Amii Ozaki

Biography

Amii Ozaki (尾崎 亜美, Ozaki Ami), real name Misuzu Ohara (小原 美鈴, Ohara Misuzu), is a Japanese singer songwriter born on 19 March 1957 in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. She has written music such as Oribia o Kikinagara by Anri and Tenshi no Uinku by Seiko Matsuda, as well as many other songs. Ozaki makes irregular appearances on her friend Akira Kamiya's internet radio show Kamiya Akira Hot Beat Party. Her husband is musician Ray Ohara. Her mother is Akemi Ozaki, a maker of popular handbags and purses made from vintage obi.

History

Ozaki began studying classical piano in 1965 at the age of eight. By the time she was sixteen, after graduating from Kyoto Municipal Kinugasa Junior High School, she had begun writing her own works and participating in an amateur composers club. Her first work, Hitorikko ka Bakko, tells the story of the loneliness of searching for one's mother. She attended Kyoto Prefectural Yamashiro High School.
In 1974, Ozaki participated in her first contest, winning ¥5000 and making a favorable impression on one of the judges who indicated that he thought she was going to become a professional in the near future. She became a DJ for Fōkusu Studio in 1976, and began giving concerts where she played both guitar and piano to accompany her songs. She made her professional debut in 1976 with the Toshiba EMI Express single Contemplation / Winter Poster. Her stage name "Ami" comes from the French word for "friend".