Wakana (singer, born 1984)

Wakana Ootaki (大滝若奈, Ōtaki Wakana, born December 10, 1984), who goes by the mononymous stage name Wakana, is a Japanese pop singer. She was one of the vocalists of the FictionJunction project started by Yuki Kajiura, and was a core member of the vocal group Kalafina. She is currently signed with Victor Entertainment with a solo career, having released two albums and an EP that have charted on Oricon.

Wakana
Wakana performs with Kalafina in Mexico, 2016
Background information
Birth nameWakana Ootaki
Also known asFictionJunction Wakana
Born (1984-12-10) December 10, 1984
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
GenresJ-pop, anison
OccupationsSinger
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2005–present
LabelsVictor Entertainment
Formerly ofFictionJunction, Kalafina
Websitewww.jvcmusic.co.jp/wakana/

Biography

Wakana is from Fukuoka. She started learning singing at age 12.[1] She joined the FictionJunction project in 2005, where she performed on many of Yuki Kajiura's soundtracks for anime shows and films. She performed two songs for the original soundtrack of Fist of the North Star True Saviour Legend: "Hikari no Yukue" (光の行方, "Where the Lights Are") and the Japanese version of "Where the Lights Are" bonus track.[2] She sang "Paradise Regained" (an insert song for El Cazador de la Bruja) and in the Pandora Hearts soundtrack.

In 2007, she and FictionJunction colleague Keiko joined Kajiura's new vocal group Kalafina, which was put together to sing the theme songs for The Garden of Sinners film series. Their first single was "Oblivious" which reached number 8 on the Oricon charts.[3] Vocalists Hikaru and Maya joined the group for the singles "Sprinter/Aria", after which Maya left the group, resulting in a trio. Over the next ten years, Kalafina would continue to release more anime theme songs as well as original material, with five studio albums and two compilation albums that have charted in Oricon's top 10. In 2018, Kajiura resigned from Space Craft, and Keiko left the group soon afterwards. The group was officially disbanded in 2019.[4]

Wakana moved from Space Craft to Victor Entertainment. She had a solo debut with the single "Toki o Koeru Yoru Ni" in February 2019. She released a self-titled album in March and an EP titled Aki no Sakura in November. They reached No. 19 and No. 34 respectively on the Oricon charts. She released the album magic moment in 2020, which charted at No. 22.[5][6] On April 24, 2021, she held her solo concert Wakana Spring Live 2020 ~ magic moment ~ in Ōtemachi to promote the album.[7]

In October 2020, she released a cover album of anime songs.[8] She won an award for Classic Anison Singer at the Weibo Account Festival in Tokyo 2020.[9]

In May 2022, she announced a collaboration song with the mobile game "Memento Mori". Flag is used as a character song for Florence, voiced by Ayaka Suwa.[10]

Discography
See also: Kalafina discography and FictionJunction § Albums

Solo singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Oricon Album
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
2019 "Toki o Koeru Yoru Ni (時を越える夜に, "on a timeless night")"[11] 36 2 Wakana

Other appearances
List of guest appearances that feature Wakana
Year Title Album
2022 "Flag" (Song. Wakana, CV: Ayaka Suwa)[12] —

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album information Oricon[13]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
Wakana
  • Released: March 20, 2019
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VIZL-1573)
 19 3
Aki no Sakura (アキノサクラ) EP
  • Released: November 20, 2019
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-65270)
 34 2
magic moment
  • Released: February 26, 2020
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-1731)
 22 2
Wakana Covers ~Anime Classics~
  • Released: December 9, 2020
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-65447, VICL-1830 (limited edition))
 42 1
Sonosakie (そのさきへ)
  • Released: May 31, 2023
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VICL-65821)
 28 1

Video albums
List of video albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album information Oricon[14]
Peak
position		 Weeks
charted
Wakana Live Tour 2019 ～VOICE～ at 中野サンプラザ【初回限定盤】
  • Released: September 25, 2019
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VIZL-1647)
  • Format: Blu-Ray
 30 2
Wakana Spring Live ～magic moment～2021(初回限定盤)
  • Released: August 11, 2021
  • Label: Victor Entertainment (VIZL-1914)
  • Format: Blu-Ray
 15 1

References
  1. "Space Craft Group". spacecraft.co.jp.
  2. "FictionJunction News" (in Japanese). FictionJunction.com. February 21, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  3. "Ｋａｌａｆｉｎａ-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック". www.oricon.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05.
  4. "Bunshun: Kalafina Members Want to Get Back Together". Anime News Network. 26 May 2023.
  5. "Wakanaの作品". ORICON NEWS.
  6. "Wakana | DISCOGRAPHY". www.jvcmusic.co.jp.
  7. "Wakana、延期のライブ開催に喜び「歌とよく向き合うことができた一年だった」". ORICON NEWS.
  8. "Wakana、カバーアルバム収録曲発表＋オンライン企画続々決定". BARKS. 23 October 2020.
  9. "Wakana、微博の「クラシックアニソンシンガー賞」受賞 "成人式以来"の和服で登壇". ORICON NEWS. 8 February 2021.
  10. "Florence's Lament | Memento Mori". Memento Mori. news.
  11. "時を越える夜に | Wakana". ORICON NEWS.
  12. "Flag | Wakana". JVC Music.
  13. Wakanaのアルバム作品 [A Look at Wakana's Releases]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  14. WakanaのBlu-ray作品 [Wakana's Blu-Ray releases]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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