Kiyoe was born and grew up in Japan. She began singing Jazz in Dokkyo University's Modern Jazz club inspired by Billy Holiday and also worked as a Jazz singer at clubs in Tokyo. She also served as an interpreter for jazz magazines such as Jazz Critics and Swing Journal, interviewing jazz greats such as Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Jim Hall, Joe Henderson, Curtis Fuller, Jackie Mclean, Ramsey Lewis etc. when they toured Japan.
Soon after she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1993, she met Smith Dobson, and began singing again with Dobson family who supported her musically and treated as a family member as she was new to the area. She studied jazz vocals with Gail Dobson and performed with the Dobson family. She has also studied with vocal coach Jane Sharp , Jazz Vocalist and educator, Madeline Eastman , Dena DeRose , and Roger Letson.
She has performed with various musicians including late Smith Dobson , Russell Ferrante (Yellow Jacket), Herb Ellis, Dena DeRose, Jovino Santos, Jim Schneider , Walter Bankovitch, John Shifflet, Carlos Oliveira , and etc. She has also sung the alto part in the internationally renowned De Anza groups, the female quartet “Tres Chicâ€, and the "Vocal Flight" directed by Roger Letson and Michelle Hawkins.
Currently Kiyoe is back to SJSU graduate school, and studying music. She is focusing not only Jazz, improvisation but studying classical and world music including her origin which is Japanese traditional, compositions as well in order to achieve a complete synthesis with all of them to create a new style of music.