Awich

Origin: Japan

Awich (Born Akiko Urasaki; “AWICH” is short for “Asia Wish Child,” which is the meaning of her name: 亜希子 Akiko), an artist, poet, and director, a true do-it-all talent, is a product of an intensely mixed history and culture.

Born and raised on the small island of Okinawa. Although it is now part of Japan, it was once the independent kingdom named Ryukyu. After WWII, the US governed Okinawa until it was returned to Japan in 1972. Today, Okinawa is under political pressure between Tokyo and Washington D.C. It has been a target of both fascination and discrimination amongst Japan and surrounding Asian nations for years because of its exotic culture and hybrid transformations.

Her lyrics, positions, and perceptions turn both the positive and negative aspects of her surroundings — cultural fusions, identity crises, pride and shame — into an honest craft. This process, in turn, becomes a vital part of creating a modern Okinawan sense of space and identity.

After graduating from high school in Okinawa, she studied in the United States and earned BS in Entrepreneurship and Marketing.

During her years of study in the states, she married and had a child with an American man, who right after her graduation, was murdered in an incident. It was from this tragedy she learned that the life is too short to not do what one really wants. She takes her daughter with her to her home island and established and Marketing/Production company, named Cipher City, in order to produce contents that utilize the local resources.

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