Anime Expo Announces Aya Ikeda & CARAT as Industry Guests for AX 2013

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 12th, 2013 – Anime Expo welcomes Aya Ikeda, best known for singing the opening themes for Heart-Catch Pre-Cure and Smile Pre-Cure, and J-Pop group CARAT, for a special free concert in Main Events on Thursday, July 4th! We're kicking off the holiday weekend with a fun and high-energy live show featuring Ms. Ikeda and CARAT, who are joining AX2013 as Industry Guests.

Ms. Ikeda is behind the theme songs of three of the popular Pre-Cure TV series in Japan-- Heart-Catch Pre-Cure, Sweet Pre-Cure, and Smile Pre-Cure. She also contributed the theme to The Kindaichi Case Book: Black Magic Murder Case. She has also provided themes for many online games. Ms. Ikeda will be performing her Ani-Song hits at AX2013!

CARAT, which is a five-member DJ, dance and vocal unit, will also be appearing live! Their tracks are club style, with a pop melody and electronic vibe, and “cute” lyrics that express their generation's feelings of love realistically.

CARAT started live activities after their debut CD “KOI Indirect” was released. The song became popular among Hatsune Miku fans, and the Vocaloid cover of KOI Indirect found new exposure through Nico Nico Douga. In January 2013, “KOI Indirect” it was chosen as an ending song for TBS' Monitoring, and it shot up the charts on the Ameba blog ranking. Their second single "Shake it up!" will be celebrated with their appearance in the US at Anime Expo, filled with the vision and hope of the members! Don't miss it!!

Anime Expo is thrilled to welcome Aya Ikeda and CARAT as Industry Guests at AX 2013. Join them at 6 PM on Thursday, July 4th for a memorable concert event. And don't forget, its free! Connect with your favorite artists, voice actors, and musicians from Japan, display your amazing cosplay and other artistic creations, and enjoy the best in Japanese anime and pop culture. Connect. Create. Culture. All at Anime Expo!

About Anime Expo
Hosted annually in Los Angeles, Anime Expo is North America's largest celebration of Japanese culture. Anime Expo 2013 will be held July 4 - 7, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register, or for more information, please visit the Anime Expo website.

About the SPJA
The SPJA ("Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation") is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the American public about Japanese entertainment culture, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. For more information, please visit the SPJA website.