Sugar (Japanese: シュガー) were a

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

trio formed in 1981 by Miki Kasamatsu, Kumiko Nagasawa, and Kimiko Mohri. Originally formed as a band with all three members playing instruments, the group slowly shifted away from use of their instruments an becoming a

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in se ...

by the latter half of their career. They attracted attention with their debut single " Wedding Bell," which charted at No. 2 on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

charts.

History

Kumiko Nagasawa and Kimiko Mohri were junior high classmates at Yokohama City Terao Junior High School and previously formed the band Karinto (かりんとう) at Kanagawa Prefectural Tsurumi High School, where Mohri attended. The duo also participated in the 14th

Yamaha Popular Song Contest The , generally known as , was a Music of Japan#Popular music, Japanese popular music contest which ran from 1969 to 1986. It was sponsored by the Yamaha Music Foundation and was held annually (later, twice a year) at the Yamaha Resort Tsumagoi in ...

in 1977 before joining the band Cutie Panchos when it was formed in December 1978. After Cutie Panchos lost the Popcon Grand Prix in 1980, the pair left the band and created Sugar with Miki Kasamatsu, who had met them after, in 1981. They named themselves Sugar as it was the opposite of salt as well as to show their "sweet voices." On November 21, 1981, they released their debut single, " Wedding Bell" on

For Life Music is a Japanese record label founded in 1975.Official site
of FLME Inc.'

Sub-divisions

*Güt Records *Anri *

. That same year, they released their debut album, ''Sugar Dream''. In 1982, they participated in the 33rd

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

with the Red Group. In 1987, the group disbanded.

Members

Miki Kasamatsu

Miki Kasamatsu (born July 15, 1960) attended Kanagawa Prefectural Tsurumi High School before graduating at Nihon University Tsurugaoka High School. She was the keyboardist of the band. Kasamatsu is now a freelance composer, creating songs for video games and anime.

Kumiko Nagasawa

Kumiko Nagasawa (born July 15, 1960) was the guitarist of the group. After the disbandment of the band, she began working as a designer at

Being Inc. Being Incorporated, d.b.a. Being Giza Group, is a Japanese private entertainment conglomerate based in Tokyo's Roppongi district, founded on November 1, 1978 by musician Daiko Nagato. Being Inc. and its subsidiaries are the main supplier of the ...

She restarted her music career as a solo musician and now also leads a band called Kumi's Band since 2015, which includes members of Cutie Panchos. Nagasawa also runs the Sugar Project, which aims to protect dogs.

Kimiko Tokumoto

Kimiko Tokumoto (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Mohri, September 29, 1960 – April 7, 1990) was the leader and bassist of the group. On April 6, 1990, Tokumoto felt labor pains and went to the doctor with her sister, Mamoru Mohri, as her husband was abroad on a business trip. When they got there, the heartbeat of the child could no longer be confirmed and was she told that she suffered from

stillbirth Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term ...

. They decided to stay at the hospital overnight and leave the next day, but during their stay, her sister noticed that Tokumoto was not breathing and was taken immediately by another paramedic. Tokumoto died while being transferred, with the cause being unknown.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

{{reflist J-pop music groups Japanese musical trios Vocal trios Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1987