Fuyumi Sakamoto

Summary

Fuyumi Sakamoto (坂本 冬美, Sakamoto Fuyumi, born March 30, 1967 in Kamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese female enka singer under EMI Music Japan.

Fuyumi Sakamoto
坂本 冬美
Born (1967-03-30) March 30, 1967 (age 56)
OriginKamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
GenresEnka, rock
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1987–present
LabelsEMI Music Japan
Websitewww.fuyumi-fc.com

Career edit

Having won a singing contest in early 1986, and after receiving about 11 months of vocal training, Sakamoto debuted as an enka recording singer with the single "Abare Daiko" in March 1987, and was well received. In 1988, she took part in the 39th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (New Year's Eve "song battle") for the first time. As of 2017, she has taken part 29 times, missing only the 53rd (2002) edition due to illness. This achievement placed Sakamoto on the 5th place (tied with another enka veteran Harumi Miyako) for the most Kōhaku appearances for a female artist.

Sakamoto was also a vocalist of rock band HIS (ja) with bassist and producer Haruomi Hosono and guitarist Kiyoshiro Imawano, though Imawano died in 2009.[1] The band's name is an acronym coming from their names Hosono, Imawano and Sakamoto. The band released their album Nippon no Hito (日本の人, Japanese People) on July 19, 1991.

In the 1993 Kōhaku Uta Gassen, she played Sailor Mercury with Hiroko Moriguchi as Sailor Moon and Hikaru Nishida as Sailor Mars.[2] "Yozakura Oshichi" (1994) is one of her most famous songs. Although her songs are not usually popular with young people, this was the exception.[3]

On January 7, 2009, Sakamoto released the double A-side single "Asia no Kaizoku/Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru" (アジアの海賊/また君に恋してる, Ajia no Kaizoku/Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru, "Asian Pirates/I'm Falling in Love With You Again"). The single debuted at No. 13 on the Japanese Oricon weekly charts.[4] "Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru" was her cover version of Billy BanBan's song. The double A-side single "Asia no Kaizoku/Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru" eventually peaked at number three on the Oricon Weekly Charts, becoming her biggest hit in Japan.[5]

The song "Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru" (また君に恋してる, I'm Falling in Love with You Again) rose to the number-one spot on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart between March 31 and April 6, 2010.[6] On July 13, 2010, Sakamoto's album Love Songs: Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru (Love Songs〜また君に恋してる〜, Love Songs: I'm Falling in Love with You Again) has sold a total of 202,000 copies since its release in October 2009, making her the first female enka singer to have an album reach 200,000 in sales since Teresa Teng in 1989.[7]

On September 14, 2011, "Okaeri ga Omamori (Welcome back is my charm) "the song about her love for Wakayama (her home town) was released.[8]

Awards and nominations edit

Japan Record Awards edit

The Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show held annually in Japan by the Japan Composer's Association.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 Fuyumi Sakamoto Best Singer Award Won

Filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ "ロックの神様"逝く…忌野清志郎さんが58歳で死去. Oricon (in Japanese). Oricon Style. May 3, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Dejikame Report" (in Japanese). J-Wave. December 15, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  3. ^ 坂本冬美 着うたフル圏外→11位に急上昇! (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. January 4, 2010. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  4. ^ "Oricon Weekly Single Charts for the third week of January 2009" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  5. ^ 坂本冬美「君恋~」発売1年4ヶ月目で初3位、「地上の星」以来の快挙. Oricon (in Japanese). Oricon Style. April 20, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  6. ^ "RIAJ Digital Track Chart between March 31, 2010 and April 6, 2010" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  7. ^ "Fuyumi Sakamoto album breaks enka sales barrier". Tokyograph. July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  8. ^ "Okaeri ga Omamori". Made in Japan ONLY. September 14, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "森山良子、清水ミチコ、坂本冬美ら『竜とそばかすの姫』出演 歌のプロが合唱隊に". Crank-in!. May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.

External links edit

  • (in Japanese) Official website
  • Fuyumi Sakamoto at IMDb