Maaya Sakamoto

Maaya Sakamoto is a singer, voice actress, stage actress, radio personality, and essayist. She has many titles and she owes who she is today to the environment she grew up in.

Her father was a planner of stage lighting, so as a child she would often be taken backstage. Gradually, she became interested in the stage, but this dream was not the typical dream of a child. In other words, she didn't mean that she wanted to be famous, because she knew the demands of performers backstage. She saw the actor's suffering, and tears backstage, but she also gazed with pleasure at the stage. This stirred her interest in performance so she joined a theater for children when she was just 8 years old. This was her first job.

The theater's policy was to keep a balance between work and school. Performing onstage didn't allow her to keep the balance, however, so she shifted from the stage to dubbing films. Still now, her main job is dubbing.

When she was 16 years old, she debuted as a singer. She played the leading role in the animated TV film movie Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, and she also sang the theme song. At the same time, she started a radio program. Just 16 years old and she already had 3 job titles! Isn't that wonderful? A few years after she became a singer, she learned how to open her heart and describe her feelings, writing lyrics. She said that it was the time to have a conversation with herself.

I first knew of her from the animated film Escalflowne about 7 years ago. She sang the ending theme song. Her crystal voice hit my heart, and since then, I've been her biggest fan. At first, I was attracted by her voice. Now, I'm charmed by her words. Her lyrics are so simple that they can easily touch my heart. I often feel her lyrics describe me.

Just 4 years ago, I faced a hardship. I was really lonely. I suffered and struggled. I was powerless. Then, her song, "Look at the Sky", eased my mind. The phrase that most cheered me up was this: "You can throw all things away. Obey only the whisper of your heart. You can throw all things away. Keep on going strong." I think her words are like a gospel song, for their power. Her song heals me.

I also respect her thoughts and opinions. After she got married, she answered an interviewer's question as follows: "Even if there are sad accidents in the future, we mustn't stop there. We have to accept and overcome them."

Her lyrics, her words, and her voice always affect and inspire me. I believe firmly that she makes me feel better.