Mariya Takeuchi

Overview

Mariya Takeuchi (竹内 まりや, born 20 March 1955 in Shimane Prefecture) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, lyricist, composer and record producer. Working across city pop, kayokyoku and J-pop, she is often called the "Queen of City Pop" and has sold more than 16 million records in Japan. Her 1985 song "Plastic Love" became a sleeper hit abroad and a catalyst for the 21st-century city pop revival. She is married to singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, and they have one daughter.

Career

Early life

Takeuchi was born in Taisha, Hikawa district (now Izumo), into the family that runs Takenoya, a long-established inn founded in 1877. Records from around the world were always playing at home, and the Beatles left a lasting impression on her. As a high school student she spent a year as an AFS exchange student in Rock Falls, Illinois. At Keio University she majored in English literature and joined the band club Real McCOYs, where she sang backing vocals on Masamichi Sugi's recordings, which led to her debut.

Debut and early success (1978–1981)

After taking part in the omnibus album Loft Sessions in 1978, she signed with RCA/RVC and made her debut on 25 November 1978 with the single "Modotte oide, Watashi no Jikan" and the album Beginning. The 1979 single "September" was a hit and earned her the Japan Record Awards best new artist prize, the Shinjuku Music Festival gold prize and other newcomer awards. In 1980 "Fushigi na Peach Pie," a Shiseido commercial song, became a major hit. Albums from this period include University Street, Love Songs and Miss M (all 1980) and Portrait (1981). Her recordings featured many leading Japanese and North American songwriters and musicians. "Heart to Heart" from Miss M was given English lyrics as "Now" and recorded by the Carpenters; released in 1983, it was Karen Carpenter's last recording. Frustrated with her idol-style schedule, she announced a hiatus at the end of 1981.

Marriage and songwriting for others

She married Tatsuro Yamashita in April 1982 and withdrew from the media while writing for other artists, including Naoko Kawai ("Kenka wo Yamete," "Invitation"), Hiroko Yakushimaru ("Genki wo Dashite," 1984), Yukiko Okada ("Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite," 1984), Miho Nakayama ("Iro: White Blend," 1986) and Akina Nakamori, whose 1986 album Crimson featured her songs. "Eki," written for Nakamori, became widely known after Takeuchi's own 1987 cover.

Return and chart success (1984–1990s)

She signed with Alfa Moon in 1984 and released the single "Mou Ichido" and Variety, an album of entirely self-written songs that sold over 300,000 copies; her daughter was born that year. Request (1987) was a three-year long seller. "Single Again" (1989) and "Kokuhaku" (1990), both themes for the TV series Tuesday Suspense Theatre, were hits, and the 1992 album Quiet Life became a million seller on release. "Junai Rhapsody" (1994) became her biggest single, and the best-of Impressions sold over three million copies. "Kon'ya wa Hearty Party" (1995) and "Maji de Koi suru 5-byo mae," written for Ryoko Hirosue in 1997, were also hits, and "Camouflage" (November 1998) gave her her first No. 1 on the weekly Oricon singles chart.

2000s onward

In July 2000 she gave her first full-scale concerts in about 18 years at Nippon Budokan and Osaka-jo Hall, drawing 25,000 people. Bon Appetit! (2001) and the cover album Longtime Favorites (2003) both reached No. 1 on Oricon, as did Denim (2007), her first original album in six years. In 2008, her 30th anniversary year, she sang the theme "En no Ito" and narrated the NHK morning drama Dandan, and the jukebox musical Honki de Only You, built around her songs, premiered. The best-of Expressions (1 October 2008) topped the Oricon chart for three weeks. Her first studio album in seven years, TRAD (September 2014), spent two weeks at No. 1 and won Best Album at the 56th Japan Record Awards. In 2019 her catalog was reissued and she released "Baby Mine" from Disney's Dumbo, followed by "Watching Over You" (November 2021) and "Kimi no Ibasho" (December 2023). Her 2020 re-recording of "Inochi no Uta" topped the Oricon chart, making her the oldest Japanese singer to have a No. 1 single.

Musical style

Rooted in pop influences such as the Beatles and shaped by her time studying in the United States, Takeuchi's music has a bright, urbane pop sensibility. Her songs about the everyday lives of office workers and forbidden love earned wide acclaim, while upbeat pieces like "Maji de Koi suru 5-byo mae" show her range. Her collaboration with husband Tatsuro Yamashita, who arranges and produces, is central to her work.