BIOGRAPHY
Kiyoka Hachiya, singer song writer from Japan.
She sings playing the Ukulele and the Piano,
her theme is about "Love, Peace and Water".
Why "Water?"
----- She feels something special in "Water".
It's because the Chinese character in her name "Kiyo" stands for "Clean fresh Water".
Also she was born and raised in Shiga prefecture, which has "Lake Biwa" the largest lake in Japan. "Lake Biwa" and so many rivers in the neighborhood influenced her.
Studyed singing under Mr.Jin Haneoka and Ms. Yuka Kamebuchi at AN Music School.
After singing as a Jazz vocalist at ROYAL HORSE in Osaka for 3 years, visited many places in Japan to sing in free-style concert in halls, Temples, Churches, hospitals, forest, and so on... with guiterlists and sang Bossa Nova, Japanese songs, etc..
Started writing lyrics and music since 1995.
In 2000, fascinated by Ukulele, then became a Ukulele singer-song-writer.
Also in the same year, she had concert with the theme "Pure water and my hometown" in Omihachiman, Shiga, then changed her mind and started singing around her hometown Shiga for the seek of what she really is.
Kiyoka's lyrics are not complicated, so, it's easy to understand for everyone, from children to elder people, and her soft and pure voice sang with Ukulele makes the audience feel relaxed.
In 2001, released CD"Mother Lake" singing about Lake Biwa.
In Feb, 2002, she organized "Hachiya Kiyoka to Notenki-ichiza(Kiyoka Hachiya and easygoing boys)" with OGG and Jyunshi Matsumaru who are multitalented musicians also born and raised in Shiga. While they were together, Kiyoka was influenced by them and wrote many happy songs.
In June 2002, released CD"Hachiya Kiyoka and Notenki-ichiza", and in July 2003, released second CD"Honmani-mechamecha-uresiinen(I'm sooooo happy to meet you!)"
The love song written in Kansai dialect "Honmani-" is now very popular in wedding reception produced by Kiyoka.
Recently, Kiyoka is singing mostly her original songs, sometimes standard pops, Japanese folk songs, according to the requests . She sings in concerts, public events, wedding receptions, restaurants, schools, hospitals, temples, shrines and other various places.
In April 2004, released Kiyoka's first solo CD "Nanohana-Kiiro (yellow rape blossoms)" Then every year, she releasd CDs. "Watashi-Kareni-Koiwo-Shiten(I fell in love with him)" , "Kannon-sama"(Kannon-sama is the name of one of Japanese gods) in 2005. "Kappa-ga-kawabe-de-wasshoishoi" and "Gyutto-dakishimete" in 2006. In 2007, she released CD "Kappa's festival wasshoi-shoi" which is English version of "Kappa-ga-kawabe-de-wasshoishoi" . She did the translation also.
She was introduced in the magazine "Lei Wedding" in 2008.
In 2008, she released another CD"Furusato-no-kaze(The wind brows from my home town)" In the song "Furusato-no-kaze", Kiyoka sings and plays ukulele, and her friend Robbin Lloyd plays Shakuhachi.
The song "Furusato-no-kaze" was played in the radio program "Anata-e Morning-call" for one week, all over Japan in Feb. 2009.
She sang "honmani-mechamecha-ureshiinen" and "my friend- bokuno-tomodachi" in the TV program "Oumi-hatsu 610, 610 live" NHK which was broadcasted in Shiga prefecture in May 2009.
In 2009, she released CD "Sakura-kazamai" (The petals of cherry blossoms flying in the wind). In which she played piano and vocal, in some songs, ukulele.
Again, the song "Watashini-sayonara" and "Sakura-kazamai" were played in the radio program "Anata-e Morning-call" each for one week, all over Japan in Nov. 2009 and Apr. 2010.
In the Spring 2010, she received a strong inspiration "I have to go to Kaua'i!"
And she flew to Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA. by herself with no plans from Mar 29 to Apr 5.
On the island, she had wonderful experiences with the people she met there.
Everyone guided her to a certain good place.
On Apr. 3, she sang in "Monthly Polynesian Party" at the Center for Polynesian Culture "The Children of the Land" Kapa'a, Kaua'i.
She sang "My friend" and other songs wishing for peace in the world.
On Apr. 4, the radio station KKCR in Kaua'i broadcasted her CD "Hurusato-no-kaze".
On the same day. she held a mini-concert at the center.
"Mahalo for all the people who guided me!! "
After the trip, she felt "Water lead me to Kaua'i".
And she wrote a song "It all meant to be" from the inspiration that was given from the journey.
In June, she released CD "Hunade (departure)".
In the same month, "Hachiya Kiyoka and Notenki-ichiza" held concert at Komyoji-temple.
She made Theme songs for 50th anniversary of KBS Shiga radio
and another for 59th anniversary of KBS Kyoto radio.
The song "Hunade" was broadcasted 5 times a day for one month in Jan. 2011 on FM Kusatsu radio.
In the end of Oct, she met Nelly Coneway, the Kundalini Yoga teacher and Angel therapyst. Seeing her, Kiyoka got the inspiration and made the song "Towani-Taiyouga - Long time sun". The song is for closing song Kundalini Yoga but there was no good version in Japanese. And she sang at the Kundalini Yoga Japan center in Ikoma, after Nelly's Yoga workshop, and it was fantastic!
Then Nelly insisted to make this song worldwide, and in November, Kiyoka's new album "From Japan to the World" including the song "Towani-Taiyouga - Long time sun" in Japanese and also in English for website was released to all over the world!
You can download her CD at CDBABY .
Please find with Keyword "Kiyoka Hachiya".
Also you can listen and see her singing a part of the songs in youtube!
As a volunteer, recently, she started working to help abused children.
At some concerts, she collects un-used children's clothes from the audience , and give them to the children protection center (the places for children who are not fit for their family because of ill-treatment or juvenile delinquency or not having healthy parents.)
She also held Christmas concert at the center, and other concerts are following.
Besides singing, in the Summer 2001, she started writing short love messages in Japanese calligraphy, and drawing cute characters between the words.
She named it "E-kotoba (it means "picture and word" , but also sounds same as "good word" in Kansai daiarect in Japanese.)" . She holds "E-kotoba" exhibition in Omihachiman regularly.
(Before that, in 1995, her pictures and words were printed on the brochure of WWF Japan see here)
Thank you.
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