Zard
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese pop
group. Originally a group of five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai
as group leader. However, Sakai was the only member who stayed on in the group while others joined and left regularly. As such, Zard and Sakai may be referred to interchangeably. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records
, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are , , and "My Friend
" (1996).
. The song was very successful, reaching #9 in the Oricon
rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station
host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori
) asked Sakai what took Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for Zard came with the sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became #1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. She went on to release two more songs that reached #1, "Yureru Omoi
" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for Zard in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1995, Zard sold one more million hit, "My Friend". Although her sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached #1 and six reached #2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since she also sold three hits of one million and one other of two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship
Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Sakai was also a very prolific lyricist
. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, and from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness
, which was written by Dariya Kawashima,) and released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in Asahi Shimbun writes that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Zard used late night commercials that aired her voice to advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop
groups that shared her management company: Field of View
, Wands
and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwan
ese singer Teresa Teng
. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball
hero Shigeo Nagashima
. Some of her singles were used in anime
, such as Slam Dunk
, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of by Field of View
, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day
album.
Zard's most successful single, has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television
program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television programming in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored and looked forward to watching 24-hour TV. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Zard was also known for being mysterious. This is partially because her record label did not release too much personal information on their artists, and also because she did not make that many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi
's Music Station
), which the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan, since 1993 or do any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship
for a mere 600 people in her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first real concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every single concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with a final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan
.
Although originally Zard is a group, Zard was frequently regarded as a solo female singer in Japan. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki
released "No Way to Say
". According to Yomiuri Shimbun
, as of August 2007, Zard was #8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon
Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 40 of her singles reached top 10 in Oricon ranking. Zard has released a total of 42 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003).
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love
" released in 1994 reached #1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon
When this album hit number one in the Oricon charts, it marked the eleventh time she had done so, matching the record held by Dreams Come True for the most number ones by female vocal groups.
Izumi Sakai died on May 27, 2007 at age 40 in Keio University
Hospital. She entered hospital in June 2006 after discovering she had cervical cancer
and had the tumor removed. In April 2007, however, the cancer had spread to her lungs, resulting in her re-admittance to hospital. According to the hospital, she took daily walks every morning. During her walk on May 26, she accidentally fell from the stairs and was discovered at around 5:00 a.m. JST. She was sent to the emergency room, but unfortunately, it was too late. an agency spokesman said:
She had planned to release a new album in the fall, as well as her first live tour in three years to show her fans that she was fighting strongly against her illnesses.
A memorial service for fans was held on June 27 in a funeral
hall
in Aoyama, Tokyo
. On the previous day, a memorial service for the people concerned was held and Maki Ohguro
and Tetsuro Oda
etc attended at this. At the same time, Tak Matsumoto
and Koshi Inaba
of B'z
, Mai Kuraki
and Shigeo Nagashima
announced memorial comments for her.
Two compilation albums are planned for release on August 15, one that includes a selection of Sakai's personal favorite songs, the other that includes favorites from her staff. A fan-selected compilation album is also planned for the fall. Two tribute concerts were held—one on September 7 at Osaka Festival Hall, and the other on September 14 at Tokyo
Nippon Budokan
. The two places were chosen because they were the first and last stops respectively of the What a beautiful moment Tour in 2004—the only tour that band has gone on. The tour was called "What a Beautiful Memory".
In September 2007, an audience of 13,000 participated in a memorial Budokan concert. There were nine screens set up where many showed previously unseen footage of Izumi Sakai. A first single after she died called Glorious Mind
was played. This was a song which Sakai recorded before she was hospitalized owing to cervical cancer in June 2006. This song will be used for the opening theme song of anime Detective Conan. It was not complete at the time of Sakai's death, but the chorus footage was complete. Extra minutes where she was singing in English
were incorporated from a previously unrelated and unreleased song as well.
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 pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group. Originally a group of five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai
Izumi Sakai
, born 6 February 1967 in Kurume, Japan – 27 May 2007 was a Japanese Pop singer, song writer, and member of the group Zard.- Biography :Born in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan, Sakai grew up in Hadano, Kanagawa. Her father was a driving instructor, and she had a younger brother and younger sister...
as group leader. However, Sakai was the only member who stayed on in the group while others joined and left regularly. As such, Zard and Sakai may be referred to interchangeably. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records
GIZA studio
is a Japanese record label....
, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are , , and "My Friend
My Friend (Zard song)
"My Friend" is the 17th single by J-pop band Zard and is the fourth closing theme song of the anime series Slam Dunk. It debuted at number 1 on the Oricon chart. It sold over a million copies and became her third highest-selling single...
" (1996).
Career
Zard began when Being Corporation former CEO Daikō Nagato (retired in 2007) recruited a 24-year old model named Sachiko Kamachi. Changing her name to Izumi Sakai in an attempt to cut off her past, she created a group called Zard. While whether the supporting members were firmly decided on is not clear, Zard made a breakthrough with the release of their debut single February 10, 1991 Good-bye My Loneliness, which was a theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Ideals and Reality of Marriage" featuring Misako TanakaMisako Tanaka
, née is a Japanese actress. Tanaka was born in Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.-Filmography:# ダイアモンドは傷つかない # 丑三つの村 # The Horizon # Gonza the Spearman...
. The song was very successful, reaching #9 in the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
rankings.
Zard's next two singles did not sell as well. The fourth, took a slightly different approach. The group's rock style had morphed to popular while the seemingly dark music videos turned to a relatively brighter image. In fact, half of Zard's official appearances on TV were related to performing this song, which sold 440,000 copies. At that time, Music Station
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. It began broadcasting on October 24, 1986 and continues to be broadcast weekly in High-definition from 8PM-9PM on tv asahi...
host Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori
Tamori
is a Japanese celebrity. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture....
) asked Sakai what took Zard so long to be on stage. Sakai's reply was that they wanted to make sure Zard would be an economically viable project and hence did not want to go public prematurely.
The major breakthrough for Zard came with the sixth single in 1993, "Makenaide", which became #1 in the Oricon charts and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies. She went on to release two more songs that reached #1, "Yureru Omoi
Yureru Omoi
is the 8th single by the Japanese band Zard. It was released on May 19, 1993, and reached number one on the Oricon weekly charts....
" and "Kitto Wasurenai" in the same year. An album titled "Yureru Omoi" featuring both "Makenaide" and "Yureru Omoi" sold two million copies, the first million milestone for Zard in album sales. In fact, Being was so successful in the early 1990s that it was called Being Boom. No one sold more CDs than Zard in this year.
In 1995, Zard sold one more million hit, "My Friend". Although her sales fluctuated among six digits in sales for the remainder of the twentieth century, nine of twenty-one singles reached #1 and six reached #2. Only two could not break the top four mark. Since she also sold three hits of one million and one other of two million copies. On August 31, 1999, Zard held their first concert aboard cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
Pacific Venus, where six hundred people were randomly selected out of a million applicants. The DVD for this concert, released on January 26, 2000, had a limited production of 300,000 copies.
Sakai was also a very prolific lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, and from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness
Good-bye My Loneliness (album)
Good-bye My Loneliness is the debut album of Zard and was released on March 27, 1991. Ai wa Kurayami no Naka de was used as the 22nd opening theme to the anime series Detective Conan, making it one of the first songs to be used for an anime even after the initial song was released.-Track...
, which was written by Dariya Kawashima,) and released several books of poetry as well. An editorial in Asahi Shimbun writes that the secret to Zard's success was that while the trend in Japan showed a decrease in the number of music programs on television, Zard used late night commercials that aired her voice to advertise her works.
She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably for the J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
groups that shared her management company: Field of View
Field of View
Field of View was a popular Japanese rock band formed in 1994 by vocalist U-ya Asaoka, guitarist Takashi Oda, keyboardist Jun Abe and drummer Takuto Kohashi, with Jun Abe leaving and Kenji Niitsu joining the following year...
, Wands
Wands (band)
was a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 as a three-member group. The band, throughout nine years of activity, had two vocalists, guitarists and keyboardists. Show Wesugi , Hiroshi Shibasaki , Kousuke Oshima are the original member of the band. Shinya Kimura joined them after Oshima separate early...
and Deen, and the late mainland Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese singer Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single featuring J-pop groups Zard, Zyyg, Rev & Wands. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
hero Shigeo Nagashima
Shigeo Nagashima
is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager.Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japanese baseball during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.-Biography:...
. Some of her singles were used in 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....
, such as Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk (manga)
is a sports-themed manga series written by Takehiko Inoue about a basketball team from Shōhoku High School. It was first serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996 and had also been adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation which had been broadcast worldwide,...
, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan. The lyrics of by Field of View
Field of View
Field of View was a popular Japanese rock band formed in 1994 by vocalist U-ya Asaoka, guitarist Takashi Oda, keyboardist Jun Abe and drummer Takuto Kohashi, with Jun Abe leaving and Kenji Niitsu joining the following year...
, the opening theme song of Dragon Ball GT, is by Izumi Sakai. Afterward, Zard covered this song in Today Is Another Day
Today Is Another Day
-Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai##########Today is Another Day##...
album.
Zard's most successful single, has been used as a theme song for Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
program 24-hour TV, an annual Japanese television programming in which a celebrity host is on screen continually for a whole day. Sakai said that she was honored and looked forward to watching 24-hour TV. She also said that since Makenaide was widely appreciated by the public, she often felt as if that song was not hers to keep.
Zard was also known for being mysterious. This is partially because her record label did not release too much personal information on their artists, and also because she did not make that many personal appearances. She rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (e.g. TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
's Music Station
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. It began broadcasting on October 24, 1986 and continues to be broadcast weekly in High-definition from 8PM-9PM on tv asahi...
), which the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan, since 1993 or do any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, this being held on a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
for a mere 600 people in her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first real concert tour, "What A Beautiful Moment Tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every single concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with a final concert held in the famed Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
.
Although originally Zard is a group, Zard was frequently regarded as a solo female singer in Japan. She used to hold a female record in Japan for most single sales until Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
released "No Way to Say
No Way to Say
"No Way to Say" is the thirty-first single released by Ayumi Hamasaki and her eighteenth number-one single. It came out November 6, 2003. The video won the award for "Best Pop Video" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, and the single won the Japan Record Award at the 2003 Japan Record Awards...
". According to Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
, as of August 2007, Zard was #8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. 40 of her singles reached top 10 in Oricon ranking. Zard has released a total of 42 singles and 17 albums.
Zard was also featured in Tak Matsumoto's Ihoujin (August 27, 2003).
On a trivial note, Zard's album "Oh My Love
Oh My Love (album)
-Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai #Oh My Love#Top Secret#####I Still Remember#If You Gimme Smile##...
" released in 1994 reached #1 for the 500th edition of the Oricon Rankings since it began in 1970. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Post-Izumi Sakai Zard
An album based on fan request was released on January 23, 2008, titled Zard Request Best: Beautiful Memory. NTV Morning News program, Zoom In Super's December 28, 2007 reports that over 500,000 entries were mailed to Being. Surprisingly, Makenaide and Yureru Omoi were not in the top 3, though they made the top 10. The three most voted songs were 1) Ano Hohoemi o Wasurenaide, 2) Shoujo no Koro ni Modotta Mitai ni, 3) Kakegae no Naimono.When this album hit number one in the Oricon charts, it marked the eleventh time she had done so, matching the record held by Dreams Come True for the most number ones by female vocal groups.
Sakai's death
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
Hospital. She entered hospital in June 2006 after discovering she had cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
and had the tumor removed. In April 2007, however, the cancer had spread to her lungs, resulting in her re-admittance to hospital. According to the hospital, she took daily walks every morning. During her walk on May 26, she accidentally fell from the stairs and was discovered at around 5:00 a.m. JST. She was sent to the emergency room, but unfortunately, it was too late. an agency spokesman said:
She had planned to release a new album in the fall, as well as her first live tour in three years to show her fans that she was fighting strongly against her illnesses.
A memorial service for fans was held on June 27 in a funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
in Aoyama, Tokyo
Aoyama, Tokyo
is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area...
. On the previous day, a memorial service for the people concerned was held and Maki Ohguro
Maki Ohguro
is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter. She is from Sapporo in Hokkaidō.- Introduction :In 1989, she passed the '3rd BAD' audition. Her famous songs are "DA・KA・RA", "Chotto", and so on... Her second single "DA・ka・RA" sold 1.1 million copies and won the 'Japan Record Grand Prix' newcomer award of...
and Tetsuro Oda
Tetsurō Oda
is a Japanese composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter.In the 1990s, Oda composed a number of hit songs such as B.B.Queens' "Odoru Pompokolin", Zard's "Makenaide", and Noriko Sakai's "Aoi Usagi"....
etc attended at this. At the same time, Tak Matsumoto
Tak Matsumoto
is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
and Koshi Inaba
Koshi Inaba
is a Japanese vocalist. His real name is . He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics.- Musical career :...
of B'z
B'z
is a Japanese hard rock duo, composed of and .B'z has released 45 consecutive #1 singles, 24 #1 albums, and sold more than 79 million records in Japan alone...
, Mai Kuraki
Mai Kuraki
is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer from Funabashi, Chiba. Kuraki debuted in 1999 with the single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow". In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2,210,000 copies in its first week...
and Shigeo Nagashima
Shigeo Nagashima
is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager.Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japanese baseball during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.-Biography:...
announced memorial comments for her.
Two compilation albums are planned for release on August 15, one that includes a selection of Sakai's personal favorite songs, the other that includes favorites from her staff. A fan-selected compilation album is also planned for the fall. Two tribute concerts were held—one on September 7 at Osaka Festival Hall, and the other on September 14 at Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
. The two places were chosen because they were the first and last stops respectively of the What a beautiful moment Tour in 2004—the only tour that band has gone on. The tour was called "What a Beautiful Memory".
In September 2007, an audience of 13,000 participated in a memorial Budokan concert. There were nine screens set up where many showed previously unseen footage of Izumi Sakai. A first single after she died called Glorious Mind
Glorious Mind
"Glorious Mind" is Zard's 43rd single released on December 12, 2007. The song was the last song recorded by Izumi Sakai before she died. This has been the opening theme song of Case Closed since October 2007. Although the song was not complete at the time of Izumi Sakai's death, the chorus part had...
was played. This was a song which Sakai recorded before she was hospitalized owing to cervical cancer in June 2006. This song will be used for the opening theme song of anime Detective Conan. It was not complete at the time of Sakai's death, but the chorus footage was complete. Extra minutes where she was singing in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
were incorporated from a previously unrelated and unreleased song as well.
Singles
| Year | Title (Romanized) | Title (Japanese) | Peak | Copies Sold | Misc. Info. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Good-Bye My Loneliness | Good-Bye My Loneliness | 9 | 209,460 | Rearranged c/w song Ai ha Kurayami no Naka de (愛は暗闇の中で) was the 22nd opening theme of Detective Conan, used 17 years after it was originally recorded. |
| Fushigi ne... | 不思議ね… | 30 | 31,090 | Rearranged c/w "Sunao ni Ienakute" (素直に言えなくて) in 45th single Covered by Mai Kuraki | |
| Mou Sagasanai | もう探さない | 39 | 36,940 | ||
| 1992 | Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite | 眠れない夜を抱いて | 8 | 458,480 | |
| In My Arms Tonight | In My Arms Tonight | 9 | 321,810 | ||
| 1993 | Makenaide Makenaide is the 6th single by J-pop band Zard. It was the first single to reach number 1 on the Oricon weekly charts. According to the song's composer Tetsurō Oda, she was singing "strangely" but it proved to be good. It sold over 1.64 million copies and became the highest-selling song for Zard. When she... |
負けないで | 1 | 1,645,010 | Highest-selling single. Covered by Aya Hirano, Emiri Katō, Kaori Fukuhara, and Aya Endo for an ending in the anime Lucky Star |
| Kimi ga Inai | 君がいない | 2 | 801,690 | ||
| Yureru Omoi Yureru Omoi is the 8th single by the Japanese band Zard. It was released on May 19, 1993, and reached number one on the Oricon weekly charts.... |
揺れる想い | 1 | 1,396,420 | ||
| Mou Sukoshi, Ato Sukoshi... | もう少し あと少し・・・ | 2 | 843,880 | ||
| Kitto Wasurenai | きっと忘れない | 1 | 872,130 | ||
| 1994 | Kono Ai ni Oyogi Tsukarete mo / Boy | この愛に泳ぎ疲れても / Boy | 1 | 887,190 | |
| Konna ni Soba ni Iru no ni | こんなにそばに居るのに | 1 | 787,660 | ||
| Anata wo Kanjite Itai | あなたを感じていたい | 2 | 737,910 | ||
| 1995 | Just Believe in Love | Just Believe in Love | 2 | 655,960 | |
| Ai ga Mienai | 愛が見えない | 2 | 720,790 | ||
| Sayonara ha Ima mo Kono Mune ni Imasu | サヨナラは今もこ胸に居ます | 1 | 551,260 | ||
| 1996 | My Friend | My Friend | 1 | 1,000,620 | 4th Ending theme to Slam Dunk. |
| Kokoro wo Hiraite | 心を開いて | 1 | 746,980 | Used in Pocari Sweat Pocari Sweat is a popular Japanese soft drink and sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It was launched in 1980 and is now also available in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.... commercials and coupled with "Change my mind" |
|
| 1997 | Don't You See! Don't You See! "Don't You See!" is the 19th single by J-pop band Zard and is the second closing theme song of the anime series Dragon Ball GT. It was released on 8 cm CD on January 6, 1997 in Japan only and peaked at number 1 on the Oricon chart. It is coupled with the song "Kaeranu Toki no Naka de"... |
Don't You See! | 1 | 602,760 | 2nd Ending theme to Dragon Ball GT. |
| Kimi ni Aitaku Nattara... | 君に逢いたくなったら・・・ | 2 | 635,840 | ||
| Kaze ga Toori Nukeru Machi he | 風が通り抜ける街へ | 3 | 281,130 | ||
| Eien Eien (song) is Zard's 22nd single released on August 20, 1997. The song "Eien" was composed by Akihito Tokunaga with the lyrics written by Izumi Sakai. The song was used as the main theme of Japanese television drama adaptation of the novel A Lost Paradise. Junichi Watanabe, the writer of the novel, wrote the... |
永遠 | 1 | 628,770 | ||
| My Baby Grand: Nukumori ga Hoshikute | My Baby Grand: ぬくもりが欲しくて | 3 | 331,840 | ||
| 1998 | Iki mo Dekinai | 息もできない | 3 | 240,740 | 2nd opening theme to Cooking Master Boy |
| Unmei no Roulette Mawashite Unmei no Roulette Mawashite is Zard's 25th single released on September 17, 1998. This song was used for the opening theme of Case Closed and reached number 1 on the Oricon weekly charts... |
運命のルーレット廻して | 1 | 247,560 | 4th opening theme to Detective Conan & c/w "Shoujo no Koro ni Modotta Mitai ni" is theme song for Detective Conan: The Fourteenth Target | |
| Atarashii Door: Fuyu no Himawari | 新しいドア: 冬のひまわり | 3 | 205,170 | ||
| Good Day | Good Day | 2 | 223,950 | ||
| 1999 | Mind Games | Mind Games | 1 | 147,130 | c/w "Hypnosis" is added to 45th single "Sunao ni Ienakute" (素直に言えなくて) |
| Sekai ha Kirro Mirai no Naka | 世界はきっと未来の中 | 2 | 201,410 | ||
| Itai Kurai Kimi ga Afureteiru yo | 痛いくらい君があふれているよ | 5 | 124,730 | ||
| Kono Namida Hoshi ni Nare | この涙星になれ | 5 | 129,700 | Ending song for "Kasouken no Onna 1" (科捜研の女 1, Investigator Mariko 1) | |
| 2000 | Get U're Dream | Get U're Dream | 4 | 241,220 | |
| Promised You | Promised You | 6 | 115,360 | Theme song for TV Asahi's Saturday primetime show | |
| 2002 | Sawayakana Kimi no Kimochi | さわやかな君の気持ち | 4 | 69,740 | |
| 2003 | Ashita wo Yumemite | 明日を夢見て | 4 | 62,049 | 17th ending theme for Detective Conan |
| Hitomi Tojite | 瞳閉じて | 4 | 44,208 | ||
| Motto Chikakude Kimi no Yokogao Mitetai | もっと近くで君の横顔見ていたい | 8 | 50,489 | ||
| 2004 | Kakegae no Naimono | かけがえのないもの | 4 | 46,244 | |
| Kyou wa Yukkuri Hanaso | 今日はゆっくり話そう | 5 | 33,384 | ||
| 2005 | Hoshi no Kagayaki yo / Natsu wo Matsu Sail no You ni | 星のかがやきよ／夏を待つセイル(帆)のように | 2 | 79,816 | 15th opening theme for Detective Conan / Theme song for Detective Conan: Strategy Above the Depths |
| 2006 | Kanashii Hodo Anata ga Suki / Karatto Iko! | 悲しいほど貴方が好き／カラッといこう! | 6 | 33,957 | 24th ending theme for Detective Conan |
| Heart ni Hi wo Tsukete | ハートに火をつけて | 10 | 26,944 | ||
| 2007 | Glorious Mind Glorious Mind "Glorious Mind" is Zard's 43rd single released on December 12, 2007. The song was the last song recorded by Izumi Sakai before she died. This has been the opening theme song of Case Closed since October 2007. Although the song was not complete at the time of Izumi Sakai's death, the chorus part had... |
グロリアス マインド | 2 | 84,027 | 21st opening theme to Detective Conan |
| 2008 | Tsubasa wo Hirogete / Ai ha Kuraami no Naka de | 翼を広げて／愛は暗闇の中で | 3 | 83,694 | Theme song for Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear / 22nd opening theme to Detective Conan (Rearranged from original song in Good-bye My Loneliness Single/Album ,used 17 years after it was originally recorded.) Covered by Aya Kamiki |
| 2009 | Sunao ni Ienakute | 素直に言えなくて | 5 | 36,178 | Rearranged version of coupling song for 2nd single (Fushigi ne...), composed by Sakai Izumi herself Covered by Mai Kuraki Mai Kuraki is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and producer from Funabashi, Chiba. Kuraki debuted in 1999 with the single, "Love, Day After Tomorrow". In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2,210,000 copies in its first week... and add c/w "Hypnosis" from 28th single "Mind Games" |
Albums
| # | Title | Released | Copies Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good-bye My Loneliness Good-bye My Loneliness (album) Good-bye My Loneliness is the debut album of Zard and was released on March 27, 1991. Ai wa Kurayami no Naka de was used as the 22nd opening theme to the anime series Detective Conan, making it one of the first songs to be used for an anime even after the initial song was released.-Track... |
1991-03-27 | *,253,740 |
| 2 | 1991-12-25 | *,333,080 | |
| 3 | Hold Me Hold Me (Zard album) -Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai######Dangerous Tonight##Why Don't You Leave Me Alone###So Together... |
1992-09-02 | 1,065,190 |
| 4 | 1993-07-10 | 2,239,354 | |
| 5 | Oh My Love Oh My Love (album) -Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai #Oh My Love#Top Secret#####I Still Remember#If You Gimme Smile##... |
1994-06-04 | 2,002,070 |
| 6 | Forever You Forever You -Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai###Forever You####I'm In Love##Just Believe in Love#... (フォーエヴァー・ユー) |
1995-03-10 | 1,773,930 |
| 7 | Today Is Another Day Today Is Another Day -Track listing:All lyrics by Izumi Sakai##########Today is Another Day##... |
1996-07-08 | 1,655,430 |
| 8 | 1999-02-17 | 1,149,931 | |
| 9 | 2001-02-15 | *,371,350 | |
| 10 | 2004-01-28 | *,212,494 | |
| 11 | 2005-09-07 | *,151,840 |
Compilations
| # | Title | Release date | Sold copies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zard Blend: Sun & Stone | 1997-04-23 | 2,004,699 |
| 2 | Zard Best the Single Collection: Kiseki | 1999-05-28 | 3,034,054 |
| 3 | Zard Best: Requested Memorial | 1999-09-15 | 1,496,804 |
| 4 | Zard Blend II: Leaf & Snow | 2001-11-21 | *,231,386 |
| 5 | Golden Best: 15th Anniversary | 2006-10-25 | *,942,220 |
| 6 | Soffio di Vento: Best of Izumi Sakai Sellection | 2007-08-15 | *,129,793 |
| 7 | Brezza di Mare: Dedicated to Izumi Sakai | 2007-08-15 | *,134,826 |
| 8 | Zard Request Best: Beautiful Memory | 2008-01-23 | *,229,014 |
| 9 | Zard Single Collection: 20th Anniversary | 2011-02-10 | N/A |
| 10 | Zard Album Collection: 20th Anniversary | 2012-01-01 | N/A |
DVD
| # | Title | Release date | Sold copies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What A Beautiful Moment Zard | 2005-06-08 | *,159,354 |
| 2 | Le Portfolio 1991-2006 Zard | 2006-10-25 | *,180,027 |
Live albums
| # | Title | Release date | Sold copies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zard Cruising & Live | 2000-01-26 | *,305,550 |
What a Beautiful Moment Concert Tour 2004
- 03/02/2004 Festival Hall, OsakaFestival Hall, Osakawas a concert hall, in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The Hall seats 2,709 patrons and is home to the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra.It was run by the Asahi Building Co., Ltd., a Japanese real estate company controlling properties of the Asahi Shimbun Company, and is housed in the Shin Asahi Building, an...
, Osaka Prefecture - 03/06/2004 Tokyo International ForumTokyo International ForumThe is a multi-purpose center in Tokyo, Japan.One of its halls seats 5,000. In addition to seven other halls, it includes exhibition space, a lobby, restaurants, shops, and other facilities....
, Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture - 03/09/2004 Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture
- 04/05/2004 KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
International House, Hyogo Prefecture - 04/08/2004 Pacifico YokohamaPacifico YokohamaPacifico Yokohama is a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Minato Mirai Nishi-ku Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture....
, Kanagawa Prefecture - 04/30/2004 Festival Hall, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/08/2004 Aomori City Cultural Hall, Aomori Prefecture
- 05/10/2004 Sendai Sunplaza Hall, Sendai Prefecture
- 06/02/2004 Nagoya Century Hall, Aichi Prefecture
- 06/11/2004 Fukuoka Sun Palace, Fukuoka PrefectureFukuoka Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
- 07/23/2004 Nippon BudokanNippon BudokanThe , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
, Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture
What a Beautiful Memory Concert Tour 2007-2009
- 09/06/2007 Osaka Festival Hall, Osaka Prefecture
- 09/07/2007 Osaka Festival Hall, Osaka Prefecture
- 09/14/2007 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture
- 01/19/2008 Kobe International Forum (International Hall), Hyogo Prefecture
- 02/02/2008 Pacifico Yokohama (Prefectural University Hall), Kanagawa Prefecture
- 02/10/2008 Izumi City, Prefecture
- 02/24/2008 Sapporo City Education & Cultural Forum, Hokkaido Prefecture
- 03/08/2008 Ishikawa Health & Pension Forum, Ishikawa Prefecture
- 03/15/2008 Aichi Health & Pension Forum, Aichi Prefecture
- 03/22/2008 Niigata Prefecture People's Forum, Niigata Prefecture
- 04/05/2008 Sunport Hall Takamatsu (Large Hall), Kagawa Prefecture
- 04/28/2008 Fukuoka Citizens' Forum, Fukuoka Prefecture
- 05/03/2008 Hiroshima Estelle Plaza, Hiroshima Prefecture
- 05/04/2008 Ehime Prefecture Citizen Cultural Forum (Subhall), Ehime Prefecture
- 05/23/2008 Doshima River Forum, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/24/2008 Doshima River Forum, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/25/2008 Doshima River Forum, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/27/2008 National Yoyogi Athletic Field (First Gymnasium), Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture
- 05/15/2009 Doshima River Forum, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/16/2009 Doshima River Forum, Osaka Prefecture
- 05/27/2009 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture