Aimer

The Japanese singer and musician known as Aimer is something of an enigma to her fans. In common with some other Japanese artists, she kept her face hidden during the early stages of her career by using subdued lighting or remaining in the shadows. Despite turning professional at the age of 21 in 2011 it wasn't until 2016 that she finally revealed herself to the public when she appeared on the popular Japanese TV show Music Station. The appearance coincided with the release of her fourth album Daydream which subsequently went to number two in the Japanese album chart Oricon and spawned two top ten singles "Ninelie" and "Chouchou Misubi". The artist sings with a distinctively husky voice, a legacy of a vocal cord problem she developed in her teens which was treated by a period of enforced silence therapy. Daydream remains Aimer's bestselling album to date although the two follow-up albums Sun Dance and Penny Rain, both of which were released on the same day in 2019, also made it to number 2 and 3 in the charts respectively, albeit with less unit sales. In 2021, Aimer returned with her eighth studio album Walpurgis, followed by B-side collection Hoshi no Kieta Yoru ni in January 2022 which included chart-topping single "Zankyosanka/Asa ga Kuru". Aimer released her EP Deep Down December the same year, which charted at number 3 with its title track featuring on the soundtrack for popular anime series Chainsaw Man.