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Yakushimaru Hiroko

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Yakushimaru Hiroko (薬師丸ひろ子) is an actress and singer.

History[]

She was street scouted by an acting agency in her early teens and subsequently became one of the most talked about teen actresses in Japan in the early 1980s. After the release of her first single Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu she had no interest in becoming a full time singer or idol despite her vocal talent. However, songwriter and producer Ohtaki Eiichi convinced her otherwise during the production of her next single Tantei Monogatari. Despite a relatively inconsistent release style, almost all of Yakushimaru's singles and albums in the 1980s became bestsellers.

She retired from singing after her marriage in 1991, but returned in 1997 around the time of her divorce. In the late 2010s she resumed performing in live concerts, and all shows were well-received by the public. As a result, Yakushimaru began to put more focus on her singing career and has started releasing music more regularly ever since.

Profile[]

  • Name: Yakushimaru Hiroko (薬師丸ひろ子)
  • Birthday: June 9, 1964 (age 61)
  • Birthplace: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
  • Zodiac: Gemini Gemini

Discography[]

Studio Albums[]

  1. [1984.02.14] Kokinshu (古今集)
  2. [1985.08.08] Yume Juwa (夢十話)
  3. [1986.06.09] Hana Zukan (花図鑑)
  4. [1987.07.06] Hoshi Kikou (星紀行)
  5. [1988.04.06] Sincerely Yours
  6. [1989.02.15] LOVER'S CONCERTO
  7. [1990.03.28] Heart's Delivery
  8. [1991.03.13] PRIMAVERA
  9. [1998.02.02] Koibumi -Love Letter (恋文 -Love Letter)
  10. [2018.05.09] Etoile (エトワール)
  11. [2024.01.24] Tree

Best Albums[]

  1. [1986.12.06] Best Collection (ベスト・コレクション)
  2. [1988.08.05] SENTENCE
  3. [1991.09.27] Yakushimaru Hiroko Best Now 2 (薬師丸ひろ子/ベスト・ナウ2)
  4. [1997.11.19] Song Book (ソング・ブック)
  5. [1997.11.19] Song Book Vol.2 (ソング・ブックVol.2)
  6. [1998.03.28] TWIN BEST
  7. [2000.04.19] Love Collection 1981-2000
  8. [2000.05.24] 2000 BEST Yakushimaru Hiroko Best (2000 BEST 薬師丸ひろ子・ベスト)
  9. [2002.11.20] Yakushimaru Hiroko Golden☆Best (薬師丸ひろ子 ゴールデン☆ベスト)
  10. [2007.08.22] The Essential Best (エッセンシャル・ベスト)
  11. [2011.03.02] Uta Monogatari (歌物語)

Live Albums[]

  1. [1987.12.25] '87 Yakushimaru Hiroko First Live Hoshi Noriyuki ('87 薬師丸ひろ子ファーストライヴ 星紀行)
  2. [2017.06.21] Best Songs 1981-2017 ~Live in Kasuga Taisha Shrine~ (Best Songs 1981-2017〜Live in 春日大社〜)
  3. [2020.02.19] Yakushimaru Hiroko 2019 Concert (薬師丸ひろ子 2019コンサート)
  4. [2023.03.22] Yakushimaru Hiroko 2022 Concert ( 薬師丸ひろ子 2022コンサート)

Singles[]

  1. [1981.11.12] Sailorfuku to Kikanju (セーラー服と機関銃)
  2. [1983.05.25] Tantei Monogatari (探偵物語)
  3. [1984.05.16] Main Theme (メイン・テーマ)
  4. [1984.10.24] Woman "W no Higeki" Yori (Woman "Wの悲劇"より)
  5. [1985.07.03] Anata o Motto Shiritakute (あなたを・もっと・知りたくて)
  6. [1985.09.06] Ten ni Hoshi, Chi ni Hana (天に星.地に花.)
  7. [1985.11.01] Suteki na Koi no Wasurekata (ステキな恋の忘れ方)
  8. [1986.10.19] Sasayaki no Step (ささやきのステップ)
  9. [1986.11.24] Shinshi Domei (紳士同盟)
  10. [1987.10.10] Mune no Furiko (胸の振子)
  11. [1988.03.30] Shugakusho (終楽章)
  12. [1988.07.29] Jidai (時代)
  13. [1989.01.25] Kataritsugu Ai ni (語りつぐ愛に)
  14. [1989.10.04] Windy Boy
  15. [1990.05.09] Te o Tsunaideite (手をつないでいて)
  16. [1991.01.30] Kaze ni Notte (風に乗って)
  17. [1997.06.24] Kousaten ~Sou, Sore ga Sou~ (交叉点 〜そう それがそう〜)
  18. [1997.12.03] Koibumi (恋文)
  19. [1998.04.22] smile Smile smile (smile スマイル smile)
  20. [2000.02.23] Love holic
  21. [2011.03.02] Boku no Takaramono (僕の宝物)
  22. [2016.09.25] Senshi no Kyuusoku (戦士の休息)
  23. [2021.11.21] Come Back to Me ~ Eien no Yokogao (Come Back To Me～永遠の横顔)
  24. [2023.08.02] Suteki wo Atsumete (素敵をあつめて)
  25. [2023.12.13] Toki no Michishirube (時の道標（みちしるべ）)

Promotional Singles[]

  • [1986.xx.xx] Kurenai Hana, Aoi Hana (紅い花、青い花)
  • [1987.xx.xx] Hoshi Kikou ~Camel no Densetsu~ (星紀行～キャメルの伝説～)

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • She was married to singer Tamaki Koji from 1991 to 1997. They had been in a relationship since 1987 prior to the marriage.
  • She graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Yashio High School and graduated from Tamagawa University. Her undergraduate degree is in English Literature.
  • She once had a beauty mark right underneath her right eye which became her signature "charm point." However, she had it removed sometime during her hiatus from entertainment.
  • Her idol is Matsutoya Yumi. She has loved her songs Hikigumo and Kageriyuku Heya since elementary school. Although she has a few songs written by Matsutoya and has met her several times, she claims that she still gets nervous around her.
  • Since her return to music she has made it a goal to retain the original keys of the songs. She takes regular vocal lessons to help adapt to her aging voice.
  • She originally had no long term entertainment plans at all, but learned to enjoy acting. She treated her acting career as a part time job for most of the 1980s and maintained a healthy school-work balance. Ironically, she came from a family of back-end entertainment industry staff, for example, her uncle had previously worked with Mori Masako during her idol days, and also grew up in Aoyama where many celebrities lived.
  • She has a strong fanbase in Taiwan because her movies were popular at the time that the ban on Japanese movies and media were lifted.
  • Her singing voice in the 1980s was critically acclaimed by several highly influential musicians such as Takeuchi Mariya, Matsutoya Yumi, Kisugi Takao and Matsumoto Takashi.

External Links[]

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