Saori Yuki
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese singer and actress. She was born as Akiko Yasuda in Kiryu
, Gunma
, Japan
and raised in Yokohama
. She started her singing career with her older sister Sachiko as a child singer. Although in 1965 she debuted with her first single "Hitchhike Musume (Hitchhiking girl)" from King Records (Japan) as Akiko Yasuda, the result was not successful and had not been for a few years.
She made a national smash hit with "Yoake no Scat (Scat at dawn)" in 1969, with 1.5 million sales, which led her to sing at the NHK
's Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, the annual year-end music show (since then she had conituned her appearance until 1978). She received the Best Vocalist Award in 15th Japan Record Awards
with her hit "Koibumi (Love Letter)".
She had quickly become a popular TV personality on numbers of variety show
s and other programs, as well as actress in several movies. She received the Award of Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Japan Academy Prize in 1983 with her role "Chikako Numata," a mother of two difficult sons in The Family Game
.
She started to refocus on her career as vocalist, with her sister Sachiko, in 1985. They toured around the country with their specialty of Japanese Children's song
s and received Best Planning Award in 28th Japan Record Awards
with their hit album "Ano-toki, Kono-uta (those songs, these times)." Their repertoire has not been limited to Children's songs but original songs, pops, classic
, and anime
songs.
In 2009 she released her first original album since 1984, commemorating the 40th anniversary of her singing career as Saori Yuki. A collaboration album with Pink Martini
titled "1969
" was released in November 2011 in more than 20 countries, and quickly gained popularity in various places including the United States, Canada, Singapore and Greece.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese singer and actress. She was born as Akiko Yasuda in Kiryu
Kiryu, Gunma
is a city in Gunma, Japan, near the cities of Ōta and Ashikaga. Incorporated on March 1, 1921, Kiryū is considered both a city and part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, although it is still widely thought of as a rural area...
, Gunma
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and raised in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. She started her singing career with her older sister Sachiko as a child singer. Although in 1965 she debuted with her first single "Hitchhike Musume (Hitchhiking girl)" from King Records (Japan) as Akiko Yasuda, the result was not successful and had not been for a few years.
She made a national smash hit with "Yoake no Scat (Scat at dawn)" in 1969, with 1.5 million sales, which led her to sing at the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
's Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
, the annual year-end music show (since then she had conituned her appearance until 1978). She received the Best Vocalist Award in 15th Japan Record Awards
15th Japan Record Awards
The 15th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1973, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:...
with her hit "Koibumi (Love Letter)".
She had quickly become a popular TV personality on numbers of variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s and other programs, as well as actress in several movies. She received the Award of Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Japan Academy Prize in 1983 with her role "Chikako Numata," a mother of two difficult sons in The Family Game
The Family Game
is a Japanese movie that was directed by Yoshimitsu Morita in 1983. The movie portrays the changing dynamics of Japanese family life around the time...
.
She started to refocus on her career as vocalist, with her sister Sachiko, in 1985. They toured around the country with their specialty of Japanese Children's song
Children's song
Children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that young children invent and share among themselves, or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home, or education...
s and received Best Planning Award in 28th Japan Record Awards
28th Japan Record Awards
The 28th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda, Tokyo, December 31, 1986, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Akina Nakamori for "DESIRE"...
with their hit album "Ano-toki, Kono-uta (those songs, these times)." Their repertoire has not been limited to Children's songs but original songs, pops, classic
Classic
The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective or a noun . It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts...
, and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
songs.
In 2009 she released her first original album since 1984, commemorating the 40th anniversary of her singing career as Saori Yuki. A collaboration album with Pink Martini
Pink Martini
Pink Martini is a 13-member "little orchestra" from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale. They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.-History:...
titled "1969
1969 (Pink Martini album)
1969 is a studio album by Pink Martini and Saori Yuki, released in 2011 through Heinz Records.-Track listing:# "Yuuzuki [Evening Moon]"# "Mayonaka no Bossa Nova " # "Du Soleil Plein Les Yeux [Eyes Full of Sun]"...
" was released in November 2011 in more than 20 countries, and quickly gained popularity in various places including the United States, Canada, Singapore and Greece.