A classically-trained musician and an accomplished opera singer, J-Pop artist
Akiko Yoshida (born on July 22, 1976), better known as Kokia, achieved success
in both her home country and abroad largely thanks to features on anime series,
video games, and TV shows. She picked up the violin at the age of 3 but quickly
switched to the family piano, which she preferred over her toys. After a couple
of trips to the US to attend summer music school with her sister Kyoko, Yoshida
majored in opera at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music. It was there
that she was spotted by scouts ...