輝かしい友情

Chasing down the world of J-pop from Kobukuro to Ayaka (she's so easy to fall for) ...and landed in the world of figure skating. =D

I am outdated as usual, only now finding out that her 2006 debut hit "I Believe" (also covered in Mandarin by 绝对Superstar's 石欣卉) was used by gold medalist figure skater Ando Miki in 2006 Skate America championship.

Apparently the two are good friends who share the same birth date and similar milestones in life... how interesting. It was by Miki's request that Ayaka recorded the English version of the song exclusively for her to dance to in the competition.

I tracked down the performance here, but was more attracted to the repeat performance one year later, in the exhibition segment of 2007 World Figure Skate Championships -- not that I know any bit about figure skating excellence but simply because Ayaka sang live for her, this time in Japanese, probably because the event was held in Tokyo.

(And do bear with the interval in between so as not to miss the encore with another song of Ayaka's, "Mikazuki".)



If by now I've managed to get you as interested in these two extraordinary friends as I am, you can go here to see them talk on a music show, though unfortunately without subtitle. (Yeah, I stalk these kinds of shows nowadays even while not understanding most of what's being talked about. =DDD)