Kyoko Koizumi

Overview

Kyoko Koizumi (小泉今日子, born February 4, 1966 in Atsugi, Kanagawa) is a Japanese singer, actress, writer and producer, known by the nickname "Kyon Kyon" (KYON2). Signed to Victor Entertainment, she is also the head of the production company Asatte. She debuted in 1982 as one of the "Class of '82" idols and became, alongside Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori, one of the leading pop idols of the era, scoring hit after hit with songs composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi and Koji Makaino. She later built a distinguished acting career with multiple film awards.

Career

Debut and the 1980s

In 1981 Koizumi won the TV audition programme Star Tanjo!, singing Mako Ishino's "Kare ga Hatsukoi", and signed with Burning Production and Victor. She debuted on March 21, 1982 with the single "Watashi no 16-sai", counted among the "Hana no 82-nen Gumi" along with Chiemi Hori, Iyo Matsumoto, Hiroko Mita, Yu Hayami, Hidemi Ishikawa, Akina Nakamori and Shibugakitai. Initially she wore the same "Seiko-chan" hairstyle as other idols, but at 17 she chose to cut her hair short on her own.

In May 1983 her fifth single "Makka na Onnanoko" reached No. 8 on Oricon and served as the theme of her first lead drama, Anmitsu Hime, which became a three-part series. In March 1984 her ninth single "Nagisa no Haikara Ningyo" gave her her first weekly No. 1 on Oricon, selling over 330,000 copies; the "Kyon Kyon cut" became a fad among girls. She scored several Oricon No. 1 hits in 1984, including "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge" and "The Stardust Memory", which held the top spot across the end of 1984 and start of 1985. The album Celebration (December 1984) sold nearly 400,000 copies, and she made her first appearance at the 35th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, going on to appear for five consecutive years (1984–1988). Her singles reached the Top Ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a record for a female solo artist until it was broken by Namie Amuro.

The 1985 drama Shojo ni Nani ga Okotta ka drew ratings above 20% every week and became one of her signature works. In November 1985 her 17th single "Nantettatte Idol" (lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto) sold about 300,000 copies; its lyrics proudly proclaiming "I'm an idol" caused a stir at a time when few idols called themselves that. In May 1989 her 14th album KOIZUMI IN THE HOUSE, produced by Haruo Chikada, introduced house music, then a niche genre in Japan, and she began self-producing, contributing her own ideas on songs and costumes. The 1989 drama Aishiatteru Kai averaged 22.6% in ratings, and its theme, her cover of Finger 5's "Gakuen Tengoku" (28th single), sold 335,000 copies. That year she also won Best Actress at the Yokohama Film Festival for Kaito Ruby.

The 1990s

Her 32nd single "Anata ni Aete Yokatta" (May 1991), which she wrote herself and which was the theme of the drama Papa to Natchan, shipped 1.58 million copies, becoming her biggest hit and the first million-seller by a 1980s idol. It earned the Lyricist Award and a Gold Disc Award at the 33rd Japan Record Awards. In February 1993 the 34th single "Yasashii Ame", theme of the drama Aisuru to Iu Koto, shipped 1.43 million copies and peaked at No. 2 on Oricon. In the 1990s she released dance remixes on vinyl only under the Koizumix Production name, and Yoko Kanno composed the music for her 1996 album Otoko no Ko Onna no Ko. She also appeared in several JR East commercials in the early 1990s. She married actor Masatoshi Nagase on February 22, 1995; they divorced in 2004.

From the mid-1990s she shifted her focus to acting. She made her stage debut in 1997 and in 1998 was acclaimed as the serial killer in Bayside Shakedown: The Movie; in 2001 she appeared as the witch in Onmyoji, both among Japan's most successful films. In 2001 she starred in Shinji Somai's Kaza Hana, winning a Japan Academy Prize nomination-level honor for outstanding lead actress and the Best Actress award at the 26th Hochi Film Awards.

The 2000s

In January 2005 she became a book reviewer for the Yomiuri Shimbun, writing reviews for ten years until 2014; her reviews were collected in 2015 as Koizumi Kyoko Shohyoshu. That year she also sang the Atashin'chi opening theme under the pseudonym "Atashi Kamen (Kari)", revealing her identity in August. She won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress for Hanging Garden (2005), and further acclaim for Gu-Gu Datte Neko de Aru and Tokyo Sonata (2008), Toshiaki Toyoda's and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films respectively. In 2011's Mainichi Kaasan she played opposite her ex-husband Nagase six years after their divorce, winning Best Actress at the 66th Mainichi Film Awards.

The 2010s

She released the single "Uchi e Kaerou" in February 2011, then Kyon30 Nantettatte 30-nen! and Kyon30 extra (March 21, 2012) and Koizumi Chansonnier (October 24, 2012). She starred in Kurosawa's 2012 drama Penance. In 2013 she played Haruko Amano in the NHK morning drama Amachan; her recording of the series song "Shiosai no Memory" (lyrics by Kankuro Kudo) reached No. 2 on Oricon and charted for 25 weeks, her first hit single in 18 years, and brought her a sixth Kohaku appearance as a special guest. She released the single "T-ji Ro" in June 2014. In 2015 she founded the production company Asatte, and in 2016 launched a project planning stage, film, music and publishing work; its first production, the play Hi no Moto Ichi no Daiakuto, marked her first time directing and producing. She appeared on Tetsuko's Room for the first time in June 2016 and held the music event "GO→TO" in October. The compilation Koizumi Chronicle: Complete Single Best 1982-2017 was released in May 2017, and in October she starred in the TBS drama Kangoku no Ohimesama.

On January 31, 2018 she left Burning Production after 36 years, and in June announced that apart from existing acting contracts she would rest from performing and focus on producing. Eating Women and the play Oran, Toujou were among her last works before independence.

The 2020s

Her catalogue arrived on streaming services on August 21, 2020. In April 2021 she formed the unit Kuroneko Domei with Kenji Ueda and began the Spotify original podcast Honto no Koizumi-san, which ran until September 2023 and spawned three books; the unit debuted with the album Un chat noir on September 29, 2021. In January 2022 she joined TikTok and, for her 40th anniversary, streamed KOIZUMI FRIDAY with TikTok for four consecutive Fridays; she opened an official YouTube channel on February 4. Releases that year included Night Tempo presents The Showa Groove (January), "Natsu no Time Machine 1982-2022" (February) and the live album KKPP TOUR 2022 Live at Nakano Sunplaza Hall (September). In February 2023 she was featured on "Structure Of Romance".

She produced and directed the 11-city KYOKO KOIZUMI CLUB PARTY 90's (KKCP) in November–December 2023, released as the live album KKCP 90's TOUR 2023 Live at Spotify O-EAST in October 2024. In April 2024 she launched the "Tokyo Vintage Girls" project; in September 2024 the Ballad Classics albums were re-released with 2024 mastering; and in October she announced a carbon-offset project for the BALLAD CLASSICS tour and a cover of "Koi no Boogie Woogie Train" as Shin Koizumix Productions with Kan Takagi and Kenji Ueda. In January 2025 she won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for Silence of the Sea and Goban Kiri, her first in 19 years. She launched the fan club US SARITE on April 1, released the single "Dance ni Maniau" on April 15, and held the 10th-anniversary project asatte RALLY in June. She also hosted the Netflix dating reality show Offline Love in 2025. From January 2026 she is performing her largest national hall tour in recent years, KK60 Koizumi Kinenkan, and will rest after the final show on May 10, 2026.

Musical style

Classified under kayokyoku, city pop, J-pop and enka, Koizumi began as an idol-kayo singer and built hits with Kyohei Tsutsumi and Koji Makaino compositions. She showed an avant-garde streak by introducing house music in 1989, and later took the lead in conceiving songs and costumes, writing lyrics for "Anata ni Aete Yokatta". With her free-spirited, "girl-next-door" persona she created a new kind of Japanese idol, symbolized by "Nantettatte Idol". She is also known as an avid reader whose book recommendations have repeatedly become bestsellers.