Hiro Mizushima, Ayaka married since FebruaryFri, April 3, 2009 (2:00pm EDT)Popular actor Hiro Mizushima (24) and singer-songwriter Ayaka (21) surprised the entertainment industry on Friday when they held a press conference announcing that they recently married. In addition, it was revealed that Ayaka will be putting her music career on hold.The two apparently first met three years ago, but it wasn't until a magazine interview last spring that their relationship began to develop. The pair started seriously dating in August. They decided to register their marriage on February 22.Mizushima explained, "She is indispensable to me. I thought, if I let go of her, I'll regret it my entire life." Ayaka commented, "My first impression of him was that he had really powerful eyes, and he could completely see through me. Right now, he is someone I respect from the bottom of my heart."It was also learned that immediately after Ayaka's debut in 2006, she became ill with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder. Ayaka tearfully reported that her symptoms have been increasing. As a result, Ayaka will continue with her music until the end of this year, after which she will put her career on hold. Mizushima promised to protect and support her.
Ayaka to release best albumPopular singer Ayaka (21) will be releasing a best album on September 23, titled "Ayaka's History 2006-2009." The collection will include all of Ayaka's singles to date, and the limited edition will have ten more songs voted on by fans. In April, Ayaka announced that she married actor Hiro Mizushima (25) and that she would be suspending her singing career at the end of this year due to Graves' disease. This album will span her entire career so far, from her debut single "I believe" in 2006 up to her latest song, "Minna Sora no Shita," released a few weeks ago.The regular edition of "Ayaka's History" contains one disc with 16 tracks - 13 songs from all 10 of her CD singles (three were double A-sides), 2 songs from her collaborative singles with Kobukuro, and her digital-only single "For today." The limited edition of the album will include a second disc with 10 songs, chosen by fans from the rest of her entire discography. The limited edition also comes in two flavors, one packaged with a photobook and the other with a DVD of music videos and other clips.
Ayaka's final concert to be shown in theatersOn November 18, singer Ayaka (21) performed at the Osaka-jo Hall, her last solo concert before she goes on hiatus at the end of this year. Due to strong interest from her fans, it has been decided that the concert will be shown in select theaters across the country.Ayaka sang a total of thirteen songs for the concert, which was titled "MTV Unplugged ayaka." MTV gave away 10,000 free invitations to the event, though 200,000 fans had applied. Because of the response, MTV is putting together an "MTV Unplugged ayaka - cinema edition" for theatrical screening.The video will play at 13 theaters ranging from Hokkaido to Fukuoka, including Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo. The screenings are currently scheduled for an 8-day run starting on January 5, 2010. Each venue will hold between 1 and 4 showings in a day, with an estimated total audience of more than 43,000 people throughout Japan. Tickets became available on December 11, but more showings may be added, depending on sales.