Nakamori Akina
Nakamori Akina is a Japanese pop singer and actress who debuted on May 1st of 1982. She has won the prestigious Record Taisho Grand Prize twice first in 1985 with the single "Meu Amor é" and again in 1986 with one of her all-time classics "DESIRE ~Jounetsu~". Her so-called golden era situates between 1982 to 1989 till she attempted suicide for the failed romance with Kondo Masahiko. She has never gained back the popularity she had from early to mid 1980's yet she has still been able to maintain a somewhat steady career. She is acknowledged as a talented singer which showcases in her mature song selections and her "Utahime" albums in which she covers other famous artists' songs. She has been even called "the queen of tragedy" because many of her songs have a serious or sad tone to them and not many of them are clearly happy and carefree as usually heard in J-Pop music. As of 2005 she was the 16th best selling artist in Japan with over 25,1 million records sold. With a career as long as 25 years she has done a lot of different music genres including pop, rock, R&B, jazz, blues, enka and Latin music.
Profile
- Name:: Nakamori Akina (中森明菜)
- Birthday: July 13th, 1965
- Birth Place: Kiyose City, Japan
- ´´Blood Type]]: A
- Height: 160cm
- Siblings: 2 elder sisters (Akie, Akiko), 2 elder brothers (Akihiro, Akinori) and 1 younger sister (Akiho)
- Idol: Yamaguchi Momoe
Biography
Third try is the charm
Nakamori Akina entered the music industry through a singing talent contest "Star Tanjo". She first appeared on the contest in 1979 at the age of 13 singing Iwasaki Hiromi's "Natsu ni Dakarete", but she failed to impress the judges because the song was supposedly too mature for a girl of her age. She tried again in 1980 by singing Matsuda Seiko's "Hadashi no Kisetsu", but she still didn't impress the judges. It wasn't until her third try with the contest in 1981 that she finally won by singing Yamaguchi Momoe's "Yumesaki Annainin" with a record score of 392 points, beating her opponents easily.
Signed to Warner-Pioneer she debuted with the ballad single "Slow Motion" on May 1 of 1982 which originally barely made it to the Oricon charts. Her second single "Shoujo A" was almost banned because of the lyrics describing a bad flirting girl motorcyclist (something that might have been inspired by Yamaguchi Momoe's early suggestive songs such as "Aoi Kajitsu"), but it showed better success than her debut single by reaching #5 and selling over 396,000 copies. The single's popularity actually caused her debut single to return to the charts making it reach all the way to #30. In total it stayed on the charts for 39 weeks and sold over 420,000 copies. Thanks to the success of "Shoujo A" she also made her first appearance on the popular TV show at the time, THE BEST 10, which gave her even more exposure. It wasn't until her 3rd single "Second Love" (which is also her highest selling single ever with over 990,000 copies sold) that she began dominating the #1 spot in the single rankings.
The years of success and the fall
In 1985 she made her acting debut in the movie "Ai Tabidachi" playing a woman dying from a heart ailment. The movie co-starred the idol Kondo Masahiko and a romance developed between Akina and him. The movie also did well at the box office and was the 8th most popular movie of 1985 in Japan. Another success that year came with the single "Meu Amor é" winning Akina the Record Taisho Grand Prize. It was considered that she might be too young to win such a prize though. "Meu Amor é" sold over 631,000 copies and reached #1. The single was re-released as "Akai Tori Nigeta" which featured different lyrics which actually were the original ones, but due to composer Matsuoka Naoya's discontent with them not embracing the Latino sound new lyrics were written thus creating "Meu Amor é". Even as a re-release the single still reached #1 and sold over 354,000 copies.
In 1986 Akina released one of her most experimental albums "Fushigi" which is considered to be one her most artistic work ever. Being a conceptual album it differed from her previous works with a more mysterious sound both music and vocal-wise. The album featured Akina singing in a more exaggerating manner and her vocals were also mixed into the background. The unusual vocal mixing caused some confusion among consumers and some actually contacted the retailers thinking the record was defective. Despite the riskiness of trying something avant-garde the album still reached #1 easily and sold over 464,000 copies.
Around the end of 1986 Akina started pursuing a more mature and womanly image as opposed to the typical cute and carefree Japanese idol image. In 1987 she tried her luck with the American music industry by releasing her first and only English release "Cross My Palm". The album featured Akina collaborating with western composers and arrangers and it was her first release to feature music videos as promotion. Unfortunately, the album did poorly in America and proved out to be a success only in Japan selling over 343,000 copies. Her 1988 album "Femme Fatale" also featured collaborations with western artists, but the album was mostly in Japanese and released only in Japan.
The relationship between Nakamori Akina and Kondo Masahiko had become strained by 1987 which could be heard on the heartbroken single "Nanpasen", released the same year. The song was offered by the famous folk singer Kato Tokiko who seldom offered her songs to idols. Akina, however, showed enough artistic talent to perform the song and thus proved to the public that she was more than a typical pop idol. The single sold over 431,000 copies and reached #1. In 1989 another ballad involving heartbreak was released called "LIAR" which sold over 275,000 copies and reached #1. The single was also featured on her next original album "CRUISE" which was a ballad album. The same year rumors about Kondo Masahiko and the famous Japanese idol Matsuda Seiko having an affair started to spread. Because of the failed relationship Akina finally attempted suicide on July 11, 1989 at Kondo's apartment. She was hospitalized and she recovered, but the attempt did have a negative impact on her public image. The same year in December a press conference was held where Akina publicly apologized for her selfish act and announced to continue her career next year.
After the incident she took a break in Hawaii, but made a comeback in 1990 with the optimistic single "Dear Friend" which sold well with over 548,000 copies sold. However, her contract with Warner-Pioneer was coming to an end and after "Dear Friend" she released only two new singles till 1991. Due to copyright problems she would take another break until her next new release with a new label, MCA Victor Japan. From April of 1992 to December of 1993 she had her own radio show "Fifty Off" on Tokyo FM.
The return of the utahime
Her first release with MCA Victor Japan was in 1993 with the ballad single "Everlasting Love" which, however, showed a drastic decline in her sales with only 129,000 copies sold and it reached only #10. Later that year she finally released a new original album titled "UNBALANCE+BALANCE" which introduced her new hit song "Aibu". The album sold over 186,000 copies and reached #4, but it didn't do as well as her Warner releases. The next year she released her first cover album "Utahime" which featured songs chosen by her. One of the songs "Aizen Bashi" was originally performed by her idol Yamaguchi Momoe in 1979. All the tracks featured string arrangements by the famous composer and arranger Senju Akira (who would also be in charge of the later "Utahime" releases).
In 1995 Akina's mother died at the age of 58. The same year she released her next original album "La Alteración" which sold moderately well with over 149,000 copies sold and reaching #7. At the end of the year she released her first self-cover album "true album ~akina 95 best~" which also featured her latest singles with MCA Victor. The three disc collection gave Akina the chance to update many of her dated sounding 80's hits to more mature style and also to fit her changed voice better. The collection reached #16 and sold over 86,000 copies.
In 1996 she returned to more mysterious yet dance-driven sound with the single "MOONLIGHT SHADOW ~Tsuki ni Hoero~" which reached #14 and sold 112,000 copies. Before the end of the year she released the experimental EP release "VAMP". The title can be said to describe the improvised accompaniment, but also Akina's "femme fatale"-type seductress image. The release, however, showed little success by reaching only #30 and selling over 32,000 copies. The urban soundscape was continued on her next original album "SHAKER", but as according to the title it was also a mix of different of styles such as techno and folk-like songs. The album reached #14 and sold over 44,000 copies. After the album release Akina did her first national tour in nine years and a live video "Felicidad" was released.
The year 1997 marked the end of her contract with MCA Victor Japan and in 1998 she released the single "Kisei ~Never Forget~" under a new label, GAUSS Entertainment. The single reached #19 and sold over 95,000 copies. Unfortunately, her later releases had little success until "ZERO album - Utahime 2". Her next album "SPOON" featured songs composed by ORIGA among others giving the album an ethereal feel to it, but the album showed even more declining sales with only over 23,000 copies sold.
In 1999 she starred the drama series "Border" as a detective, but the series had to be stopped after Akina fell sick and had to hospitalized. Things also didn't go so well with her next album "Will", released the same year, which marks as her weakest selling album ever with only over 5,000 copies sold. The same year she performed her first ever soundtrack theme song "Tsuki no Hohoemi" for the Playstation game "Wizardry ~DIMGUIL~" which was also included on "Will" as an acoustic version. Soon after "Will" her contract with GAUSS Entertainment ended.
Journey to the 21st century
In 2002 she signed to Universal Music Japan and the same year her comeback album "ZERO album - Utahime 2" was released selling over 229,000 copies. She once again covered a song by her idol Yamaguchi Momoe called "Cosmos". However, the comeback didn't endure for long and with her next original album "Resonancia", released the same year, she returned to the rather small sales with only over 30,000 copies sold. With "Resonancia" she explored a new style both music and singing-wise. The album was a mix of R&B and latino music and it featured Akina singing in a softer manner as opposed to her more powerful and deeper style that she is known for. Her record label described the album as re-branding Akina as the Japanese Jennifer Lopez. The same year her albums with MCA Victor Japan were re-released with singles and their b-sides added to them. At the end of the year she also released another album "Utahime Double Decade" which, although bears the title "Utahime", isn't actually part of the "Utahime" series because it's another self-cover album like "true album AKINA 95 BEST". The album featured Akina covering her Warner-era hits in big band, bossa nova, salsa, ska and tango style and also fully orchestrated. It sold over 83,046 copies and reached #8.
The next year Akina released the ballad single "Days" whose lyrics she herself wrote. The single's name foretold the theme of her next album "I hope so" which was time. This was her second ballad album since "CRUISE" and it reached #15 selling over 18,000 copies. The title song "I hope so" was Akina's first commercial song whose lyrics she herself wrote. The song was featured in Japan Railways' commercial. Later that year the third and final album to the "Utahime" series "Utahime 3 ~Shuumaku" was released. The theme of the final cover album was dandyism which showcases in the fact that all the songs were originally performed by men.
In 2004 she released "Akai Hana", her first ever single under her very own Utahime Records label distributed by Universal Music. The song was a cover of the South Korean drama's "All In" theme song "WHO", but it featured new lyrics. Her next single "Hajimete Deatta Hi no You ni" was a variation of the same song with yet again different lyrics and slightlyy altered arrangement. "Akai Hana" featured lyrics involving heartbreak while "Hajimete Deatta Hi no You ni" was a more optimistic version. The Utahime Records label has given Akina the chance to plan her selection of songs, advertisement, production and also to find and produce new talents. According to Akina she had been planning on starting her own label since five years ago. In 2006 she finally released her first original album under her Utahime Records called "DESTINATION" which featured dance influenced R&B-ish songs. Although it sold only over 10,000 copies MUSIC MAGAZINE gave it 9 out of 10 points making it even more evident that Akina's declining sales might be more due to the lack of promotion than due to the possibility that her releases might be getting "worse".
In 2007 she returned to the "Utahime" series by releasing "Utahime Best - 25th Anniversary Selection" which featured three new covered songs of which one was a live performance and one song once again originally by Yamaguchi Momoe "Ii Hi Tabidachi" which was featured as a theme song for the movie "Tabi no okurimono 0:00 hatsu". The album turned out to be another success for her with over 43,500 copies sold. Later the same year it was announced that "Ballade Best" would feature one new song "Ano Natsu no Hi" and three re-recorded tracks. The limited edition featured a DVD which contains footage of her first ever live concert in 1983 which has never been released before.
In April a new album "Enka" was announced to be released on the 20th of June. Although the "Utahime" series was put to an end Akina now continued to cover classic enka songs with a full orchestra once again arranged by Senju Akira. This was also the first time that fans had the chance to interact with Akina by voting their favorite songs at her offcial website! Later in May it was also announced that the release date had been pushed back to June 27th. On June 7th the track list was finally announced revealing that only three of the songs were chosen independently by Akina and the rest were chosen from the poll. The album was released in four editions: a limited CD+DVD edition, a limited 2 CD edition, a normal CD only edition and also a cassette tape edition. The limited DVD will feature recording material, promotional video material and interviews. The limited 2 CD edition will have instrumental tracks and also a bonus track. The cassette tape edition might have been targeted at the older generations.
On June 26th Akina paid a visit to the Toyokawa Inari Shrine where she prayed for her album to be a success. The same day she did a Yahoo! Live Talk-interview in which she revealed that the idea for doing an enka cover album wasn't hers since she wasn't comfortable with the singing style which she viewed as a too big of a challenge, but her staff finally convinced her otherwise. Even with limited promotion Enka still turned out to be a surprisingly successful release for Akina as it reached #10 and charted for 12 weeks selling over 61,412 copies.
Trivia
- She took ballet lessons from the age of 4 through 13. The influence can still be seen in some of her choreographies that she performs live.
- Not only was Nakamori Akina the youngest ever (20-years old) at the time to win the Record Taisho Grand Prize, but she was also the second to win it twice and the first to win it in consecutive years.
- Although most of her songs' lyrics are written for her she has written some herself. Some of them are under her pen name Miran:Miran.
- She doesn't like using mobile telephones and thus doesn't own one.
- Casablanca is her favorite flower
Discography
Albums
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1982.07.01 | 453,000 | #5 | |
| 2 | 1982.10.27 | 743,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 3 | 1983.03.23 | 616,000 | #1 (4 weeks) | |
| 4 | 1983.08.10 | 482,000 | #1 (2 weeks) | |
| 5 | 1983.12.21 | 665,000 | #1 (4 weeks) | |
| 6 | 1984.05.01 | 476,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 7 | 1984.10.10 | 623,000 | #1 (2 weeks) | |
| 8 | 1985.04.03 | 556,000 | #1 (2 weeks) | |
| 9 | 1985.08.10 | 651,000 | #1 (2 weeks) | |
| 10 | 1986.04.01 | 772,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 11 | 1986.08.11 | 464,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 12 | 1986.12.24 | 601,000 | #1 (4 weeks) | |
| 13 | 1987.08.25 | 343,000 | #1 | |
| 14 | 1988.03.03 | 395,000 | #2 | |
| 15 | 1988.08.03 | 269,000 | #1 | |
| 16 | 1988.12.24 | 808,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 17 | 1989.07.25 | 403,000 | #1 (3 weeks) | |
| 18 | 1989.11.17 | 175,000 | #6 | |
| 19 | 1991.11.28 | 183,000 | #5 | |
| 20 | 1992.11.10 | 156,000 | #6 | |
| 21 | 1993.09.22 | 186,000 | #4 | |
| 22 | 1994.03.24 | 139,060 | #5 | |
| 23 | 1995.07.21 | 149,000 | #7 | |
| 24 | 1995.12.06 | 86,000 | #16 | |
| 25 | 1997.03.21 | 44,000 | #14 | |
| 26 | 1998.06.17 | 23,000 | #17 | |
| 27 | 1999.12.01 | 5,000 | #52 | |
| 28 | 2002.03.20 | 229,744 | #10 | |
| 29 | 2002.05.22 | 30,130 | #15 | |
| 30 | 2002.12.04 | 83,046 | #8 | |
| 31 | 2003.05.14 | 17,964 | #15 | |
| 32 | 2003.12.03 | 31,311 | #25 | |
| 33 | 2006.01.11 | 13,557 | #25 | |
| 34 | 2006.06.21 | 10,272 | #20 | |
| 35 | 2007.01.17 | 43,500 | #9 | |
| 36 | 2007.03.28 | 26,610 | #13 | |
| 37 | 2007.06.27 | 61,412 | #10 |
Singles
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1982.05.01 | 174,000 | #30 | |
| 2 | 1982.07.28 | 396,000 | #5 | |
| 3 | 1982.11.10 | 990,000 | #1 | |
| 4 | 1983.02.23 | 573,000 | #1 | |
| 5 | 1983.06.01 | 430,000 | #2 | |
| 6 | 1983.09.07 | 511,000 | #1 | |
| 7 | 1984.01.01 | 614,000 | #2 | |
| 8 | 1984.04.11 | 544,000 | #1 | |
| 9 | 1984.07.25 | 611,000 | #1 | |
| 10 | 1984.11.14 | 625,000 | #1 | |
| 11 | 1985.03.08 | 631,000 | #1 | |
| 12 | 1985.05.01 | 354,000 | #1 | |
| 13 | 1985.06.19 | 461,000 | #1 | |
| 14 | 1985.10.09 | 336,000 | #1 | |
| 15 | 1986.02.03 | 516,000 | #1 | |
| 16 | 1986.05.26 | 358,000 | #1 | |
| 17 | 1986.09.25 | 318,000 | #1 | |
| 18 | 1987.02.03 | 348,000 | #1 | |
| 19 | 1987.06.03 | 301,000 | #1 | |
| 20 | 1987.09.30 | 413,000 | #1 | |
| 21 | 1988.01.27 | 297,000 | #1 | |
| 22 | 1988.05.18 | 297,000 | #1 | |
| 23 | 1988.11.01 | 311,000 | #3 | |
| 24 | 1989.04.25 | 275,000 | #1 | |
| 25 | 1990.07.17 | 548,000 | #1 | |
| 26 | 1990.11.16 | 340,000 | #1 | |
| 27 | 1991.03.25 | 484,000 | #3 | |
| 28 | 1993.05.21 | 129,000 | #10 | |
| 29 | 1994.03.24 | 134,000 | #14 | |
| 30 | 1994.09.02 | 118,000 | #14 | |
| 31 | 1994.10.05 | 137,000 | #8 | |
| 32 | 1995.06.21 | 100,000 | #15 | |
| 33 | 1995.11.01 | 36,000 | #31 | |
| 34 | 1996.08.07 | 112,000 | #14 | |
| 35 | 1997.02.21 | 29,000 | #46 | |
| 36 | 1998.02.11 | 95,000 | #19 | |
| 37 | 1998.05.21 | 12,000 | #66 | |
| 38 | 1998.09.23 | 10,000 | #40 | |
| 39 | 1999.01.21 | 38,000 | #29 | |
| 40 | 1999.12.01 | 5,000 | #57 | |
| 41 | 2001.06.06 | ? | #? | |
| 42 | 2002.05.02 | 15,000 | #20 | |
| 43 | 2003.04.30 | 10,095 | #30 | |
| 44 | 2004.05.12 | 5,137 | #40 | |
| 45 | 2004.07.07 | 5,688 | #50 | |
| 46 | 2005.12.07 | 5,005 | #43 | |
| 47 | 2006.05.17 | 10,352 | #23 |
Special Releases
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1982.12.24 | 142,000 | #2 | |
| 2 | 1984.12.21 | 283,000 | #2 | |
| 3 | 1985.12.21 | 295,000 | #1 | |
| 4 | 1986.11.10 | 62,000 | #1 | |
| 5 | 1987.05.01 | 160,000 | #1 | |
| 6 | 1988.06.01 | 118,000 | #2 | |
| 7 | 1996.12.18 | 32,000 | #30 |
Reissues
- [1984.12.15] Kita Wing
- [2002.12.04] Utahime Special Edition
- [2002.12.04] UNBALANCE+BALANCE+6
- [2002.12.04] La Alteración+4
- [2002.12.04] SHAKER+3
- [2004.12.01] Utahime Complete Box Empress Akina Nakamori 1994 ~ 2004
- [2006.06.21] Akina Box
Video
Concerts
- [1985.12.10] BITTER & SWEET 1985 SUMMER TOUR (VHS)
- [1989.11.28] AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXIII (VHS)
- [1992.07.25] Dream '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live (VHS)
- [1993.08.25] Live in '87 A HUNDRED days (VHS)
- [1993.08.25] Live in '88 Femme Fatale (VHS)
- [1995.03.24] Utahime AKINA NAKAMORI PARCO THEATER LIVE (VHS)
- [1997.09.22] felicidad AKINA NAKAMORI LIVE '97 (VHS)
- [2001.09.27] Akina Nakamori 2001 - 20th Anniversary Live ~It's brand new day~
- [2002.12.03] AKINA NAKAMORI MUSICA FIESTA TOUR 2002
- [2003.12.17] Live tour 2003 ~I hope so~
- [2006.01.11] Akina Nakamori Special Live 2005 Empress at CLUB eX
- [2007.01.17] LIVE TOUR 2006 The Last Destination
Reissues
- [2000.06.16] Utahime AKINA NAKAMORI PARCO THEATER LIVE (DVD)
- [2000.06.16] felicidad AKINA NAKAMORI LIVE '97 (DVD)
- [2006.06.21] BITTER & SWEET 1985 SUMMER TOUR (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXIII (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Dream '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Live in '87 A HUNDRED days (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Live in '88 Femme Fatale (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
Filmography
Movies
- [1985.01.26] Ai Tabidachi
- [1992.07.25] Hashire Melos! (anime)
TV Dramas
- [1991.01.03] Sayonara 6nen 2gumi
- [1992.04.13 - 1992.06.29] Sugao no Mama de
- [1993.04.14 - 1993.06.30] Chansu!
- [1998.01.12 - 1998.03.16] Tsumetai Tsuki
- [1999.01.11 - 1999.03.08] Border ~Hanzai Shinri Sousatsu File
- [2006.04.12 - 2006.06.21] Primadam
