Lia

Biography

Lia (born December 20; also stylized in all caps as LIA) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Lia recorded "Tori no Uta" for Key's 2000 visual novel Air, which was reused in its 2005 anime adaptation and became influential in popular culture. She additionally recorded two other tracks for the visual novel, which were commercially successful.
Lia has continued to work with Key by performing songs for their 2004 visual novel Clannad and its 2008 anime adaptation, Clannad After Story, the 2005 adult visual novel Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life, as well as the opening themes for Key's original anime series Angel Beats! in 2010 and Charlotte in 2015. Her other songs used in anime include RF Online and Initial D Fourth Stage.
In 2012, the Vocaloid software IA was released, which sampled Lia's voice and earned a large fanbase.

Career

Lia graduated from the Berklee College of Music. Afterwards, she lived in Los Angeles and recorded demo tapes with the help of a friend. Originally asked to help translate between the recording staff and the studio, Visual Arts asked Lia if she could fill in for an absent vocalist. Lia recorded her first song "Tori no Uta" at Paramount Studio.
Lia was a member of Japanese techno/trance music production group I've Sound from 2001 to 2003, where she performed "Disintegration" in the Disintegration compilation album. She signed with Key Sounds Label in 2001, and Pony Canyon in 2004. Lia produced four albums in the happy hardcore genre; these albums have her name in all capital letters.
Lia performed the opening and ending themes of two of Key's visual novels—Air and Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life—as well as the opening themes for Key's two original anime series—Angel Beats! and Charlotte. She performed the theme song for the MMORPG RF Online entitled "The Force of Love×THE FORCE OF LOVE21 June 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1～Introduction～1:202War for Peace (Theme of Bellato)5:183somewhere (Theme of Cora)5:154HAIL THE NATION (Theme of Accretia)4:385THE FORCE OF LOVE ～peaceful ver.～3:446Aggressive Overture (Theme of endless battle)1:007solitude5:298～Interlude～1:119GIVE PRAISE4:3210Planets Requiem (Theme of intense war)4:4511THE FORCE OF LOVE (Theme of RF online)5:3712harmonia5:01". Lia has also performed some Eurobeat songs for the anime series Initial D Fourth Stage entitled "All Around" and "Sky High" under the Avex Trax label. To celebrate her 20th anniversary as an artist, she released a compilation album titled Lia 20th Best×Lia 20th BEST25 November 2020 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 26 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11鳥の詩6:062夏影 ～Cornwall summer mix～6:123Farewell song5:304Light colors6:395Life is like a Melody5:316Saya's Song5:057My Soul, Your Beats!4:358Bravely You5:299星の舟6:0510時を刻む唄4:5411Ana8:2412TORCH5:1013約束4:34Disc 21赤い約束 (short ver.)5:042絆-kizunairo-色4:303doll4:414A Whole New World God Only Knows3:355days (Re Ver.)5:466JUSTITIA4:057尋ねビト4:428星屑のキズナ4:419心に届く詩4:4510Timeless Tomorrow3:4411THE FORCE OF LOVE5:3612射光の丘5:5713Last Present4:55 on November 25, 2020.

Personal life

Lia is fluent in English and Japanese. On July 1, 2009, Lia announced on her blog that she was married and pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter on January 31, 2010. On June 27, 2013, Lia gave birth to her second child, a son. She has been living in Hong Kong since 2014.

Singles

"Natsukage / Nostalgia" (December 24, 2001)
"Shift: Sedai no Mukō" (December 29, 2001)
"I'm Feeling" (July 1, 2003) – Analog single
"Birthday Song, Requiem" (June 25, 2004)
"Spica/Hanabi/Moon" (June 25, 2004)
"Kimi no Yoin: Tōi no Sora no Shita de" (March 24, 2005)
"Tori no Uta / Farewell Song" (May 23, 2006) – Analog single
Opening/ending themes of Air
"Pride: Try to Fight!" (June 21, 2006)
The title song was used as an ending theme of Crash B-Daman
"Over the Future×Over the Future22 November 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Over the Future3:432Life ～Ultimate Blue Mix～4:173Over the Future(オリジナル・カラオケ)3:434Life ～Ultimate Blue Mix～(オリジナル・カラオケ)4:13" (November 22, 2006)
"Over the Future" was used as an ending theme of Crash B-Daman
"Doll / Human" (January 30, 2008) – Single with Aoi Tada #54 on Oricon
"Doll" and "Human" were used as ending themes for Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino-
"Toki o Kizamu Uta / Torch" (November 14, 2008) #13 on Oricon
Opening/ending themes of the Clannad After Story anime series
"My Soul, Your Beats! / Brave Song×My Soul, Your Beats! / Brave Song26 May 2010 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11My Soul, Your Beats!4:352Brave Song5:253My Soul, Your Beats! (TV Size)1:354Brave Song (TV Size)1:485My Soul, Your Beats! (Instrumental)4:366Brave Song (Instrumental)5:23Disc 21My Soul, Your Beats! / Brave Song3:01" (May 26, 2010) – Single with Aoi Tada #3 on Oricon
Performed "My Soul, Your Beats!", which was used as the opening theme to the Angel Beats! anime series
"Ashita Tenki ni Naare" (July 21, 2010)
Title song was used as the first ending theme for Daimajin Kanon and "Aruite Kaerō" was used for the second ending theme
"Kizunairo" (October 27, 2010) #6 on Oricon
Opening theme for the Fortune Arterial anime series
"Justitia×JUSTITIA5 March 2014 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks1JUSTITIA4:032Butterfly Dreams4:493JUSTITIA (instrumental)4:024Butterfly Dreams (instrumental)4:49"
Opening theme for the Wizard Barristers anime series
"Daze / Days" (June 18, 2014)
Performed "Days", which was used as the ending theme for the Mekakucity Actors anime series
"Heartily Song" (April 1, 2015)
Opening theme for the Angel Beats! -1st beat- visual novel
"Bravely You / Yakeochinai Tsubasa" (August 26, 2015) – Single with Aoi Tada #4 on Oricon
Performed "Bravely You", which was used as the opening theme to the Charlotte anime series

Original albums

Prismatic, Released June 25, 2004
Colors of life, Released May 25, 2005
Gift, Released December 29, 2005
Dearly, Released November 1, 2006
Collection Album Vol.1 [Diamond Days], Released September 19, 2007
Collection Album Vol.2 [Crystal Voice], Released October 17, 2007
New Moon, Released September 2, 2008
Key+Lia Best 2001–2010, Released June 24, 2011
Sagaribana, Released November 19, 2025

Happy hardcore albums

enigmatic LIA, Released September 22, 2005
enigmatic LIA 2, Released February 16, 2007
Collection Album [Spectrum Rays], Released October 17, 2007
enigmatic LIA 3 -worldwide collection-, Released April 1, 2009
enigmatic LIA 4 -Anthemical Keyworlds- & -Anthemnia L's core-, Released June 22, 2011

Other songs

"Akai Yakusoku" (Fortune Arterial visual novel ending theme)
"Aozora" (Air insert song)
"All Around" / "Sky High" (Initial D 4th Stage insert songs)
"Ana" (Clannad insert song)
"Yakusoku" (Clannad film image song)
"Light colors" (Opening theme of Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life)
"Life is like a Melody" (Ending theme of Tomoyo After)
"Last regrets -acoustic version-" (featured on the Kanon arrange album Recollections)
"The Force of Love×THE FORCE OF LOVE21 June 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1～Introduction～1:202War for Peace (Theme of Bellato)5:183somewhere (Theme of Cora)5:154HAIL THE NATION (Theme of Accretia)4:385THE FORCE OF LOVE ～peaceful ver.～3:446Aggressive Overture (Theme of endless battle)1:007solitude5:298～Interlude～1:119GIVE PRAISE4:3210Planets Requiem (Theme of intense war)4:4511THE FORCE OF LOVE (Theme of RF online)5:3712harmonia5:01" (Theme song for MMORPG RF Online)
"Girls Can Rock" / "Feel Like A Girl" (School Rumble: Second Term insert songs)
"Horizon" (featured in Beatmania IIDX 11: IIDX RED, produced by Kosuke Saito aka kors k)
"Saya's Song" (Little Busters! Ecstasy insert song)
"Tazunebito" (Hoshiuta opening theme)
"Hoshikuzu no Kizuna" (Hoshiuta: Starlight Serenade opening theme)
"Mado Kara Mieru" (Calling All Dawns)
"Asu ni Mukatte, Get Dream!" (Crash B-Daman first ending theme)
"I scream Chocolatl×I scream Chocolatl20 November 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I scream Chocolatl4:13" (Team Nekokan feat. Lia, Kokoro Connect fourth ending theme)