Nakamori Akina
From Wiki.theppn
Nakamori Akina is a multi-award winning J-Pop singer and actress who debuted on May 1 of 1982. As a singer Akina came to be known for her mature yet rebellious style and powerhouse vocals, but also for her ever changing image both visually and musically as opposed to the conservative J-Pop scene. Together with Matsuda Seiko she dominated the 80's J-Pop scene and they were continuously rivaled by the media especially for their commercial success and contrasting "dark vs. light"-image conflict. Akina's so-called golden era situates between 1982 to 1989 till she attempted suicide for the failed romance with Kondo Masahiko. She has never gained back the popularity she once had from early to mid 1980's, yet she has still been able to maintain a somewhat steady career and her influence on the music industry never goes unnoticed. Today Akina's built her image more as a cover artist with her Utahime cover albums and also more recently with the award winning Enka. In 2005 she was the 16th best selling artist in Japan with over 25,1 million records sold. With a career as long as 25 years she has explored many different music genres including pop, rock, R&B, jazz, blues, enka and Latin music.
Contents |
Profile
- Name: Nakamori Akina (中森明菜)
- Birthday: 13th July 1965
- Birth Place: Kiyose City, Japan
- Blood type: A
- Height: 160 cm
- Siblings: 2 elder sisters (Akie, Akiko), 2 elder brothers (Akihiro, Akinori) and 1 younger sister (Akiho)
- Zodiac: Cancer
- Idol: Yamaguchi Momoe
Biography
Third try is the charm
Akina Nakamori entered the music industry through a singing talent contest "Star Tanjo". She first appeared on the contest in 1979 at the age of 13 singing Iwasaki Hiromi's "Natsu ni Dakarete", but she failed to impress the judges because the song was supposedly too mature for a girl of her age. She tried again in 1980 by singing Matsuda Seiko's "Hadashi no Kisetsu", but she still didn't impress the judges. It wasn't until her third try with the contest in 1981 that she finally won by singing Yamaguchi Momoe's "Yume Saki Annai Nin", with a record score of 392 points, beating her opponents easily.
Signed to Warner-Pioneer Akina debuted with the ballad single "Slow Motion" on May 1 of 1982 which originally barely made it to the Oricon charts. Her second single "Shojo A" was almost banned because of the lyrics describing a bad flirting girl (something that might have been inspired by Yamaguchi Momoe's early suggestive songs such as "Aoi Kajitsu"), but it showed better success than her debut single by reaching #5 and selling over 396,000 copies. "Shojo A" was originally planned to be Akina's debuting single but due to its rebellious nature "Slow Motion" was chosen instead for a softer impression of Akina. "Shojo A"'s popularity actually caused her debut single to return to the charts making it reach all the way to #30. In total "Slow Motion" stayed on the charts for 39 weeks and sold over 420,000 copies. Thanks to the success of "Shojo A" she also made her first appearance on the popular TV show at the time, THE BEST 10, which gave her even more exposure. It wasn't until her 3rd single "Second Love" (which is also her highest selling single ever with over 990,000 copies sold) that she began dominating the #1 spot in the single rankings. Both "Slow Motion" and "Second Love" were written by Kisugi Takao and still to this date, they're one of Akina's most requested songs. In 1983 Akina was already the highest selling artist of the year accounting for 4% of all the music sold that year.
The years of success and the fall
In 1985 Akina made her major acting debut in the movie "Ai Tabidachi" playing a woman dying from a heart ailment. The movie co-starred the idol Kondo Masahiko and a romance developed between Akina and him. The movie also did well at the box office and was the 8th most popular movie of 1985 in Japan. Another success that year came with the single "Meu Amor é" winning Akina the Record Taisho Grand Prize, although it was considered that she might be too young to win such an accalaimed award. "Meu Amor é" sold over 631,000 copies and reached #1. The single was re-released as "Akai Tori Nigeta" in 12 inch single format with different lyrics, which actually were the original ones but due to composer Naoya Matsuoka's discontent with them not embracing the Latino sound new lyrics were written thus creating "Meu Amor é". Even as a re-release the single still reached #1 and sold over 354,000 copies.
In 1986 Akina released one of her most experimental albums "Fushigi" which is considered to be one of her most artistic work ever. Being a conceptual album it differed from her previous works with a more mysterious sound both music and vocal-wise. The album featured Akina singing in a more exaggerating manner and her vocals were also mixed into the background. The unusual vocal mixing caused some confusion among consumers and some actually contacted the retailers thinking the record was defective. Despite the riskiness of trying something avant-garde the album still reached #1 easily and sold over 464,000 copies.
Around the end of 1986 Akina started pursuing a more mature and womanly image as opposed to the typical cute and carefree Japanese idol image. Late in December the widely acclaimed album "CRIMSON" was released which surprisingly contained songs composed only by women. In addition to being a commercial success and widely appreciated by fans, in late 1987 the album also won The 29th Nihon Record Taisho's Best Album award. A major contributing composer to the album, Takeuchi Mariya, also released one the songs, "Eki", as her own single, as her husband showed discontent with Akina's take on the song. Later he commented disliking only the arrangement, not Akina's singing. The same year Akina tried her luck with the American music industry by releasing her first and only English release "Cross My Palm". The album featured Akina collaborating with western composers and arrangers and it was her first release to feature music videos as promotion. Unfortunately, the album did poorly in America selling only 5,000 copies internationally and proved out to be a moderate success only in Japan selling over 343,000 copies. Her 1988 album "Femme Fatale" also featured collaborations with western artists, but the album was mostly in Japanese and released only in Japan.
The relationship between Akina and Kondo Masahiko had become strained by 1987 which could be heard on the heartbroken single "Nanpasen", released the same year. The song was offered by the famous folk singer Kato Tokiko who seldom offered her songs to idols. Akina, however, showed enough artistic talent to perform the song and thus proved to the public that she was more than a typical pop idol. The single sold over 431,000 copies and reached #1. In 1989 another ballad involving heartbreak was released called "LIAR" which sold over 275,000 copies and reached #1. The single was also included on her next original album "CRUISE" which was a ballad album. Alongside the album was also released Akina's fashion photo book, sharing the same title, designed by herself. The same year rumors about Kondo Masahiko and the famous Japanese idol Matsuda Seiko having an affair started to spread. Kondo eventually called off his engagement with Akina. Because of the failed relationship Akina finally attempted suicide on July 11, 1989 at Kondo's apartment. She was hospitalized and she recovered, but the attempt did have a negative impact on her public image. The same year in December, a press conference was held where Akina publicly apologized for her selfish act and announced to continue her career the following year.
After the incident she took a break in Hawaii, but made a comeback in 1990 with the surprisingly optimistic and carefree single "Dear Friend" which sold well with over 548,000 copies sold. Akina's newfound suntanned happy-go-lucky image, however, didn't last for long and she was soon back with more serious natured material. Her contract with Warner-Pioneer, however, was coming to an end and after "Dear Friend" she released only two new singles till 1991. Warner was more than willing on continuing their contract with Akina, but Akina herself wasn't pleased with the idea. Due to copyright problems she would take another break until her next new release with a new label, MCA Victor Japan. From April of 1992 to December of 1993 she had her own radio show "Fifty Off" on Tokyo FM.
The return of the Utahime
Akina's first release with MCA Victor Japan came in 1993 with the ballad single "Everlasting Love" which, however, showed a drastic decline in her sales with only 129,000 copies sold and it reached only #10. Although written by the internationally acclaimed composer Sakamoto Ryuichi, Akina wasn't quite pleased with the song and as a result never performed it (nor the second A-side "NOT CRAZY TO ME") after the few promotional TV performances. Later that year she finally released a new original album titled "UNBALANCE+BALANCE" which introduced her new hit song "Aibu", provided by the new rising songwriter, Komuro Tetsuya. The album sold over 186,000 copies and reached #4, but it didn't do as well as her Warner-era releases. The next year she released her first cover album "Utahime", which focused on songs from the 70's chosen by her. One of the songs "Ai Zen Bashi" was originally performed by her idol Yamaguchi Momoe in 1979. All the tracks featured string arrangements by the famous composer and arranger Senju Akira (who would also be in charge of the later "Utahime" releases).
In 1995 Akina's mother died at the age of 58. Later Akina would reveal that her becoming a singer was originally her mother's dream and not hers. The same year she released her next original album "la alteracion" which sold moderately well with over 149,000 copies sold and reaching #7. At the end of the year she released her first self-cover album "true album ~akina 95 best~" which also included her latest singles with MCA Victor and a previously unreleased bonus track "Shangrila". The three disc collection gave Akina the chance to update many of her dated sounding 80's hits to more contemporary and mature style and also to fit her matured voice better. The collection reached #16 and sold over 86,000 copies.
In 1996 she returned to more mysterious yet dance-driven sound with the single "MOONLIGHT SHADOW ~Tsuki ni Hoero~" which reached #14 and sold 112,000 copies. Before the end of the year she released the experimental EP release "VAMP". The title can be said to describe the improvised accompaniment, but also Akina's "femme fatale"-type seductress image. The release, however, showed little success by reaching only #30 and selling over 32,000 copies. The urban soundscape was continued on her next original album "SHAKER", but as according to the title it was also a mix of different of styles such as techno and folk-like songs. The album reached #14 and sold over 44,000 copies. After the album release Akina did her first national tour in nine years and a live video "Felicidad" was released.
The year 1997 marked the end of her contract with MCA Victor Japan and in 1998 she released the single "Kisei ~Never Forget~" under a new label, GAUSS Entertainment. The single reached #19 and sold over 95,000 copies. Unfortunately, her later releases had very little success around this era with GAUSS Entertainment. Her next album "SPOON" featured songs composed by ORIGA among others, giving the album an ethereal feel to it, but the album showed even more declining sales with only over 23,000 copies sold.
In 1999 she starred the drama series "Border" as a detective, but the series had to be stopped after Akina fell and suffered fractured ribs which later also got infected leading her to be hospitalized. Rumours, however, speculated this to be only a publicity gimmick as Akina had supposedly lost motivation to work with the series and her record company had become displeased with it. Things also didn't go so well with her next album "will", released the same year under disagreeing terms between Akina and GAUSS Entertainment, which marks as her weakest selling album ever with only over 5,000 copies sold. The same year she performed her first ever soundtrack theme song "Tsuki no Hohoemi" for the Playstation game "Wizardry ~DIMGUIL~" which was also included on "will" as an acoustic version. Soon after "will" her contract with GAUSS Entertainment was terminated by the label.
Journey to the 21st century
In 2002 Akina signed to Universal Music Japan and the same year her comeback album "ZERO album - Utahime 2" was released selling over 229,000 copies. The album focused on covering various Japanese number one hits both old and new and she once again covered a song by her idol Yamaguchi Momoe called "Cosmos". However, the comeback didn't endure for long and with her next original album "Resonancia", released the same year, she returned to the rather small sales with only over 30,000 copies sold. With "Resonancia" she explored a different style both music and singing-wise. The album was a mix of R&B and latino music and it featured Akina singing in a softer manner as opposed to her more powerful and deeper style that she is known for. Her record label described the album as re-branding Akina as the Japanese Jennifer Lopez. The same year her albums with MCA Victor Japan were re-released with singles and their b-sides added to them. At the end of the year she also released another album "Utahime Double Decade" which, although bears the title "Utahime", isn't actually part of the "Utahime" series because it's another self-cover album like "true album AKINA 95 BEST". The album featured Akina covering her Warner-era hits in big band, bossa nova, salsa, ska and tango style and also fully orchestrated. It sold over 83,046 copies and reached #8.
The next year Akina released the ballad single "Days" whose lyrics she herself wrote. The single's name foretold the theme of her next album "I hope so" which was time. This was her second ballad album since "CRUISE" and it reached #15 selling over 18,000 copies. The title song "I hope so" was Akina's first commercial song whose lyrics she herself wrote. The song was featured in Japan Railways' commercial. Later that year the third and final album to the "Utahime" series "Utahime 3 ~Shuumaku" was released. The theme of the final cover album was dandyism which showcases in the fact that all the songs were originally performed by men.
In 2004 she released "Akai Hana", her first ever single under her very own Utahime Records label distributed by Universal Music. The song was a cover of the South Korean drama's "All In" theme song "WHO", but it featured new lyrics. Her next single "Hajimete Deatta Hi no Youni" was a variation of the same song with yet again different lyrics and slightly altered arrangement. "Akai Hana" involved lyrics about heartbreak while "Hajimete Deatta Hi no Youni" was a more optimistic version. The Utahime Records label has given Akina the chance to plan her selection of songs, advertisement, production and also to find and produce new talents. According to Akina she had been planning on starting her own label since five years ago. In 2006 she finally released her first original album under her Utahime Records called "DESTINATION" which featured dance influenced R&B-ish songs. Although it sold only over 10,000 copies MUSIC MAGAZINE gave it 9 out of 10 points making it even more evident that Akina's declining sales might be more due to the lack of promotion than due to the possibility that her releases might be getting "worse".
In 2007 she returned to the "Utahime" series by releasing "Utahime Best - 25th Anniversary Selection" which featured three new covered songs of which one was a live performance and one song once again originally by Yamaguchi Momoe "Ii hi Tabidachi" which was featured as a theme song for the movie "Tabi no okurimono 0:00 hatsu". The album turned out to be another success for her with over 43,500 copies sold. Later the same year it was announced that a new compilation album "Ballade Best" would feature one new song "Ano Natsu no Hi" and three re-recorded tracks. The limited edition featured a DVD which contains footage of her first ever live concert in 1983 which has never been released before.
In April a new album "Enka" was announced to be released on the 20th of June. Although the "Utahime" series was put to an end Akina now continued to cover classic enka songs with a full orchestra once again arranged by Senju Akira. This was also the first time that fans had the chance to interact with Akina by voting their favorite songs at her offcial website! Later in May it was also announced that the release date had been pushed back to June 27th. On June 7th the track list was finally announced revealing that only three of the songs were chosen independently by Akina and the rest were chosen from the poll. The album was released in four editions: a limited CD+DVD edition, a limited 2 CD edition, a normal CD only edition and also a cassette tape edition. The limited DVD included recording material, promotional video material and interviews. The limited 2 CD edition has instrumental tracks and also a bonus track. The cassette tape edition might have been targeted at the older generations.
On June 26th Akina paid a visit to the Toyokawa Inari Shrine where she prayed for her album to be a success. The same day she did a Yahoo! Live Talk-interview in which she revealed that the idea for doing an enka cover album wasn't hers since she wasn't comfortable with the singing style which she viewed as a too big of a challenge, but her staff finally convinced her otherwise. Even with limited promotion Enka still turned out to be a surprisingly successful release for Akina as it reached #10 and charted for 12 weeks selling over 61,412 copies. At the end of 2007 Enka garnered even more success as it was rewarded with the 49th Nihon Record Taishou's Planning Award for well thought out planning and production which best exemplifies a specific musical style or theme and effectively introduces and/or makes it appealing to the general public. In 2008 Akina won in the 22th Japan Gold Disc Award's Best Enka Artist category alongside Hikawa Kiyoshi.
Late 2007 yet a new compilation album called "Utahime Densetsu - '90s BEST" was announced to be released covering her 90's years with both MCA Victor Japan and GAUSS Entertainment. Quite like "Ballade Best", the compilation contained never before released material, Akina's 1995 True Live concert, issued on the limited edition's DVD.
Trivia
- She took ballet lessons from the age of 4 through 13. The influence can still be seen in some of her choreographies that she performs live.
- Not only was Akina Nakamori the youngest ever (20-years old) at the time to win the Record Taisho Grand Prize, but she was also the second to win it twice and the first to win it in consecutive years.
- Although most of her songs' lyrics are written for her she has written some herself. Some of them are under her pen name Miran:Miran.
- One of Akina's passions being fashion, she also designs her outfits herself.
- She doesn't like using mobile telephones and thus doesn't own one.
- Casablanca is her favorite flower
- In 2005 Akina rated her favorite albums accordingly:
Discography
Original Albums
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prologue ~Jomaku~ (プロローグ〈序幕〉) | 1982.07.01 | 453,000 | #5 |
| 2 | Variation ~Hensoukyoku~ (バリエーション〈変奏曲〉) | 1982.10.27 | 743,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 3 | Fantasy ~Gensoukyoku~ (ファンタジー〈幻想曲〉) | 1983.03.23 | 616,000 | #1 (4 weeks) |
| 4 | NEW AKINA Etranger (NEW AKINA エトランゼ) | 1983.08.10 | 482,000 | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 5 | ANNIVERSARY | 1984.05.01 | 476,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 6 | POSSIBILITY | 1984.10.10 | 623,000 | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 7 | BITTER AND SWEET | 1985.04.03 | 556,000 | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 8 | D404ME | 1985.08.10 | 651,000 | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 9 | Fushigi (不思議) | 1986.08.11 | 464,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 10 | CRIMSON | 1986.12.24 | 601,000 | #1 (4 weeks) |
| 11 | Cross My Palm | 1987.08.25 | 343,000 | #1 |
| 12 | Stock | 1988.03.03 | 395,000 | #2 |
| 13 | Femme Fatale | 1988.08.03 | 269,000 | #1 |
| 14 | CRUISE | 1989.07.25 | 403,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 15 | UNBALANCE+BALANCE | 1993.09.22 | 186,000 | #4 |
| 16 | la alteracion | 1995.07.21 | 149,000 | #7 |
| 17 | SHAKER | 1997.03.21 | 44,000 | #14 |
| 18 | SPOON | 1998.06.17 | 23,000 | #17 |
| 19 | will | 1999.12.01 | 5,000 | #52 |
| 20 | Resonancia | 2002.05.22 | 30,130 | #15 |
| 21 | I hope so | 2003.05.14 | 17,964 | #15 |
| 22 | DESTINATION | 2006.06.21 | 10,272 | #20 |
Cover Albums
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utahime (歌姫) | 1994.03.24 | 139,060 | #5 |
| 2 | ZERO album - Utahime 2 (ZERO album-歌姫2) | 2002.03.20 | 229,744 | #10 |
| 3 | Utahime 3 ~ Shuumaku (歌姫3 〜終幕) | 2003.12.03 | 31,311 | #25 |
| 4 | Enka (艶華 -Enka-) | 2007.06.27 | 61,412 | #10 |
Singles
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slow Motion (スローモーション) | 1982.05.01 | 174,000 | #30 |
| 2 | Shojo A (少女A) | 1982.07.28 | 396,000 | #5 |
| 3 | Second Love (セカンド・ラブ) | 1982.11.10 | 990,000 | #1 |
| 4 | 1/2 no Shinwa (1/2の神話) | 1983.02.23 | 573,000 | #1 |
| 5 | Twilight ~Yuugure Tayori~ (トワイライト ―夕暮れ便り―) | 1983.06.01 | 430,000 | #2 |
| 6 | Kinku (禁区) | 1983.09.07 | 511,000 | #1 |
| 7 | Kita Wing (北ウイング) | 1984.01.01 | 614,000 | #2 |
| 8 | Southern Wind (サザン・ウインド) | 1984.04.11 | 544,000 | #1 |
| 9 | Jukkai (1984) (十戒 (1984)) | 1984.07.25 | 611,000 | #1 |
| 10 | Kazari Janai no yo Namida wa (飾りじゃないのよ涙は) | 1984.11.14 | 625,000 | #1 |
| 11 | Meu Amor é (ミ・アモーレ〔Meu amor e…〕) | 1985.03.08 | 631,000 | #1 |
| 12 | Akai Tori Nigeta (赤い鳥逃げた) | 1985.05.01 | 354,000 | #1 |
| 13 | SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku he~ (SAND BEIGE ~砂漠へ~) | 1985.06.19 | 461,000 | #1 |
| 14 | SOLITUDE | 1985.10.09 | 336,000 | #1 |
| 15 | DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ (DESIRE ~情熱~) | 1986.02.03 | 516,000 | #1 |
| 16 | Gypsy Queen (ジプシー・クイーン) | 1986.05.26 | 358,000 | #1 |
| 17 | Fin | 1986.09.25 | 318,000 | #1 |
| 18 | TANGO NOIR | 1987.02.03 | 348,000 | #1 |
| 19 | BLONDE | 1987.06.03 | 301,000 | #1 |
| 20 | Nanpasen (難破船) | 1987.09.30 | 413,000 | #1 |
| 21 | AL-MAUJ (AL-MAUJ （アルマージ）) | 1988.01.27 | 297,000 | #1 |
| 22 | TATTOO | 1988.05.18 | 297,000 | #1 |
| 23 | I MISSED "THE SHOCK" | 1988.11.01 | 311,000 | #3 |
| 24 | LIAR | 1989.04.25 | 275,000 | #1 |
| 25 | Dear Friend | 1990.07.17 | 548,000 | #1 |
| 26 | Mizu ni Sashita Hana (水に挿した花) | 1990.11.16 | 340,000 | #1 |
| 27 | Futari Shizuka ~Tenkawa Densetsu Satsujin Jiken Yori~ (二人静 ―「天河伝説殺人事件」より) | 1991.03.25 | 484,000 | #3 |
| 28 | Everlasting Love | 1993.05.21 | 129,000 | #10 |
| 29 | Kata Omoi (片想い) | 1994.03.24 | 134,000 | #14 |
| 30 | Yoru no Dokoka de ~night shift~ (夜のどこかで 〜night shift〜) | 1994.09.02 | 118,000 | #14 |
| 31 | Gekka (月華) | 1994.10.05 | 137,000 | #8 |
| 32 | Genshi, Onna wa Taiyou Datta (原始、女は太陽だった) | 1995.06.21 | 100,000 | #15 |
| 33 | Tokyo Rose | 1995.11.01 | 36,000 | #31 |
| 34 | MOONLIGHT SHADOW ~Tsuki ni Hoero~ (MOONLIGHT SHADOW ~月に吠えろ~) | 1996.08.07 | 112,000 | #14 |
| 35 | APPETITE | 1997.02.21 | 29,000 | #46 |
| 36 | Kisei ~Never Forget~ (帰省 〜Never Forget〜) | 1998.02.11 | 95,000 | #19 |
| 37 | Konya, Nagareboshi (今夜、流れ星) | 1998.05.21 | 12,000 | #66 |
| 38 | Tomadoi (とまどい) | 1998.09.23 | 10,000 | #40 |
| 39 | Ophelia (オフェリア) | 1999.01.21 | 38,000 | #29 |
| 40 | Trust Me | 1999.12.01 | 5,000 | #57 |
| 41 | It's brand new day | 2001.06.06 | ? | #? |
| 42 | The Heat ~musica fiesta~ | 2002.05.02 | 15,000 | #20 |
| 43 | Days | 2003.04.30 | 10,095 | #30 |
| 44 | Akai Hana (赤い花) | 2004.05.12 | 5,137 | #40 |
| 45 | Hajimete Deatta Hi no Youni (初めて出逢った日のように) | 2004.07.07 | 5,688 | #50 |
| 46 | Rakka Ryusui (落花流水) | 2005.12.07 | 5,005 | #43 |
| 47 | Hana yo Odore (花よ踊れ) | 2006.05.17 | 10,352 | #23 |
Special Releases
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seventeen | 1982.12.24 | 142,000 | #2 |
| 2 | SILENT LOVE | 1984.12.21 | 283,000 | #2 |
| 3 | MY BEST THANKS | 1985.12.21 | 295,000 | #1 |
| 4 | Non-Fiction Ecstasy | 1986.11.10 | 62,000 | #1 |
| 5 | CD'87 | 1987.05.01 | 160,000 | #1 |
| 6 | Wonder | 1988.06.01 | 118,000 | #2 |
| 7 | VAMP | 1996.12.18 | 32,000 | #30 |
Live Albums
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXIII The 8th Anniversary | 1989.11.17 | 175,000 | #6 |
| 2 | Listen To Me 1991.7.27~28 MAKUHARI Messe Live | 1991.11.28 | 183,000 | #5 |
Compilations
| # | Title | Release Date | Copies Sold | Weekly Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEST AKINA Memoires (BEST AKINA メモワール) | 1983.12.21 | 665,000 | #1 (4 weeks) |
| 2 | BEST | 1986.04.01 | 772,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 3 | BEST II | 1988.12.24 | 808,000 | #1 (3 weeks) |
| 4 | BEST III | 1992.11.10 | 156,000 | #6 |
| 5 | true album ~AKINA 95 BEST~ | 1995.12.06 | 86,000 | #16 |
| 6 | Utahime Double Decade (Akina Nakamori〜歌姫ダブル・ディケイド) | 2002.12.04 | 83,046 | #8 |
| 7 | BEST FINGER 25th Anniversary Selection | 2006.01.11 | 13,557 | #25 |
| 8 | Utahime Best - 25th Anniversary Selection | 2007.01.17 | 43,500 | #9 |
| 9 | Ballade Best (バラード・ベスト 〜25th Anniversary Selection〜) | 2007.03.28 | 26,610 | #13 |
| 10 | Utahime Densetsu - '90s BEST (歌姫伝説〜'90s BEST〜) | 2008.02.27 | 7,663 | #37 |
Reissues
- [1984.12.15] Kita Wing #1st
- [2002.12.04] Utahime Special Edition
- [2002.12.04] UNBALANCE+BALANCE+6
- [2002.12.04] La Alteración+4
- [2002.12.04] SHAKER+3
- [2004.12.01] Utahime Complete Box Empress Akina Nakamori 1994 ~ 2004
- [2006.06.21] Akina Box
Video
Concerts
- [1985.12.10] BITTER & SWEET 1985 SUMMER TOUR (VHS)
- [1989.11.28] AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXIII (VHS)
- [1992.07.25] Yume '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live (VHS)
- [1993.08.25] Live in '87 A HUNDRED days (VHS)
- [1993.08.25] Live in '88 Femme Fatale (VHS)
- [1995.03.24] Utahime AKINA NAKAMORI PARCO THEATER LIVE (VHS)
- [1997.09.22] felicidad AKINA NAKAMORI LIVE '97 (VHS)
- [2001.09.27] Akina Nakamori 2001 - 20th Anniversary Live ～It's brand new day～
- [2002.12.03] AKINA NAKAMORI MUSICA FIESTA TOUR 2002
- [2003.12.17] Live tour 2003 ～I hope so～
- [2006.01.11] Akina Nakamori Special Live 2005 Empress at CLUB eX
- [2007.01.17] LIVE TOUR 2006 The Last Destination
Reissues
- [2000.06.16] Utahime AKINA NAKAMORI PARCO THEATER LIVE (DVD)
- [2000.06.16] felicidad AKINA NAKAMORI LIVE '97 (DVD)
- [2006.06.21] BITTER & SWEET 1985 SUMMER TOUR (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXIII (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Yume '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Live in '87 A HUNDRED days (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
- [2006.06.21] Live in '88 Femme Fatale (5.1 channel surround DVD version)
Awards
| Date | Awarder | Award Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1982.07.02 | 1st Megalopolis Music Festival | Best New Talent Diamond Award: Slow Motion |
| 1982.07.04 | 15th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | New Talent Award: Slow Motion |
| 1982.08.19 | 7th Japan TV Music Festival | Best New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.10.02 | 10th KBC New Talent Pop Music Festival | Best New Talent Award: Slow Motion |
| 1982.10.05 | 9th ABC Pop New Talent Grand Prix | Silver Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.10.07 | 12th Ginza Music Festival | Special Jury's Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.10.xx | 8th "Your Selection" All Japan Music Festival | Best New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.10.14 | 15th Shinjuku Music Festival | Special Jury's Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.10.20 | 9th Yokohama Music Festival | Best New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.11.17 | 13th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Broadcast Music New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.11.28 | 15th Japan Cable Grand Prix | New Talent Award: Second Love |
| 1982.11.30 | 15th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.12.07 | 9th FNS Kayousai | New Talent Award: Shojo A |
| 1982.12.23 | 7th FM Tokyo Grand Prix | Grand Prix: Slow Motion |
| 1983.02.16 | The 20th Golden Arrow Award | Music New Talent Award |
| 1983.07.01 | 2nd Megalopolis Music Festival | Pop Award: Shojo A |
| 1983.07.10 | 16th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Best Artist Award: Second Love |
| 1983.09.08 | 8th Japan TV Music Festival | Golden Award: Twilight ~Yuugure Tayori~ |
| 1983.10.05 | 3rd Japan Composer Award | Best Composer Award: Kisugi Takao - Second Love |
| 1983.10.19 | 10th Yokohama Music Festival | Yokohama Music Festival Award |
| 1983.10.25 | 9th "Your Selection" All Japan Music Festival | Special Jury's Award: Kinku |
| 1983.11.11 | 14th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Broadcast Music Award: Kinku |
| 1983.11.23 | 25th Japan Record Grand Prix | Golden Idol Special Award (TBS Award)
Golden Idol Award: Kinku Top 10 Album: NEW AKINA Etoranze |
| 1983.12.02 | 16th Japan Cable Grand Prix (entire year) | The Most Requested Singer Award: Kinku
Cable Music Award: Kinku |
| 1983.12.08 | 16th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | Yomiuri TV Best Award: Kinku
Best Artist Award: Kinku |
| 1983.12.xx | 16th Japan Record Sales Award | Single Grand Prix
Album Grand Prix |
| 1983.12.31 | 25th Japan Record Sale Grand Prix | Golden Idol Award: Second Love
TBS Golden Idol Special Award Top 10 Album: NEW AKINA Etoranze |
| 1983.xx.xx | 16th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Artist : Kinku |
| 1984.02.09 | Miss DJ Request Parade | '83 Best Artist Award |
| 1984.07.01 | 17th Japan Cable Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Cable Grand Prix |
| 1984.07.06 | 3rd Megalopolis Music Festival | Pop Award: Southern Wind
Pop Grand Prix: Southern Wind |
| 1984.07.15 | 17th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Yomiuri TV Best Award: Southern Wind
Best Artist Award: Southern Wind |
| 1984.09.06 | 10th Japan TV Music Festival | Grand Prix: Jukkai (1984) |
| 1984.10.03 | 4th Japan Composer Award | Best Composer Award: Hayashi - Kita Wing |
| 1984.10.17 | 11th Yokohama Music Festival | Yokohama Music Festival Award |
| 1984.10.30 | 10th "Your Selection" All Japan Music Festival | Golden Grand Prix: Jukkai (1984) |
| 1984.11.20 | 15th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Best Broadcast Music Award: Jukkai (1984) |
| 1984.12.07 | 17th Japan Cable Grand Prix (entire year) | Most Requested Singer Award: Kita Wing
Cable Award: Kita Wing |
| 1984.12.13 | 17th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | Jury's Best Award: Kita Wing
Best Artist Award: Kita Wing |
| 1984.12.18 | 11th FNS Music Festival | Best Music Award: Jukkai (1984)
Best Hit Award: Jukkai (1984) |
| 1984.12.xx | 17th Japan Record Sales Award | LP Golden Award |
| 1984.12.31 | 26th Japan Record Grand Prix | Gold Award: Kita Wing
Best Artist Award: Nakamori Akina |
| 1984.xx.xx | 17th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Artist: Jukkai (1984) |
| 1985.03.03 | 22nd Golden Arrow Award | Music Award |
| 1985.07.14 | 18th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Yomiuri TV Excellence Award: Meu amor é
Best Artist Award: Meu amor é |
| 1985.08.29 | 11th Japan TV Music Festival | Excellence Award: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~ |
| 1985.10.13 | 5th Japan Composer Award | Best Composer Award: Matsuoka Naoya: Meu amor é |
| 1985.11.08 | 12th Yokohama Music Festival | Yokohama Music Festival Award |
| 1985.11.12 | 11th "Your Selection" All Japan Music Festival | Gold Award: SOLITUDE
Best Singer Award: SOLITUDE |
| 1985.11.28 | 16th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Broadcast Music Producer Award: SOLITUDE |
| 1985.12.05 | 18th Japan Cable Grand Prix (whole year) | The Most Requested Singer Award: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~
Cable Award: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~ |
| 1985.12.12 | 18th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | Yomiuri TV Best Award: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~
Best Artist Award: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~ |
| 1985.12.17 | 12th FNS Music Festival | Best Hit Award: Meu amor é
Grand Prix: Meu amor é |
| 1985.12.xx | 18th Japan Record Sales Award | Single Grand Prix
LP Golden Award |
| 1985.12.31 | 27th Japan Record Grand Prix | Grand Prix: Meu amor é
Gold Award: Meu amor é Best Album Award : D404ME |
| 1985.xx.xx | 18th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Artist: SAND BEIGE ~Sabaku e~ |
| 1986.07.04 | 5th Megapolis Music Festival | Pop Grand Prix: Gypsy Queen |
| 1986.07.13 | 19th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Best Artist Award: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~
Grand Prix: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ |
| 1986.09.18 | 12th Japan TV Music Festival | Grand Prix: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~
Best Award: Fin |
| 1986.10.28 | 12th All Japan Pop Music Festival | Golden Grand Prix: Fin |
| 1986.11.07 | 13th Yokohama Music Festival | Yokohama Music Festival Award |
| 1986.11.19 | 17th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Grand Prix
Broadcast Music Award |
| 1986.12.05 | 19th Japan Cable Grand Prix | The Most Requested Artist Award: Fin
Best Artist Award: Fin |
| 1986.12.11 | 19th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | Most Requested Artist Award: Fin
Best Artist Award: Fin |
| 1986.12.16 | 13th FNS Music Festival | Grand Prix: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~
Best Pop Music Award: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ |
| 1986.12.xx | 19th Japan Record Sales Award | Artist Grand Prix
Single Grand Prix Album Grand Prix |
| 1986.12.31 | 28th Japan Record Grand Prix | Grand Prix: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~
Gold Award : DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ Best Artist Award: Nakamori Akina |
| 1986.xx.xx | 19th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Artist: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ |
| 1987.03.xx | 24th Golden Arrow Award | Music Award |
| 1987.03.24 | 1st Japan Gold Disc Award | The Grand Prix Artist of the Year Award
The Best Artist of the Year Award The Best Single of the Year Award: DESIRE ~Jounetsu~ The Grand Prix Album of the Year Award: BEST The Best Album of the Year Award (Pop Solo): BEST |
| 1987.07.05 | 20th All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Best Artist Award: TANGO NOIR |
| 1987.10.16 | 13th All Japan Pop Music Festival | Special Topic Award: Nanpasen |
| 1987.10.17 | 17th Ginza Music Festival | Pop Category Gold Award |
| 1987.11.06 | 14th Yokohama Festival | Yokohama Music Festival Award |
| 1987.11.13 | 18th Japanese Pop Grand Prix | Broadcast Music Excellence Award: Nanpasen
Broadcast Music Special Alignment Award: Nanpasen |
| 1987.12.04 | 20th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Singer Award
Cable Award: Nanpasen |
| 1987.12.10 | 20th Zen Nihon Yusen Housou Taisho | The Most Requested Artist Award
Best Artist Award: Nanpasen |
| 1987.12.15 | 14th FNS Pop Music Festival | Best Singing Performance Award: Nanpasen |
| 1987.12.xx | 20th Japan Record Sales Award | Artist Sales Award
Single Golden Award LP Golden Award |
| 1987.12.31 | 29th Japan Record Grand Prix | Gold Award: Nanpasen
Special Public Award: Nakamori Akina Best Album Award: CRIMSON |
| 1987.xx.xx | 20th Nihon Yusen Taisho | The Most Requested Artist: Nanpasen |
| 1988.03.xx | 2nd Japan Gold Disc Award | Best Single of the Year Award: TANGO NOIR, Nanpasen |
| 1988.07.01 | 7th Megalopolis Music Festival | Pop Grand Prix: TATTOO
Pop Megalopolis Award: TATTOO |
| 1988.07.16 | 21st All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (1st half of the year) | Best Artist Award: TATTOO |
| 1988.12.02 | 21st All Japan Cable Broadcast Grand Prix (entire year) | Cable Award |
| 1988.12.08 | 21st Japan Cable Grand Prix | Best Artist Award: I MISSED "THE SHOCK" |
| 1988.12.13 | 15th FNS Pop Music Festival | Best Singing Award: I MISSED "THE SHOCK" |
| 1988.12.31 | 30th Japan Record Grand Prix | Gold Award: TATTOO |
| 1988.xx.xx | AVA Grand Prix | Silver Award: Cross My Palm (video) |
| 1989.03.xx | 3rd Japan Gold Disc Award | The Best 5 Artists of the Year Award |
| 1989.12.xx | 22nd Japan Record Sales Award | LP Silver Award |
| 1989.12.xx | '89 Video Grand Prix | Best Music Video Award: AKINA EAST LIVE INDEX-XXII |
| 1992.xx.xx | Media Grand Prix | Music Video Award: Yume '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live |
| 2001.xx.xx | 41st ACC TV CM | Bronze Award: Fancl Aojiru CM |
| 2007.12.31 | 49th Japan Record Grand Prix | Best Concept Award: Enka |
| 2008.04.17 | 22th Japan Gold Disc Award | Best Enka Artist: Enka |
Filmography
Movie
- [1985.01.26] Ai Tabidachi (愛・旅立ち)
- [1992.07.25] Hashire Melos! (走れメロス) (anime)
TV Drama
- [1991.01.03] Sayonora 6 nen 2 kumi (さよなら6年2組)
- [1992.04.13 - 1992.06.29] Sugao no Mama de (素顔のままで)
- [1993.04.14 - 1993.06.30] Chansu! (チャンス!)
- [1998.01.12 - 1998.03.16] Tsumetai tsuki (冷たい月)
- [1999.01.11 - 1999.03.08] Border ~hanzai shinri sousatsu file (ボーダー 犯罪心理捜査ファイル)
- [2006.04.12 - 2006.06.21] Primadam (プリマダム)
External Links
- Official site
- Akina Land
- ALL ABOUT AKINA NAKAMORI
- CJ's Akina Nakamori Page
- VAMP - an Akina Nakamori fan blog
Sources
- All About Akina Nakamori
- Akina Land
- Akina Nakamori Fun Site
- CJ's Akina Nakamori Page
- JDorama
- VAMP
Categories: Artists | J-Pop | 1965 Births | Blood Type A | Enka | Idols | J-Actress
