Ichiko Aoba is a Japanese singer-songwriter known for her delicate, dreamlike sound built on voice and acoustic guitar, creating intimate and immersive musical worlds
Last Sunday, a beautiful folk evening at Göta Lejon was opened by JFDR, an Icelandic folk singer and songwriter, who set the stage with her captivating, calm presence. Highlighting her work over the years, JFDR shone in her emotional, fairy-like way, passing the torch to the main event of the evening – Ichiko Aoba.
Aoba brought a dreamy folk performance that gradually consumed every listener with its mystical pace. She skillfully manoeuvred the waves of emotions in the room and directed the way towards a very light, happy place. Ichiko Aoba and her guitar felt as one, while her synthesiser added an extra whimsical touch. With Aoba’s voice weaving through the space, her delivery acted like a calming balm for the soul.
It was one of those performances where, if you come with no expectations at all, you will feel free and inevitably embark on a self-exploration journey. As we went deeper and deeper, you could feel people floating in their own bubbles of thought, independently and blissfully exploring their memories.
The performer successfully created a curated space for reflection and inner wandering. And it wasn’t heavy. Quite on the contrary, the mood was light, imaginative and balanced. I could compare the overall impression of Aoba’s music to the lights shimmering on the water’s surface – mesmerising and magnetic. Over time, you could find yourself enjoying a peaceful early evening on the summer veranda, sunlit and glittery.
The centrepiece of the stage resembled a cosy veranda setting with a few vintage end tables and a bouquet of flowers. The light installations of separate lamps and light bulbs with adjustable brightness added to the atmosphere, creating a colourful kaleidoscope of blinking lights. I could perfectly picture Aoba jamming and playing for herself alone in such a setting, and the lucky audience just witnessing something private.
Drifting into the space, I found that Ichiko Aoba’s music fits the unsettling times we are living in now – its soulful, open and forgiving nature invites everyone to reconnect with oneself and almost question the importance of things we care about daily. It works as a promise that everything will sort itself out. Even more so, I can state that, if the day you felt something while listening to Aoba’s music was the last day on earth, it would be a good one.
