Wota in Translation

Aya & Ayaya
Part Three: Future
A rather premature autobiography (2004)

Asking a girl who is only about to turn 18 about her ultimate goals in life — a rather pointless exercise perhaps, but that is just what we have done here. Some of her answers are what one might expect to hear from a teenage girl, being along the lines of, “I just want to live in the moment.” But some of her answers also hint at a concrete, proper plan for her own future… In addition, she reveals exactly what she was told by a fortune-teller!

Here, at the very end of the interview, she describes herself for us in a single word.

A Twentysomething Mother

— I understand you would like to be married by the age of 25, right?

Aya: Yes. But what I mean by that is, I want to still be in my twenties when my child enters elementary school. I want to be a mother in my twenties. Because my mom was the same.

— So whenever you had parents’ days at school, people would be going, “Aya-chan’s mom sure is young and pretty“?

Aya: Right! They were always saying that about my mom, and it made me so happy. I’d often go shopping with her and I felt that she had such good taste in things, so I could depend on her with things like that. That must also be because she’s so young. So when I become a mother myself, I’d like to build a relationship that’s like… “parents, but also friends.” So my goal is to be a mother by the age of 25.

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Aya & Ayaya
Part Two: Birth of Ayaya
A rather premature autobiography (2004)

Matsuura Aya had become “Ayaya.”

Her life in Tokyo had begun, and (according to the lyrics of her debut single) she had now gotten used to riding the subway — something she had never experienced back home.

With a demand for her to be an assertive vocalist, she achieved rapid growth thanks to her innate intuition and composure. Apart from singing, she went on to actively work in multiple other fields, such as in movies, TV dramas, and musicals. However, she could not bring herself to forget her initial resolve: that what she had always wanted to do was to sing…

That smile of hers — her trademark. Supported by her many fans, she has kept running up to the present moment.

Not Running Away

— Did life as an entertainer differ from what your idea of it had been prior to your debut?

Ayaya: When I was a student and I would be watching entertainers on TV, there was obviously no way I could know how they spent their private time, right? But experiencing it myself, I realized that outside of the concerts and TV appearances, there is just so much to do behind-the-scenes. So my first thought was: “wow, it sure is busy being an entertainer.” (laughs) It’s not that you just stand there and things simply happen. You have to actually work hard to get anything done. (laughs)

— You found out the truth.

Ayaya: Like… I kind of had this image that entertainers are all perfect in everything they do. But then I realized, “no, they all put in a great deal of hard work.” But I like that hard work, so I’m glad about it. Besides, I took part in an audition to become an entertainer because I actually wanted to become one, so I feel like I can’t just run away. Ultimately, I’m here because I wanted to be here. If I was to suddenly lose heart, it’d just be like… “what is wrong with you?!“

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Aya & Ayaya
Part One: Childhood
A rather premature autobiography (2004)

Born in the city of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, she would often find herself lost — that was the sort of active girl she was. Throughout kindergarten and elementary school, she loved to stand out. Then, at the young age of 14, she found herself at a turning point in life. By a strange coincidence, she had stumbled upon an opportunity. Already you could see glimpses of her strong willpower in how she pulled this opportunity towards herself.

She made her way to Tokyo. Settling down, breathing in the air of this place that was all new to her… Before long, her singing permeated that same air as it found its way to us.

Choosing to Be the Protective Big Sister

— You are the eldest of three sisters (born June 25, 1986), right? Because you were the eldest, were you brought up always being told you had to have your act together?

Matsuura: I don’t remember if I was exactly told to “have my act together,” but up until the first couple of years of elementary school my little sisters would always say that I was in the wrong. I was always the one everyone would get mad at. But I didn’t like being constantly told, “it’s big sis’ fault!,” so I started thinking about what I could do to make it stop.

That’s when I realized: “I should just always take Mom’s side in everything!” (laughs) So before my mom even had a chance to get mad at me, I would say, “That’s right, Mom! It’s their fault for not doing as you told them! Right, Mom?!” I realized that when I did that, it wasn’t me she would get angry with.

— You had all kinds of strategies…

Matsuura: I did. (laughs)

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