Shizuka Kudo

Shizuka Kudo (工藤 静香, Kudō Shizuka, born on April 14, 1970) is a Japanese singer, pop idol and actress born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hits.[1]

Shizuka Kudo
工藤 静香
Born (1970-04-14) 14 April 1970
OriginHamura, Tokyo, Japan
GenresPop
Occupation(s)singer, actress
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1986-present
LabelsPony Canyon
Associated actsOnyanko Club, SMAP, Momoko Club, Seventeen Club
Websitehttps://shizuka-kudo.net/

Biography

Kudo began her singing career at the age of 14 as a member of three-piece pop unit Seventeen Club formed by runner-ups from the 1984 Miss Seventeen Contest organized by Japanese teen magazine Seventeen, which Shuesha publishes. They released two singles from CBS/Sony Records in 1985. Their first single "Su Ki Futari Tomo!" was released on January 21, 1985 and was used in a television advertisement for snack food products "Suzuki Kun" and "Sato Kun" manufactured and sold by S&B Foods. The second single "Baajin Kuraishisu (Virgin Crisis)" was released on August 25, 1985. Its lyrics were written by Sunplaza Nakano-kun, who was a lead singer of Japanese rock band Bakufu Slump. Kudo later said that she hated the second single and that she joined the group "just to have fun".[1]

Onyanko Club debuted on the first of April 1985 on Fuji TV's variety show Yūyake Nyan Nyan[2] with nine high school girls and two high school graduates, namely Sayuri Kokusho (number 8) and Satomi Fukunaga (number 11). They were selected from participants in Fuji TV's show All Night Fuji High School Girl Special (オールナイトフジ女子高生スペシャル) aired in February that year. Kudo auditioned for the group in May 1986 during her first year in high school and became a member with number 38 assigned.. The group gave a new approach to the idol formula with 52 official members and three associate members, with several sub-groups, such as Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi, Nyangilas and Ushirogami Hikaretai.[2]

After having appeared in the one-hour daily TV show from Monday to Friday regularly and having participated in Onyanko Club's fifth single "Osaki ni Shitsurei" as well as their nationwide concert tour in the summer and fall of 1986, Kudo was selected as one of two backing vocals for Onyanko Club number 36 member Marina Watanabe's first single "Shinkokyu-shite", along with Akiko Ikuina (number 40). The single was released on October 8, 1986 under the name of "Marina Watanabe with Onyanko Club" from Epic/Sony Records and debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart (the national single chart). Kudo continued to participate in Onyanko Club's recordings, such as their fourth album "Side Line", which was the first one of their albums Kudo participated in and contains few songs in which Kudo had solo vocal parts, such as "Dare no Sei Kana" and "Shin-Shin Kaiin Bangou no Uta".

In the spring of 1987, Kudo was selected as one of the three members of Ushirogami Hikaretai along with Akiko Ikuina and Makiko Saito (number 42). The group's first single "Toki no Kawa wo Koete" was released on May 7, 1987 from Canyon Records and debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart. The song and its B-side "Ushirogami Hikaretai" were used as an opening theme and ending theme, respectively, of Fuji TV's anime "High School! Kimengumi". Also, Kudo was featured as one of the four main vocals for Onyanko Club's eighth single "Katatsumuri Samba" released on May 21, 1987. It debuted at number one on the Japanese single chart. Ushirogami Hikaretai subsequently released four more singles, two studio albums and two videos from July 1987 to June 1988 with a live album released as their final material in July 1988 (Hora ne, Haru ga Kita - First Concert).

Kudo has said of her time in Onyanko Club that "it was a great experience, with good, bad and really dirty things", and that she tried not to draw too much attention to herself over senior Onyanko Club members who were more popular than her at that time.[1]

Less than three weeks before Onyanko Club disbanded on September 20, 1987 with their two-day final concerts at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Kudo launched her solo career with her first single "Kindan no Telepathy" released from Canyon Records on August 31. It debuted at number one on the Japanese single chart and also became a favorite throughout Asia during the early 1990s. The second and third singles, "Again" and "Daite-kuretara-iinoni", had moderate success, both reaching number three on the Oricon's Japanese single chart. Released on June 1, 1988 the fourth single "Fu-ji-tsu" reached number one on the chart. The song drew attention as its lyrics were written by famed and critically acclaimed Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima. The number of its sales exceeded that of each of the three previous singles. The fifth single "Mugon... Iroppoi", whose lyrics were written by Nakajima again, was used in a television advertisement for cosmetics products of Japanese company Kanebo Cosmetics, and reached number one on the chart. It was sold more than double the previous single. She eventually enjoyed a run of eight consecutive number-one singles in Japan between 1988 and 1990, eleven in total, and four number-one albums between 1988 and 1991.[1]

She continued to release new music every year until 2000 with sporadic releases since then. Her most recent release came in 2008 when she teamed up with Miyuki Nakajima, co-composer of five of Kudo's late-1980s hits, for a double A-side, "Night Wing"/"Yuki Gasa". Kudo said of their long-term working relationship that "We are not that close. We have a nice distance. Sometimes when I hear her music, it scares me but I especially like her passionate lyrics."[1]

Kudo also appears on television in jidaigeki roles and also creates her own jewelry sold in Japan.

Personal life

Kudo married Takuya Kimura of popular boy-band SMAP in 2000.[3] They have two children named Kokomi and Mitsuki.[3]

Discography
Main article: Shizuka Kudo discography
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References
  1. Robert Michael Poole (7 November 2008). "Shizuka Kudo -The storied J-pop superstar reflects on life at the top". Metropolis (free magazine). Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  2. "Onyanko Club". Encyclopedia Idollica. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  3. https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/japanese-star-takuya-kimura-shares-rare-picture-taken-with-singer-wife

Sources
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