Fuyumi Sakamoto

Fuyumi Sakamoto
坂本 冬美
Born March 30, 1967
Origin Kamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Genres Enka, rock
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1987–present
Labels EMI Music Japan
Associated acts Haruomi Hosono, Kiyoshiro Imawano
Website www.fuyumi-fc.com

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.

Career

On March 4, 1987, Sakamoto debuted as a recording singer with the single "Abare Daiko". In 1988, she took part in the 39th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (New Year's Eve "song battle") for the first time. As of 2009, she has taken part 21 times.

Sakamoto was also a vocalist of rock band HIS with bassist 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" 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

Japan Record Awards

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

Year Recipient Award Result
2011 Fuyumi Sakamoto Best Singer Award style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won

References

  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. 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. 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. 2010-04-20. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  6. ↑ "RIAJ Digital Track Chart between March 31, 2010 and April 6, 2010" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  7. ↑ "Fuyumi Sakamoto album breaks enka sales barrier". Tokyograph. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  8. ↑ "Okaeri ga Omamori". Made in Japan ONLY. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2011-09-14.

External links