Paralleling musical trends in North America and Europe, the early '70s saw several talented singer/songwriters emerge in Japan, such as Miyuki Nakajima, Tatsuro Yamashita and Yumi Matsutoya. Somewhat less well-known but equally deserving of attention is Taeko Onuki, who was one of the members of a band called Sugar Babe, along with Yamashita. Sugar Babe was one of the first Japanese bands to emphasize high-quality, original material that catered to a more sophisticated, mature audience. On Sugar... read more

Paralleling musical trends in North America and Europe, the early '70s saw several talented singer/songwriters emerge in Japan, such as Miyuki Nakajima, Tatsuro Yamashita and Yumi Matsutoya. Somewhat less well-known but equally deserving of attention is Taeko Onuki, who was one of the members of a band called Sugar Babe, along with Yamashita. Sugar Babe was one of the first Japanese bands to emphasize high-quality, original material that catered to a more sophisticated, mature audience. On Sugar Babe tracks such as "Itsumodori (As Usual)", Onuki set the template for her style: mellow without being soporific, with a strong pop feel. Sugar Babe broke up in 1976, and ever since then Onuki has worked as a solo artist, starting with her first solo album Gray Skies, which came out the same year. Over the years, Onuki has released 24 moderately-selling albums, several of which feature extensive input from Ryuichi Sakamoto. Onuki's fans are women very much like her: independent, intelligent and maybe a bit wistfully romantic. Onuki says she considers herself lucky, because when she began her musical career, she simply wrote and recorded the kind of music she liked, without thinking of whether it would sell or not. Onuki herself has not been above singing commercial jingles to keep the wolves from the door, and she has enjoyed success as a soundtrack composer. In 1998, she won the best music award with her soundtrack album, Tokyo Hiyori, which means "Tokyo Weather," at the 21st Japan Academy Awards. She also recorded a cover version of the Rogers and Hammerstein song "Shall We Dance?" which was used as the theme song of the 1995 Japanese film of the same name. Besides being a musician, Onuki is also an author. Among her literary efforts is a book called Lion wa neteiru (The Lion is Sleeping), a travelogue of her trips to various places such as Africa and Antarctica, which was published in 1996. These days Onuki - who was born in Tokyo's Suginami Ward - lives in the charming seaside resort town of Hayama south of Tokyo on the Miura Peninsula, because she finds Tokyo too dirty and crowded. collapse