中森明菜 (Akina Nakamori) is a Japanese pop singer and actress born on 13 July 1965 in Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan.
She was one of the most popular singers in 1980s Japan. Best known for 難破船 (Nanpasen), Nakamori made her debut on May 1, 1982 with the single スローモーション (Slow Motion). One of her best-known performances remains that of Desire where she came out in a white kimono and wig, leaving everyone with a very strong image of her. Her own image was always more mature than that of her companions, and her voice much lower and huskier.
The single sold 174,000 copies, reaching No. 30 on the Oricon charts. The second single, "少女A" was nearly banned for its risque lyrics. This single fared better and peaked at No. 5, selling 396,000 copies. Her next single, a ballad titled "セカンド・ラブ" proved to be her best-selling single. It debuted at No. 2 but reached No. 1 the following week, staying at the top for nine weeks. It sold 766,000 copies then, and to date has sold almost one million. In addition to the single releases, Nakamori also released two albums titled プロローグ〈序幕〉 and バリエーション〈変奏曲〉 that year, which sold 453,000 and 743,000 copies respectively.
The following year, Nakamori released three singles, two studio albums, and her first best-of album. The singles were "1/2の神話", which sold 573,000 copies and debuted at #1, making it her best-selling single of that year; "トワイライト -夕暮れ便り-", released in May, which sold 430,000 copies and debuted at #2; and "Kinku", her last single of that year, which debuted at #1 and sold 511,000 copies. All three albums, Fantasy, New Akina Etranger and Best Akina Memoires hit No. 1. Nakamori made the first of her seven official performances on the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on 31 December 1983, the 34th edition of the show.
In 1984, Nakamori released "[album artist=中森明北ウイング[/album]", which sold 614,000 copies and debuted at number 2 and remained at that position for 6 weeks. Her next single "サザン・ウインド" brought her back to the number 1 spot, though it sold less than its predecessor at 544,000 copies. "Jukkai (1984)" proved to be another number 1 for her, selling 611,000 copies. The 9th single, "飾りじゃないのよ涙は" proved to be a turning point in Akina Nakamori's career as the song is considered difficult to sing with fast lyrics. It debuted at number 1 and sold 625,000 copies. Many in Japan cite this song and her 1986 single, "DESIRE -情熱-", as Nakamori's signature song. Her two album releases of that year, Anniversary and Possibility both fared well and hit No. 1.
Nakamori kicked off 1985 with "ミ・アモーレ," which debuted #1 with 631,000 copies sold ultimately and also winning Nakamori the Grand Prix award at the 27th Japan Record Awards. She became the youngest person at the time (20) to be given the award. Originally, the single was to be titled "赤い鳥逃げた" (The red bird flies away), but the producers felt that the lyrics were not Samba-ish enough. "ミ・アモーレ {Meu amor é...}" was the result of the newly penned lyrics. "赤い鳥逃げた" was released as a 12-inch single instead, making the No.1 spot as well. It also contained the remixed b-side Babylon and sold 354,000 overall. She then released "SAND BEIGE -砂漠へ-" which sold 461,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Her next single, "[album artist=中森明菜[ソリチュード" also debuted at number 1 and sold 336,000 copies.
In 1986, Nakamori's first single of that year, "DESIRE -情熱-" marked a more mature style of singing and song choice. It was the theme song of the Pioneer Private commercial and was awarded the Grand Prix at the 28th Japan Record Awards in 1986. She became the youngest winner of two consecutive years. It sold 516,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Her next single "Gypsy Queen" was a calmer song than "Desire (Jōnetsu)" and sold 358,000 copies, debuting at number 1. The single "フィン" followed, and sold 318,000 copies, debuting at number 1.
To commemorate her first four years in the business, Nakamori released her first "BEST" album. It sold 766,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Nakamori then released "不思議", a concept album with echoing singing and obscure musical arrangement. It was a shock for the mainly conservative Japanese public, and thus sold 464,000 copies, nearly 200,000 less than "Crimson", an album composed in entirety by only women, which sold 601,000 copies. Both debuted at number 1, but "不思議" stayed at number 1 for only three weeks while "Crimson" topped the charts for four.
In 1987, she released "タンゴ・ノアール," which sold 348,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Even though sales of singles were declining, "タンゴ・ノアール" still became the second best-selling single in 1987. Her next single was "Blonde", a Japanese-language version of "The Look That Kills" from her English-language album Cross My Palm. It sold 301,000 copies and added to her No.1 singles. Her most critically acclaimed single of that year was a heartfelt ballad called "難破船," an emotionally draining song that many people attributed to her rocky relationship with her then-boyfriend, Masahiko Kondō and the death of Kondō's mother. It sold 431,000 copies and debuted at number 1.
She released only one album in 1987, an unsuccessful English debut album titled Cross My Palm. Reasons for its lack of success include Nakamori's heavily accented English and lack of promotion in the U.S. Nonetheless, it was a hit in Japan, selling 343,000 copies and debuting at number 1. On March 3, 1988, Nakamori released album "Stock. Three singles were released in 1988, "Al-Mauj", "Tattoo" and "I Missed the Shock." The first two debuted at No. 1.
She also released two albums in 1985. Firstly, Bitter and Sweet, which contained the album version of the earlier hit of "飾りじゃないのよ涙は" and "BABYLON." It sold 556,000 copies and debuted at number 1 again. Her next album, D404ME, only had a remix version of the hit single "Meu amor é..." among other new songs and sold 651,000 copies, debuting at number 1.
She attempted suicide in July 1989 in her then-boyfriend 近藤真彦 (Masahiko Kondo)'s apartment after discovering that 松田聖子 (Seiko Matsuda), her main competition, and her boyfriend were having an affair together. Nakamori only released one single due to her mental health at the time. "Liar" became her 20th No. 1 single. The single was rumored to reflect her feelings about Kondō.
After her physical recovery, she retreated from the public eye for a while, rumoured to have spent her days drinking heavily in Hawaii. Her career since her suicide attempt has never regained the popularity she experienced in the early- to mid-1980s. But she kept performing even after 1996. Her performances before Japanese audiences continue to be of high quality. Her 2000, 2002 and 2003 concerts attracted large numbers of fans. She is also on the New Year’s TV show Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Today, Akina's built her image more as a cover artist with her Utahime cover albums with the award winning Enka. In 2024 she was the 21st best selling artist in Japan with over 25,1 million records sold. With a career as long as 41 years, Akina has explored many different music genres including pop, rock, R&B, jazz, blues, enka, folk and Latin music.
After taking a series of hiatuses from 2010 to 2022 due to health issues, Akina has announced her slow yet certain return to the music industry after starting up a new management office, HZ VILLAGE. She released her self-cover of 1984's "Kita Wing" in 2023, and shortly after a behind-the-scene video and Youtube channel went up at December 25 of the same year as a Christmas present to fans who waited for her. At her first ever interview appearance at 2024, she revealed that she'll be releasing new music.
Discography
