Akane Nightsong - 2022 Guest-Cosplayer
Updated: Aug 11, 2022
The Princess of Cosplay has returned! Akane Nightsong is coming to Kelowna ComiCon this year!
Akane Nightsong is a Canadian based cosplayer who has been performing for 11 years now, she started off as a vocalist singing at multiple events, she always favored musicals and musical theater, she performed at Kiwanis music festival in Kelowna BC a yearly competition, in 2012, 2013, 2014, and recently the one in Alberta in 2019 in the musical theater category, winning first place all four years she competed as a soloist and first place for the two duets she performed in the same category with a fellow vocalist in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 was when she started performing/working as a princess starting up her own company A Fairy Tale Ending at 14, She has since performed all over as a princess, from countless birthday parties, special events and fundraisers, examples being;
- Arion Therapeutic Farms (where she used to ride and work with horses) Winter Wonderland Fundraiser,
- Yellowhead Regional Arts Festivals Journey Into Christmas event where she wrote and sang her own version of Let It Snow mixed with Let It Go as Elsa,
- Hinton Alberta’s yearly Canada day Fohn Festival multiple times, and there Canada day parade on REMAX’s parade float dedicated to the Children's Stollery Hospital making miracles happen, decorated by her and her parents, though if you ask her, her parents are definitely the design and prop masters, they did belle 2020, Ariel 2021, and this year as Rapunzel, taking first place for best decorated float all 3 years.
- She was also hired for A Children's Festival in Alberta, and by the Kelowna Dewey Cuttem and Howe Hair Company for a Special Olympics fundraiser on multiple occasions.
- She was even flown out by Kelowna’s My Innov8 to Victoria BC for the festival of trees fundraiser for the children's hospital at the Bay Center Mall, and then was flown to the Vancouver children's hospital after to visit the children which she will say is always both heart melting and breaking but loves every second she can make them smile.
“Being able to make others smile and laugh, especially during hard times, if I can do that even just for a moment, it brings me an unbelievable amount of happiness, and makes everything I do worth it, including facing my biggest fear, plains, and those sweet moments and extra-long hugs that you just know that person needed is very special. I love being able to bring a little magic to life with what I do, with that said I believe magic is all around us, it may not look like pixie dust or out of Harry Potter but it’s there, love, joy, laughter, acts of kindness, and so much more, it’s everywhere you just have to look for it, in both the big and small things in life, it can be really easy to miss and hard to see some days but it’s there especially if you believe”
Akane discovered cosplay around 7 years ago, she fell in love with the community and creativity of cosplay immediately, and it has grown to become her passion and dream job since. She only recently started attending conventions in 2019, she attended Sakura Con her first convention “it was better than I dreamed, the overall excitement and support that everyone shared, and being there with my friends made it even more special” After that Akane attended 3 more conventions that year, Animethon, Edmonton Expo and then was invited as a guest to Kelowna ComiCon.
Akane has become known for her unique take on characters, all of which she designs herself based on the characters;
“I love putting my own spin on things, having something that's unique and recognizable to me while also staying true to the characters themselves, the designing process is so fun and also very time consuming, it can take me days or even months to finish a design that I’m happy with depending on the character, plus the time picking out materials, I’m very big on quality and attention to details, I like to go big and grand when I can, Then finally bringing it all to life in the end, it’s such a creative, and rewarding experience, I’m so grateful to the people who help me do it, it’s a LOT of time, work and energy but so worth it in the end, even if you lose a bit of your sanity along the way while gluing thousands of rhinestones to a dress till 4am, I definitely haven't done that before haha”
She has also started dabbling in making her own original characters one being SoraNyx the witch who was originally created for a haunted house event held at the Hinton SPCA;
“It was the first time I had ever done a haunted house or character like that, but my friend who worked there asked me if I would help because she knew playing characters is something I do and they needed a witch character to manage lines as well as pre scare people haha, it was something new and exciting so I said yes and boom my sassy, feisty witch was created”
Akane was invited to another haunted house the year after and created The Grim Reapers daughter (not yet named) another O.C she wants to work more on bringing to life, she is hoping to post more original characters as she makes them.
Akane loves meeting all the new people wherever she goes, and the friendships she makes along the way;
“Seeing everyone and seeing other peoples creative takes on their favorite characters is fantastic and inspiring, cosplay has really helped me find myself, which is funny since your dressing up as someone else, but it’s like you can embody the confidence and energy of the character you love and make it your own, and I think there’s something truly magical about that, I want to be able to inspire people not only creatively with their cosplays, but also to be themselves and proud of the things they love and brings them joy including things a little more niche like cosplay, it’s so much better to be yourself and do what you love and brings you joy then be something you’re not and miserable, even if others don’t understand or judge you, I’ve been there and it sucks, but from my experience as hard as it can be, its way better to work on ignoring them and choosing your happiness, in the end we are all uniquely made and should be proud of that! I don’t know about you guys but I’m happy I never grew out of my fun dress up phase haha”
- Akane Nightsong
Send some love her way and check out Akane at the links below!
Social Media
www.tiktok.com/@akane_nightsong
www.instagram.com/akane_nightsong/
www.facebook.com/Akane.Nightsong/
P.S. While writing this, Akane and her family went on a lovely cosplay adventure with her friend Mina (which is actually her nickname, not just her cosplay).
You can discover Mina on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mina_marissa_art
Make sure to jump over and share the love!
Sincerely,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood
