Awaya was born as Nori Awaya in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. She was the oldest daughter of a wealthy merchant. In 1910, her family's home was destroyed in the Aomori City fire. Ten years later they were bankrupt, and in 1923 she, along with her mother and younger sister, went to Tokyo.
She became a classical singer. However, she soon began to sing popular songs because the salary of a classical music performer was very low. Her 1937 song "Farewell Blues" became a hit. In 1938, she also released "Rainy Blues". In Taiwan, the song was later given the alternative title "Han Yu Qu". In 1939, she recorded the song "Yoru no Platform" as an insert song of the movie "Tokyo no Josei", in which Setsuko Hara played the main role. However, the song was banned by Japanese authorities.
