Cindy (singer)
Japanese singer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
- Singer
- lyricist
- composer
Biography
Mayumi Yamamoto, a native of Yokohama, was born on 5 May 1958.[1][2] Her father was a Korean lyricist, and her mother was 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 subsequently worked in music journalism, where she interviewed such musicians as Lionel Richie.[1] She received the attention of Stevie Wonder during an interview on the job,[2] and the two 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 that Cindy's singing voice was 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 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
Albums
| 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 |
|
— | — | [14] |
| Surprise | 1997 |
|
— | — | [15] |
Singles
| 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 |
|
— | — | [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 |
|
— | — | [18] |
| "Special Ever Happened/Christmas Time" | 1990 |
|
— | — | [19] |
| "Ai ga Sabishii Toki/Tell Me Why" (愛がさびしい時/TELL ME WHY) | 1991 |
|
— | — | [20] |