Aya Hirano, Japanese voice actress and singer
Aya Hirano (平野 綾, Hirano Aya, born October 8, 1987) is a Japanese actress and singer associated with Grick. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first voice acting role in the anime television series Angel Tales (2001).
In 2006, she became known for her role as Haruhi Suzumiya in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise, winning the Voice Acting Award at the 2007 Tokyo Anime Awards, the Best Newcomer Award at the 1st Seiyu Awards in 2007, and the Best Lead Actress award at the 2nd Seiyu Awards in 2008. In addition, she also provided the voice of Misa Amane in Death Note, Konata Izumi in Lucky Star, and Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail.
In 2010, Hirano began transitioning her acting career to television and stage plays, starring in Konna no Idol Janain!? (2012) and Muse no Kagami (2012). In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Hirano was regarded as an idol voice actor and is notable for being a voice actor who was able to cross over to mainstream entertainment. Along with voice acting, Hirano currently releases music through Universal Sigma. She released her first single "Breakthrough" in 2006, and she released her first album Riot Girl in 2008.