Junko Yagami (八神純子)

Overview

Junko Yagami (八神純子, born 5 January 1958) is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Aichi Prefecture, now based in the United States. She debuted in 1978 with the single "Omoide wa Utsukushisugite" and scored hits including "Mizuiro no Ame" and "Purple Town You Oughta Know By Now". Since her marriage in 1986 she has also recorded as "June Stanley". Her work is associated with city pop, kayokyoku and J-pop.

Career

Early life and pre-debut

Born in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Yagami began piano at three and Japanese dance in first grade. At Aichi Shukutoku High School she formed a folk guitar circle, and she also attended Yamaha's vocal talent school. In 1974, at 16, she wrote and composed her first song, "Ame no Hi no Hitorigoto".

On 13 October 1974 she entered the 8th Yamaha Popular Song Contest (Popcon) and won the Outstanding Song Award for that song; "Shiawase no Toki" was also selected as a prize-winning song. She then advanced to the finals of the 5th World Popular Song Festival. On 10 December 1974 she made her pre-debut on Canyon Records' AARD-VARK label with the single "Ame no Hi no Hitorigoto", followed by "Shiawase no Toki" on 10 February 1975. In May 1975 she won the Excellent Song Award at the 9th Popcon with "Shiawase no Kuni e" and returned to the 6th World Popular Song Festival. In 1976, in her final year of high school, she took part in the 17th Chilean Music Festival in Viña del Mar, singing "Mou Wasuremashou (I Shall Forget)" and placing 6th.

Full-scale debut and "Mizuiro no Ame"

On 5 January 1978, her 20th birthday, she debuted professionally on Discomate Records with the single "Omoide wa Utsukushisugite", which peaked at No. 25 on Oricon and sold 120,000 copies. Her debut album of the same name followed on 25 June and reached No. 5. From the start she led a dedicated backing band, Melting Pot, made up of musicians from the Nemu Music Academy, which was unusual at the time.

The cover single "Sayonara no Kotoba" peaked at only No. 67 with 19,000 copies sold, and she considered retiring. She then conceived "Mizuiro no Ame" (lyrics by Noriko Miura) on a pedestrian bridge in Harajuku. Released as a single on 5 September, it grew through cable broadcasting and radio requests, and an appearance on the TBS music show The Best Ten brought national fame. It reached No. 2 on Oricon with 600,000 copies sold, and in December she won the Lion Listeners Grand Prix FM Tokyo Best New Artist Award.

1980s onward

Her second album, "Sugao no Watashi" (5 April 1979), reached No. 1 on Oricon. After about 54 days in Los Angeles in 1980, she released "Purple Town You Oughta Know By Now" on 21 July; it peaked at No. 2 with 600,000 copies sold and earned her a first appearance on the 31st NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. In 1983 she made an all-English album, "I WANNA MAKE A HIT WIT-CHOO", in the US with producer Brooks Arthur, and after the album "FULL MOON" in December that year she left the Yamaha Music Foundation and moved to Alfa Moon, releasing "COMMUNICATION", "Jun" and "Yagamania" in 1985–86.

She married British producer John Stanley in 1986 and moved to California. After the September 11 attacks she suspended her annual concerts in Japan and was nearly inactive through the 2000s, although compilations kept selling in Japan. Her 2010 appearances on NHK programs sparked calls for a return.

Resumption of activity

After the Great East Japan Earthquake she returned to Japan to perform in disaster areas, and on 2 November 2011 she held her first Japanese concert in about ten years at Shibuya-AX. On 25 January 2012 she released her first new album in 15 years, "VREATH My Favorite Cocky Pop", along with the single "Sakura Shosho", a collaboration with Senri Oe; a nationwide tour, her first in 25 years, began on 15 February. On 11 March 2013 she issued the charity single "Tsubasa / Kareki ni Hana o Sakasemashou". Later releases include "Here I am Head to Toe" (2013), "The Night Flight" (2014), "There you are" (2015), "The Night Flight 3" (2017), "This is the Yaga Matsuri" (2018), "MOON YEARS (2020 Remaster)" and the 2024 single "Makenaiwa (Never Give Up Mix)".

Musical style

Yagami is known for playing piano while singing and blowing a samba whistle, which hung around her neck as a trademark. Influenced by her Chilean festival appearance, her early hits often featured bossa nova and samba rhythms and minor-key songs with a Latin-tinged melancholy and passion.