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Cindy (singer)

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Cindy
Born(1958-05-05)5 May 1958
Died17 December 2001(2001-12-17) (aged 43)
GenresCity pop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • lyricist
  • composer
InstrumentVocals
Labels

Mayumi Yamamoto (山本 真裕美, Yamamoto Mayumi, 5 May 1958 – 17 December 2001), known professionally as Cindy, was a Japanese singer, lyricist, and composer. Originally working in music journalism, she met Stevie Wonder and worked with him. She later released four albums – Love Life (1986), Angel Touch (1990), Don't Be Afraid (1991), and Surprise (1997) – and worked as a lyricist and composer for artists like Miho Nakayama. Since her death, her music has been associated with city pop and gained popularity among DJs in Japan.

Biography

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Mayumi Yamamoto, a native of Yokohama, was born on 5 May 1958.[1][2] Her father was a Korean lyricist, and her mother is Japanese.[1] Her stage name Cindy was her baptismal name, named after a fairy.[1]

After graduating from Santa Maria International High School in Yokohama,[2] she moved to the United States.[1] She worked in music journalism, where she interviewed such musicians as Lionel Richie.[1] During her job, she received the attention of Stevie Wonder,[2] with whom she later participated in recording sessions.[1] After returning to Japan in 1982, she performed several commercial songs and participated in the LP recording of her close friend Ann Lewis.[1]

She sang "Chance On Love" and "Open Invitation", the theme songs of the 1981 anime adaptation of Urusei Yatsura; it was released as a single from Kitty Records in 1984.[3] She released her debut album Love Life in 1986; Stevie Wonder worked on two of the album's songs.[4] Her next two albums, Angel Touch and Don't Be Afraid, were released in 1990 and 1991.[5] She also sang "Touch the Sky" as part of the collaboration album Tower of Love.[6] Hata of Lightmellowbu said on Mikiki by Tower Records that Cindy's singing voice, particularly in "Touch The Sky", were like an "angel voice".[6]

In addition to singing, she was a composer and lyricist, working with Miho Nakayama as well as some of her own songs;[5] among Cindy's compositions for Nakayama were Mermaid, Witches (both 1988), Rosécolor (1989), and Semi-sweet Magic (1990).[7] She also worked with Tatsuro Yamashita as a chorus singer, including in recordings and concerts.[5]

Cindy died on 17 December 2001.[8]

In 2015, remastered CD editions of Angel Touch and Don't Be Afraid produced by Tamotsu Yoshida [ja] were released.[5] By 2021, several of Angel Touch's songs were being widely used in the Japanese DJ scene.[9] One of them, "Watashitachi o Shinjite ite", was included in Sony Music Japan's 2021 city pop compilation Aldelight City: A New Standard For Japanese Pop 1975-2021 and in Hitoshi Kurimoto's 2024 album compilation City Pop Groovy 90's: Girls & Boys.[10][11]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Year Details Peak chart positions Sales Ref.
JPN
Love Life
(stylized in all-caps) 		1986 — — [12]
Angel Touch
(stylized in all-caps) 		1990 — — [13]
Don't Be Afraid
(stylized in small-caps) 		1991
  • Released: 25 August 1991
  • Label: Fun House
 — — [14]
Surprise 1997
  • Released: 5 February 1997
  • Label: Fun House
 — — [15]

Singles

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Title Year Details Peak chart positions Sales Ref.
JPN
"Chance On Love/Open Invitation" 1984 — — [3]
"Think Your Love Away/Spread The Love"
(stylized in all-caps) 		1986
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: Kitty Records
 — — [16]
"Tenshi no Kimochi/Setsunakute" (天使の気持ち/せつなくて) 1990 — — [17]
"Watashitachi o Shinjiteite/Surprise" (私達を信じていて/Surprise) 1990
  • Released: 25 September 1990
  • Label: Fun House
 — — [18]
"Special Ever Happened/Christmas Time" 1990
  • Released: 25 November 1990
  • Label: Fun House
 — — [19]
"Ai ga Sabishii Toki/Tell Me Why" (愛がさびしい時/TELL ME WHY) 1991
  • Released: 25 August 1991
  • Label: Fun House
 — — [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "今月の新人". Myojo. Shueisha. December 1984. p. 158.
  2. ^ a b c 新訂現代日本人名錄 98. Vol. 2. 1998. p. 1478.
  3. ^ a b Chance On Love/Open Invitation (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1984. 7DS-0081.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "タワーレコードだけで買えるシティ・ポップ作品をご紹介". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). 19 August 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "CINDYのアルバム2枚が吉田保リマスタリングで再発". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  6. ^ a b lightmellowbu (16 November 2021). "lightmellowbuが選ぶ〈91年リリースの1曲〉【アーティストと音楽関係者が選ぶ〈わたしの1曲〉】". mikiki by Tower Records (in Japanese).
  7. ^ "CINDY作曲の歌詞一覧 - 歌ネット". Uta-Net (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  8. ^ "cindyjapan - Cindy シンディ". Instagram. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  9. ^ Tofubeats (16 February 2021). "【tofubeatsの棚の端まで】最終回　シティ――木村恵子や和田加奈子など、シティ・ポップからJ-Popへの過渡期の3枚". mikiki by Tower Records (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  10. ^ "ソニー・ミュージックダイレクト新レーベルからシティポップの名曲詰め込んだコンピ盤発売". Music Natalie (in Japanese). 8 September 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  11. ^ "90年代に特化したシティポップコンピ、アナログ＆CDで登場". Music Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  12. ^ LOVE LIFE (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1986. 28MS-0098.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "ANGEL TOUCH | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Don't be afraid | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Surprise | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  16. ^ THINK YOUR LOVE AWAY/SPREAD THE LOVE (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1986. 7DS-0107.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "天使の気持ち | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  18. ^ "私達を信じていて | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  19. ^ "Special Ever Happened | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  20. ^ "愛がさびしい時 | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
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