Takahashi began learning piano from her father at the age of two, and was a member of the Takinogawa Boys and Girls Choir when she was in elementary school.

[5] Takahashi began her career in 1991, and released her first album, Pizzicato, in 1992, which reached #28 on the Oricon weekly charts.

In 1995, she released the single "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ, Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze), which was used as the opening song in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Takahashi's other works in anime includes performing an "acid bossa" version of "Fly Me to the Moon", and Tamashii No Refrain, the closing theme of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.

She also performed "Metamorphose", the opening theme to studio Gainax's 20th anniversary series, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, the ending theme "Yoake Umarekuru Shōjo" (夜明け生まれ来る少女, "The Girl Who was Born at Dawn") for the anime Shakugan no Shana (灼眼のシャナ, "Blazing-Eyed Shana"), and the opening theme "Aoki Flamme" (蒼き炎, Aoki Honō, "Blue Flame") for Pumpkin Scissors (パンプキン・シザーズ, Panpukin Shizāzu).