Hiromi Iwasaki

Overview

Hiromi Iwasaki (born November 12, 1958, in Koto, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, actress and voice actress, affectionately nicknamed "Hirorin." Her younger sister, Yoshimi Iwasaki, is also a singer. Since debuting in 1975, she has built a career on an extraordinary voice, with signature hits "Romance" and "Seibo-tachi no Lullaby" ("Madonna-tachi no Lullaby") each selling from 800,000 to over a million copies. She has also performed overseas and appeared in musicals, and is regarded as one of Japan's leading vocalists. Her work spans kayokyoku, pop, city pop and enka-tinged material.

Career

Early life and path to debut

The second of three daughters of a sawmill-machinery company owner, she began singing in a school choir in second grade. After hearing the Jackson 5's "ABC" on a jukebox in fifth grade, she resolved to become a singer. In junior high she studied under Toshi Matsuda and became a apprentice to actress Yaeko Mizutani. In 1974 she entered the TV talent show Star Tanjo! with Akiko Kosaka's "Anata," advancing from the Kanto round in February and winning the grand prize in July. Eight companies held up scouting placards, and she signed with Geiei and Victor. Under vocal coach Kyokei Omoto she developed her signature style.

1970s

She debuted on April 25, 1975, with "Duet" ("Nijusho"), which peaked at No. 19 on Oricon. The follow-up, "Romance" (written by Yu Aku and Kyohei Tsutsumi), hit No. 1, stayed there three weeks and sold over a million by one account, earning numerous newcomer awards and her first appearance at the 26th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, where she opened for the Red team. The disco-flavored "Sentimental" (October 1975) sold over 700,000 and became her second No. 1; it was chosen as the entrance march of the 48th Spring Koshien tournament in 1976. A string of hits followed in 1976-77, including "Fantasy," "Mirai," "Kiri no Meguri Ai," "Yume" and "Nettaigyo." Her first ballad, "Shishuki" (autumn 1977), won the Vocal Performance Award at the 19th Japan Record Awards and an award at the Japan Music Awards. In summer 1979 she played Ophelia in the rock musical Hamlet, and "Mangekyo" earned a Gold Prize at the Japan Record Awards and served as the Subaru Leone theme.

1980s

In 1981 "Sumire-iro no Namida" won the Best Vocal Performance award at the Japan Record Awards (reaching 500,000 copies by September 1982), and "Koimachigusa" won the Silver Prize at the Tokyo Music Festival. In 1982 "Seibo-tachi no Lullaby," the theme of the TV drama Tuesday Suspense Theatre, became her third No. 1, selling over 800,000 to a million copies and winning the Japan Kayo Grand Prize; it was also used as the entrance march of the 55th Spring Koshien in 1983. Five of her songs served as that drama's themes between 1981 and 1987. Five songs charted for 35 weeks in total on The Best Ten, and she appeared in Kohaku 14 consecutive times from 1975 to 1988. In 1984 she left Geiei and went independent. She represented Japan at the 1985 ABU Popular Song Contest. On October 21, 1986, she was invited as a goodwill ambassador to Japan Week in Egypt and performed in front of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the first female artist to do so. In 1987 she starred in the drama Danjo 7-nin Aki Monogatari (average rating 30%) and began playing Fantine in the Japanese production of Les Misérables, returning to the role in later runs.

Marriage, motherhood and comeback

She married in 1988, took the name Hiromi Masuda, and had sons in 1989 and 1992. Her 1989 album Tanjo BIRTH, largely classical in tone, became a long seller among young mothers; with Kazoku FAMILY and Kyodai it is known as the "prenatal and child-rearing trilogy." After her divorce in 1995 she reverted to Hiromi Iwasaki and returned to full-scale singing, collaborating with Minako Yoshida, Takeshi Sato (Chikuzen Sato) and Satoshi Shiotani among others, and releasing the LA-recorded FULL CIRCLE and falsetto-driven singles such as "Yurusanai" and "Atokata mo Naku."

2000s

In 2001 she sang the ending theme of the anime Pokémon, "Boku no Best Friend e." Her 2003 cover album Dear Friends was well received and became a series. In 2006 she duetted on a Barry Manilow album and guested at his Las Vegas show. In April 2007 she recorded twelve of her best-known songs with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague's Dvořák Hall, released that September as the self-cover album PRAHA; in April 2008 she was named the first goodwill ambassador to the Czech Republic. In April 2009 she married musical actor Takuya Kon.

2010s

She held her first New York concert in 2015 for her 40th anniversary. In 2017 she voiced Mrs. Potts in the Japanese dub of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, singing the film's songs. Her albums of the period include Piano Songs (2016), Hello! Hello! (2017), *PRESENT for you for me (2018) and Dear Friends VIII: Kyohei Tsutsumi Tribute (2019). In November 2019 a number of catalog titles, including Tanjo, Kazoku, Kyodai and archival live recordings, were reissued.

2020s

On April 25, 2020, her 45th debut anniversary, she launched an official YouTube channel; planned anniversary events were cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2021 she held joint concerts with Goro Noguchi in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo and released the duet single "Suki da nante Ienakatta"; Kyohei Tsutsumi Singles & Favorites (2021 Remaster) also appeared. In 2022 their collaboration album Eternal Voices was released, followed by a premium tour of 11 cities starting in Kyoto. She divorced Kon in April 2023 and renamed her agency Three Gee Company. In 2025, her 50th anniversary year, she held commemorative concerts, a DVD box of her TBS appearances was issued, and the live album Eien no Arigato (Live Selection BAND & ACOUSTIC) was released in April. She was also announced to return to the year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen after 37 years with "Seibo-tachi no Lullaby."

Musical style

Iwasaki is known for the warmth of her low-to-mid register, expressive delivery and tasteful use of falsetto. Kyohei Tsutsumi, who wrote many of her early songs, advised her that her strength lay in the middle and lower range rather than the high notes. Her repertoire ranges from kayokyoku and disco-inspired pop to ballads, classically oriented works and the Dear Friends cover series, including a 2012 tribute to Masashi Sada, whom she greatly admires. Inspired by the Jackson 5, especially Michael Jackson, she took up singing. Her 1978 hit "Cinderella Honeymoon" is also widely known through impressionist Korokke's routines.