4 as part of the soundtrack single for the complete edition visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Iki.[18] She also released her single single "If", which continued her long-standing association with the Steins;Gate franchise., as the title track was selected as the original song for the Japanese slot machine Steins;Gate Kaiten Sekai no Inductance.[19] The single's B-side featured the song "Mirai e no Resolve," which served as the ending theme for the Playstation 4 game Megadimension Neptunia VII.[19]

In November 2016, her 23rd single "Soul Buster" was used as theme song of the Chinese-Japanese co-produced anime of the same name.[17]

In 2019, she celebrated the 15th anniversary with the release of the EP for Dearest, whose leading song was used as theme song for the video game Memories Off: Innocent Fille, and also held her 15th anniversary concert Ayane 15th Anniversary Live -for Dearest- at Club Seata in Kichijoji, Tokyo.[17]

In 2020, Ayane was appointed to perform the ending theme song for the Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou anime.[20] She subsequently also performed the second ending theme of Gou,[21] and the opening theme of the final season Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu in 2021.[22]

Discography

Ayane discography
Studio albums5
EPs2
Compilation albums3
Singles27

Albums

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
[23]
JPN
[24]
Archive Lovers 99
  • JPN: 2,600
Elephant Notes
  • Released: August 6, 2008 (2008-08-06)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 55
  • JPN: 3,400
Lyricallya Candles
  • Released: December 22, 2010 (2010-12-22)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 79
  • JPN: 2,700
Luminous Flux
  • Released: January 29, 2014 (2014-01-29)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD, CD+DVD, digital download
 82
  • JPN: 1,100
Life Time
  • Released: October 9, 2024 (2024-10-09)
  • Label: Mages
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
 —

Extended plays

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
[23]
JPN
[24]
For Dearest
  • Released: March 27, 2019 (2019-03-27)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
 142
  • JPN: 300
Songs for... Music from Mages Studio
  • Released: August 31, 2022 (2022-08-31)
  • Label: Mages
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
 —

Compilation albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
[23]
JPN
[24]
Base Ten
  • Tenth anniversary album
  • Released: October 8, 2014 (2014-10-08)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
 132
  • JPN: 500
Resilience: Memories Off Best
  • Compilation of theme songs from the Memories Off series
  • Released: March 21, 2018 (2018-03-21)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD
 164
  • JPN: 400
Analogy: Ayane Higurashi Song Collection
  • Compilation of theme songs from the Higurashi When They Cry series
  • Released: July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)
  • Label: Mages
  • Formats: CD+Blu-ray disc, CD, digital download, streaming
 38
  • JPN: 1,500

Remix albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
[23]
JPN
[24]
Hyper Moe Trance
  • Released: May 25, 2007 (2007-05-25)
  • Label: Five Records
  • Formats: CD
 —
Hyper Moe Trance II
  • Released: July 23, 2009 (2009-07-23)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD
 —
Hyper Dance Remix
  • Released: December 26, 2012 (2012-12-26)
  • Label: 5pb. Records
  • Formats: CD
 —

Singles

2000s
List of singles as lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Sales
[23] 		Album
JPN
[25] 		JPN Hot 100
[26][a]
"Kizuna" 2004 95
  • JPN: 2,100
 Elephant Notes
"Ribbon" 2005 112
  • JPN: 1,100
"Orange" 71
  • JPN: 2,000
 Archive Lovers
"Film Makers" 2006 114
  • JPN: 600
"Nageki no Mori" 2007 30
  • JPN: 18,100
"Dolphin Jet" 78
  • JPN: 2,000
 Elephant Notes
"Cloudier Sky" 2008 81 —
  • JPN: 2,600
"Lunatic Tears..." 68 —[b]
  • JPN: 4,600
"Sono Saki ni Aru, Dareka no Egao no Tame ni" 64 —
  • JPN: 3,200
 Lyricallya Candles
"Endless Tears..." 2009 25 —[c]
  • JPN: 4,800
"Gravity Error" 60 —
  • JPN: 2,000
"Arrival of Tears" 22 —[d]
  • JPN: 10,900
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
2010s
List of singles as lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Sales
[23] 		Album
JPN
[25] 		JPN Hot 100
[26]
"Angelic Bright" 2010 40 —[e]
  • JPN: 2,500
 Lyricallya Candles
"Jūjika ni Sasagu Septet" 45 —[f]
  • JPN: 3,300
"Crest of Knights" 2011 151 —
  • JPN: 600
 Luminous Flux
"Cry Out" 2012 168 —
  • JPN: 300
"Itsumo Kono Basho de" 2013 34 —[g]
  • JPN: 5,500
"Phenogram" 54 —[h]
  • JPN: 2,000
"Genjutsu no Crossroad" 157 74
  • JPN: 400
"Kaiko no Fatalitat" 170 —
  • JPN: 400
 Non-album singles
"Headway! Buccaneers" 2014 165 —
  • JPN: 300
"Never Give Up" —
"If" 2015 156 —
  • JPN: 300
"Soul Buster" 2016 — —
"Resilience" 2018 — — Resilience: Memories Off Best
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
2020s
List of singles as lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Sales
[23] 		Album
JPN
[25] 		JPN Hot 100
[26]
"God's Syndrome" 2020 39 —[i]
  • JPN: 1,600
 Analogy: Ayane Higurashi Song Collection
"Irregular Entropy" 2021 57 —[j]
  • JPN: 1,500
"Anagram of Coda" 2022 181 —
  • JPN: 100
 Life Time
"Dream On" 2023 197 —
  • JPN: 100
"Our Days" 2024 — —
"Love Groove" — —
"Tatoeba Kimi ga Kodoku demo" — —
"Not Always True" 2025 53 —
  • JPN: 300
 Non-album singles
"Unreal Nonfiction" — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other appearances

List of other appearances, showing other performing artists, year released, and album name
Title Year Other performer(s) Album/EP
"Eien no Mukō" 2010 Kōrin no Machi, Lavender no Shōjo Theme Song
"Ascension" 2015 Kanako Itō Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sui Theme Song Collection
"Hoshizora Orgel" 2021 Since Memories: Off the Starry Sky Theme Song Collection

Other

  • カカシ (Kakashi) — crystal2 ~Circus Vocal Collection~ Vol.2
  • 月と夜空とホウキ星 (Tsuki to Yozora to Houkiboshi) — Yanezutai no Kimi he opening song
  • Fractal Tree — PS2 game Que -Fairy of ancient leaf- opening theme
  • デコトラ☆愛らんど～伝説の男達～ (Dekotora ☆ Airando ~Densetsu no Otokotachi~) — Wii game Zenkoku Dekotora Matsuri ~Yosakoi Bakusou Onban~ insert song
  • After Rain (Live ver.) — THE WORKS Chiyomaru Shikura Gakkyoku Shuu
  • 宵闇の月に抱かれて (Yoiyami no Tsuki ni Dakarete) — FAR EAST OF EAST / Tatsh Music Circle Touhou project Arrange CD
  • 旋風ノ舞 (Senpuu no Mai) — Wii game Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Do Don to 2 Daime
  • Close Your Eyes (kors k mix) - ULTRA RELOAD Vol.1 feat. AKABEi SOFT2
  • Lunatic Tears... (DJ Shimamura Remix) — SUPER SHOT3: Bishōjo Game Remix Collection
  • Red Rose Evangel — Arcade game Taiko no Tatsujin playable song
  • Purple Rose Fusion - Arcade game Taiko no Tatsujin playable song
  • 覚醒 - Fractional Vision (Kakusei - Fractional Vision) - Visual Novel SINCLIENT theme song
  • Divine Beast - Hatsukoi 1/1 character theme song
  • Re-Start - Aikomyu!! -IDOL Communication- ending theme
  • punitive justice～千年の錯綜～ (Sennen no Sakusou) - PC game Shoujo Shin'iki ~ Shoujo Tengoku -The Garden of Fifth Zoa- ending theme
  • いつもこの場所で (Symphonic Ver.) (Itsumo Kono Basho de) - STEINS;GATE SYMPHONIC REUNION
  • REALIZE (vocals) - Cytus

With platoniX

  • CARRY ON NIGHT (English Version) — "beatmania IIDX 10th Style"
  • PLATONIC-XXX — "beatmania IIDX 10th Style"
  • Don't be afraid myself — "beatmania IIDX 11: RED"
  • Under the Sky (with Sayaka Minami from BeForU) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY" & "Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2"
  • Xepher (with Yumi Natori) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY"
  • DOUBLE ♥♥ LOVING HEART (with Sayaka Minami from BeForU) — "beatmania IIDX 13: DistorteD"
  • CARRY ON NIGHT (Dub's Old Gamers Remix) — "V-RARE SOUNDTRACK 12"
  • Don't be afraid myself (trance edge mix) — "V-RARE SOUNDTRACK 14"

As Junko Hirata

  • Xepher (ver1.1) (with Tatsh and Yumi Natori) — "Bemani Top Ranker Ketteisen"
  • 月光 (ver0.99) (Gekkou (ver0.99)) — "Bemani Top Ranker Ketteisen"
  • Love Again... (with Tatsh) — "beatmania IIDX 11: RED CS"
  • With Your Smile (with Shoichiro Hirata) — "beatmania IIDX 14: GOLD"
  • 旅立ちの唄 (Tabidachi no Uta) (with Tatsh) — "pop'n music 14 FEVER!"
  • Love Again... 'Brand New Life Mix' - Tatsh album MATERIAL
  • 旅立ちの唄 'Graduation Mix' - Tatsh album MATERIAL

Songs written for other artists

  • GLORY DAYS (lyrics) — from W Wish, performed by Saeko Chiba
  • WONDERLAND (lyrics & composition) — performed by Maria Yamamoto
  • MOON PARTY (lyrics & composition) — performed by CoCo☆HONEYMOON (Atsuko Enomoto & Maria Yamamoto)
  • LOVE&HISTORY (lyrics & composition) — performed by Maria Yamamoto
  • Reijou Doll (lyrics) — PC game Reijou Trader opening theme, performed by Yuuri Nashimoto
  • Gekkou (lyrics) — "beatmania IIDX 12: HAPPY SKY" performed by Kanako Hoshino
  • Lunatic Tears... (lyrics) — "EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS SPEED ANIME TRANCE BEST ECSTASY" performed by xue
  • Next Relation (lyrics) — Xbox 360 game Memories Off 6 Next Relation opening song, performed by Velforest.

Notes

  1. ^ The Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart was established in 2008.
  2. ^ "Lunatic Tears..." did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 56 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  3. ^ "Endless Tears..." did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 42 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  4. ^ "Arrival of Tears" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 26 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  5. ^ "Angelic Bright" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 55 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  6. ^ "Jūjika ni Sasagu Septet" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 55 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  7. ^ "Itsu mo Kono Basho de" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 37 on the Top Singles Sales chart, and at number 14 on the Hot Animation chart.
  8. ^ "Phenogram" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 49 on the Top Singles Sales chart.
  9. ^ "God's Syndrome" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 39 on the Top Singles Sales chart, and at number 37 on the Download Songs chart.
  10. ^ "Irregular Entropy" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100, but peaked at number 57 on the Top Singles Sales chart, and at number 40 on the Download Songs chart.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Ayane Releases New Theme for Steins;Gate PS Vita Game". Anime News Network. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Profile". Ayane Official Website (in Japanese). 5pb. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ "嘆きノ森 / 彩音 / ORICON NEWS" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "彩音さんの待望のセカンドアルバム『Elephant Notes』が8月6日リリース！レコ発ライブはソールドアウト！　東名阪のキャンペーンも実施！！". Animate Times (in Japanese). 14 August 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b "『美少女ゲームアワード2008』受賞シンガー・彩音さんの初の東名阪ツアー『彩音 Live Tour 2009』が決定！　2月20日より先行予約スタート!!". Animate Times (in Japanese). 19 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  6. ^ "今年のテーマは原点へ。「Animelo Summer Live 2009 -RE:BRIDGE-」開催概要発表！今年はさいたまスーパーアリーナで8月22＆23日の2DAYS！". Animate Times (in Japanese). 2 March 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  7. ^ "「J-POP in China　2011」インタビュー！日本のアニゲーソング女王――彩音さん" (in Japanese). CRI Online. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  8. ^ "彩音×流田Projectの初コラボ曲がついにリリース！". Animate2012 (in Japanese). 17 April 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b "『STEINS;GATE 線形拘束のフェノグラム』オープニング主題歌を彩音さんが、エンディング主題歌をいとうかなこさんが担当することが決定！". Animate Times (in Japanese). 28 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  10. ^ "『STEINS;GATE 線形拘束のフェノグラム』がPS Vitaにて発売。OPは彩音が担当". Barks2013 (in Japanese). 6 September 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "彩音、初のソロパーソナリティーラジオが配信決定". Famitsu (in Japanese). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  12. ^ a b "彩音、約3年ぶりのニューアルバム『Luminous Flux』を2014年1月29日にリリース". Barks (in Japanese). 6 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  13. ^ "彩音、活動10周年を飾る第1弾シングルはゲーソン両A面タイアップ". Barks (in Japanese). 30 April 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  14. ^ "彩音 10th Anniversary Album『Base Ten』の収録内容が決定！発売記念イベントの開催も発表に！" (in Japanese). Lisani. 2014-08-29. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  15. ^ "「STEINS;GATE」「ひぐらしのなく頃に」の歌を披露—彩音さんが出演したロシア・モスクワのイベント「HINODE 2014」公式レポートが到着". Gamer.ne.jp (in Japanese). 2014-05-01. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  16. ^ Summers, Steve (2014-06-15). "Coverage & Interview with Ayane [彩音] @ Chicago Japan Festival 2014". Nihongogo. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  17. ^ a b c "Ayane profile". Tokyo International Music Market (TIMM). Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  18. ^ "3月4日発売の「ひぐらしのなく頃に粋」主題歌集より、ジャケット公開！　発売記念イベントでは、いとうかなこさん・彩音さんが歴代の主題歌を歌唱！". Animate Times (in Japanese). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  19. ^ a b "彩音、パチスロ『シュタゲ』オリジナルソングはhuke描き下ろしジャケット". Barks (in Japanese). 2 December 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  20. ^ "『ひぐらしのなく頃に』最新シリーズのタイトルとOP・ED情報が解禁！OPは亜咲花、EDは彩音に決定！" (2020-10-09) (in Japanese). Lisani. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  21. ^ "TVアニメ『ひぐらしのなく頃に 業』新EDテーマを「神様のシンドローム」に続いて、彩音が担当！ 彩音ニューシングル「不規則性エントロピー」2月6日発売決定！" (in Japanese). Lisani. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  22. ^ "2021年7月より放送開始のTVアニメ『ひぐらしのなく頃に 卒』OPテーマに彩音が決定！作詞:彩音・作曲:志倉千代丸による「Analogy」7月28日に全13曲入り豪華アルバムで発売！" (in Japanese). Lisani. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  24. ^ a b c d "Ayane albums". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  25. ^ a b c "Ayane singles". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  26. ^ a b c "Ayane Billboard Japan Profile". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayane_(singer)