Born in Hyōgo Prefecture in 1995, singer-songwriter Aimyon started writing her own guitar-guided folk and rock songs in junior high school and performing them live shortly thereafter. Her music—sparse and intimate, with lyrics about figuring out life and love in an uncertain world—marked a departure from the often peppy sounds and easy themes of many J-pop artists in the 2010s. Her best-known songs—“Kimi Wa Rock Wo Kikanai” and “Let the Night” among them—focus on the challenges of growing up amid financial hardships, and helped make her a voice for Japanese millennials trying to find their place in society. But rather than wallowing in the despair, Aimyon offers dashes of hope on hits such as 2018’s “Marigold,” which uses soaring electric guitar melodies to project a more upbeat mood.