With smooth R&B rhythms and fluid choruses in English, it comes as no surprise that the Japanese and Afro-Trinidadian has spent time in both Japan and the US. Although she made Oricon waves with a SoulJa collab early in her career—a sleeper hit that gave her a Guinness World Record as Japan’s best-selling digital download—Aoyama's evolution has often eschewed formulaic tropes. Her voice, dense with longing, can flit from pop to soul, float atop strings and piano or perch upon a thunderous bassline with ease.