, known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular

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 ...

s of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, winter dinner shows, high-profile TV commercials and movies, and makes frequent TV appearances and radio broadcasts. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal Idol" by the Japanese media. In January 2011, the Japanese music television program Music Station listed her as the 2nd best-selling idol of all time in Japan, with 29,510,000 records sold. She placed right behind pop group

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six- ...

and ahead of

Akina Nakamori is a Japanese singer and actress. She is one of the most popular and best-selling artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the talent show ''Star Tanjō!''. Her debut single "Slow Motion" was relea ...

, her biggest rival from the 1980s, who was listed in third place. In 2016, however, Ian Martin of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...

'' compared her output unfavorably with that of

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

, describing Matsuda as "first and foremost an idol rather than an artist. Her legacy is best expressed in singles rather than albums." Matsuda once held the record for number-one hits from 1983 to 2000 (broken by

B'z are a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba, 佐伯明『B'z ウルトラクロニクル』ソニー・マガジンズ、2003年。新型光�B'zはな� ...

) and for solo artist (broken by

Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...

in 2006). Matsuda was the overall finale performer of Kouhaku (Red White Music Battle) in 2014 and 2015, the prestigious

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

New Year's Eve Music show on which she has performed 24 times (until 2020).

Biography

Early life and family

Noriko Kamachi was born on March 10, 1962, in Chikuhō, Mizuma,

Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, K ...

(present-day Arakimachi,

Kurume is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km². On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (fr ...

, Fukuoka Prefecture), as the eldest daughter of her parents. She was born in a state of

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

due to a difficult birth at Kōradai Hospital, where her aunt was the director's wife. Her father was a government official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and her mother was from a family of former village heads from

Yame is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1954. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 39,372 and a population density of 1,000.81 persons per km². The total area was 39.34 km². On O ...

. She is a descendant of Kamachi Akimori of the Kamachi clan, the lords of Yanagawa Castle who were the most powerful feudal lords in

Chikugo Province is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū. It was sometimes called or , with Chikuzen Province. Chikugo was bordered by Hizen, Chikuzen, Bungo, and Higo Provin ...

in the service of the Ōtomo clan in the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

Career

After winning the 'Miss Seventeen' contest held by a popular magazine in 1978, the sixteen-year-old Noriko Kamachi from

Kurume, Fukuoka is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km². On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (fr ...

adopted the stage name "Seiko Matsuda" and rose to fame in 1980 as a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

, making her debut with the song "Hadashi no Kisetsu" (lit. "Barefoot Season"). Later in the same year, her third single "Kaze wa Aki-iro" (lit. "Wind Is Autumn Color") became the first of her 24 consecutive number one hits in Japan. She shattered the former Japanese record of nine consecutive number-ones by popular 1970s music duo Pink Lady. Her run of number-one records ended in 1989 when her 27th single "Precious Heart" ranked at number two, behind

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

's "Gravity of Love". Matsuda had another number-one single "Anata ni Aitakute ~Missing You~" (lit. "I want to meet you ~Missing you~") in 1996, which would become her last number-one single to date. It was certified a million-seller by

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. Matsuda held the record for the most number-one singles (25) and most consecutive number-one singles (24) on Japan's

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 i ...

charts for 12 years, from 1988 to 2000. Both were surpassed by

in late 2000. She held the record for the most number-one singles (25) by a female singer for 18 years, from 1988 till 2006, when

's " Startin'/Born to Be..." became her 26th single to top the charts. Matsuda's held the record for the most consecutive number-one singles (24) by a female singer and any soloist for 22 years, from 1988 to 2010. It was broken by Hamasaki's " L" in September/October 2010. Matsuda also held records for the most top-ten albums (50) and most number-one albums. Both records have since been broken by Hamasaki. Matsuda was the first artist to have a single and an album debut at No. 1 on the Oricon Chart in the same week. So far, this has only happened three times. In a May 2011, an Oricon survey crowned her the No. 1 everlasting idol of all time, beating Momoe Yamaguchi (2), Kyōko Koizumi (3),

Morning Musume , formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon, Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles ...

(4) and

(5). Her long staying power is mainly due to her continuous re-invention of herself. She was labeled a 'Mamadol' (idol who remains popular even after having children). Her hair styles, fashion sense and makeup have all been copied by millions of girls and women in Japan and in certain parts of Asia. Matsuda's voice and singing technique have won her two best performance awards from Nippon Record Awards, first in 1983 for ガラスの林檎 (lit. Glass Apple) and again in 1993 for 'きっと、また逢える・・・' (lit. Surely, will meet again). Matsuda began to write her songs by herself. She wrote lyrics for the first time when she produced her song "Chiisana Love Song" (lit. "Little Love Song") in 1983. This was followed by her first composed song "Canary". All lyrics of her 2007 album ''Baby's Breath'' were written by herself. It became her first completely self-produced album. Matsuda attempted to break into the North American market with an English-language, self-titled album in 1990. She managed to score a hit – " The Right Combination", a duet with boy band

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

singer Donnie Wahlberg. The album sales were mediocre, and her follow-up ''Was it the Future'' failed to generate significant sales. In 2002, however, Matsuda's English dance hits "All to You" and "Just for Tonight" managed to reached the Billboard dance chart at No. 8 and No. 2, respectively. In July 2006, Matsuda's compilation album ''Seiko Matsuda'', which consisted of 74 CDs, debuted at number 96, becoming the highest-priced album in the Oricon history at the price of 100,000 yen (about 850 dollars).

Hibari Misora was a Japanese singer, actress and cultural icon. She received a Medal of Honor for her contributions to music and for improving the welfare of the public, and was the first woman to receive the People's Honour Award, which was conferred posthu ...

, a well-known enka singer from the 1950s held the previous record with her 1989 album ''Kyō no Ware ni Asu wa Katsu'' (60,000 yen). Although some up-and-coming female singers like

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

and Hamasaki became successful after the end of the 1980s, most "typical" pop idols from Matsuda's era disappeared as the golden age of idols began to fade away, except Matsuda, who was still going strong, releasing single after single. She has been a secret idol for subsequent female celebrities such as

Shoko Nakagawa is a Japanese media personality, actress, voice actress, illustrator, and singer. Also known by her nickname , she is best known as the presenter of '' Pokémon Sunday'', and as the performer of the opening theme from the anime '' Gurren Lagann ...

who called Matsuda "God" and "My Universe". Japanese voice actress

Nana Mizuki is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator from Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name, Nana Kondō, in 1993 and made her debut as a voi ...

released her

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of Matsuda's "Akai Sweet Pea" (lit. "Red Sweet Pea") as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of an image song single under the character name

Moka Akashiya is a fictional title character from the Japanese manga and anime series ''Rosario + Vampire''. She serves as one of the love interests to Tsukune Aono, who is the only human enrolled in a school of monsters. She has a rosary that gives her a spl ...

of the anime ''

Rosario + Vampire is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. The story revolves around Tsukune Aono, a boy who inadvertently enrolls in a boarding school for monsters. He quickly befriends Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon develop ...

'' on 14 February 2008. There are endless cover version of Matsuda songs and tribute albums being released every year. Among those 'Diamond Eyes', 'Missing You' and 'Akai Sweet Pea' (lit. Red Sweet Pea) and Sweet Memories have been reinterpreted by other artists countless times, including a cover performance by Akina Nakamori. On 5 August 2009, Sony re-released 16 of Matsuda's early albums under the Blu-spec CD format. Thirteen of these entered the Oricon Top 100 Album Chart at the same time, surpassing the record set by Hibari Misora (12 albums) and making her the first female artist to do so. Matsuda is also on the Top 3 list of Most No.1 albums, Most Top 10 singles and Most Top 10 albums for a solo artist. HMV Japan ranked her No. 10 Top Japanese Artist of All Time, and No. 7 Top Singer of All Time. Matsuda still holds annual concerts, Christmas dinner shows and New Year's Eve Countdown shows. Despite the high ticket prices (her dinner show tickets are the most expensive among female artists) for many years and to this day, she always performs to a sold-out crowd. Matsuda is also listed as second only behind Eikichi Yazawa as an artist to have performed many concerts at the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. Matsuda made a guest appearance on one of Fox Broadcasting Company's popular TV dramas "Bones" in 2010. In 2011, she was invited to perform in American music producer Quincy Jones's concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. She also performed as a guest vocalist on the album "Esprit De Four" by the contemporary Jazz super-group Fourplay, released worldwide on 18 September 2012 In 2015, Matsuda won the Japanese equivalent of a Grammy Award when she received Best Vocal Performance at the

Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST ...

, the most prestigious award in the Japan music industry. In 2020, she became one of five recipients of the Special Achievement Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards.

Personal life

In 1983, Matsuda was romantically linked with singer Hiromi Go. Although there were rumours of an impending engagement, Go's traditional values would have required Matsuda to give up her singing career and focus on raising a family instead. Momoe Yamaguchi, Japan's top female idol of the 1970s, had followed such a course, but Seiko ended her relationship with Go instead. Her break from tradition set a precedent for Japanese women in the 1980s and 1990s to continue their careers even after marriage. Matsuda has been married three times. She married actor

Masaki Kanda is a Japanese actor. He is well known for his role as Doc (Akira Saijō in ''Taiyō ni Hoero!''). His ex-wife is singer Seiko Matsuda and their daughter was actress Sayaka Kanda. Biography Kanda was born on December 21, 1950 in Tokyo. He ...

in 1985 and they divorced in 1997. Their only child and daughter, Sayaka Kanda (1986–2021), was also a singer. Her second husband, Hiroyuki Hatano, was a dentist to whom she remarried in 1998 and divorced in 2000. On 13 June 2012, she announced her third marriage to university associate professor, Hiromasa Kawana, on her official website. In addition to music, Matsuda's career include appearances in film, radio, and television. Along with other books about Matsuda and several books of her photos including ''Five Seasons, No Comments, Akai Sweet Pea'', have been published. Matsuda has appeared in numerous commercials, such as numerous

Ezaki Glico , commonly known as just Glico, is a Japanese multinational food processing company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. It does business across 30 countries, in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Overview Ezaki Glico's primar ...

products,

Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated aut ...

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, Diosa Hair Color,

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. I ...

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

, NTT DoCoMo, Astalift, Kanebo, Doctor Drive, Takano Yuri,

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...

, and

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world ...

. In 2015, Matsuda caused a stir in the Japanese entertainment industry when she modelled for lingerie company, Triumph International. On December 18, 2021, Matsuda's daughter, Sayaka Kanda, was found unconscious in the outer garden on the fourteenth floor of a hotel in Chūō ward,

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The cause of death was determined to be traumatic shock, with the Hokkaido Prefectural Police suspecting that Kanda committed

suicide by jumping Jumping from a dangerous location, such as from a high window, balcony, or roof, or from a cliff, dam, or bridge, is an often used suicide method in some countries. Many countries have noted suicide bridges such as the Nanjing Yangtze River B ...

from an upper floor of the hotel.

Discography

* ''Squall'' (1980) * ''North Wind'' (1980) * ''Silhouette'' (1981) * ''Kazetachinu'' (1981) * ''Pineapple'' (1982) * ''Candy'' (1982) * ''Utopia'' (1983) * ''Canary'' (1983) * ''Tinker Bell'' (1984) * ''Windy Shadow'' (1984) * ''The 9th Wave'' (1985) * ''Sound of My Heart'' (1985) * ''Supreme'' (1986) * ''Strawberry Time (1987)'' * ''Citron'' (1988) * ''Precious Moment'' (1989) * ''

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

'' (1990) * ''We Are Love'' (1990) * ''Eternal'' (1991) * '' 1992 Nouvelle Vague'' (1992) * ''Sweet Memories '93'' (1992) * '' Diamond Expression'' (1993) * ''A Time for Love'' (1993) * ''

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

'' (1994) * '' It's Style '95'' (1995) * '' Was It The Future'' (1996) * ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' (1996) * ''My Story'' (1997) * ''Forever'' (1998) * ''Eien no Shoujo'' (1999) * ''20th Party'' (2000) * ''Love & Emotion Vol.1'' (2001) * ''Love & Emotion Vol.2'' (2001) * ''

Area62 , known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, wi ...

'' (2002) * ''Sunshine'' (2004) * ''Fairy'' (2005) * ''I'll Fall in Love'' (2005) * ''Under the beautiful stars'' (2005) * ''Bless You'' (2006) * ''Baby's Breath'' (2007) * ''My Pure Melody'' (2008) * ''My Prelude'' (2010) * '' Cherish'' (2011) * ''Very Very'' (2012) * ''A Girl in the Wonder Land'' (2013) * ''Dream & Fantasy'' (2014) * ''Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'' (2015) * ''Shining Star'' (2016) * ''Seiko Jazz'' (2017) * ''Daisy'' (2017) * ''Merry-go-round'' (2018) * ''Seiko Jazz 2'' (2019) * ''Seiko Matsuda 2020'' (2020) * ''Seiko Matsuda 2021'' (2021)

Filmography

Films

* ''Nogiku no Haka'' (1981) (Tamiko) * ''Purumeria no Densetsu Tengoku no Kiss'' (1983) * ''Natsufuku no Eve'' (1984) * ''Karibu Ai no Symphony'' (1985) * ''Penguin's Memory: Shiawase Monogatari'' (1985) (Voice) * ''Docchimo Docchi'' (1990) * ''Final Vendetta'' (1996) * ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'' (1998) (Cameo) * '' Drop Dead Gorgeous'' (1999) * ''GEDO The Final Blade'' (2000) * '' Sennen no Koi Story of Genji'' (2001) * '' Shanghai Baby'' (2007) * '' Grave of the Fireflies'' (2008) * '' Yazima Beauty Salon The Movie'' (2010) * '' Ramen Teh'' (2018)

TV

* '' The Big Easy'' (1997) as Yuki (Episodes "Shrimp Stew" and "The Black Bag") * ''Partners'' (2000) as Lin * ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...

'' (2002) – Season 6, Episodes 21 & 22 (

Rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press ...

playing girl, and her song "Kimono Beat" is used.) * ''Tatta Hitotsuno Takaramono'' (2004) * ''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ''tankōbon'' volumes and ...

'' (2007) - Appearance cameo in Season 2, Episode 190 "We're Gonna Steal Mom's Diamond" * ''

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e , also known by the abbreviation IkePara, is a teen romantic-comedy Japanese television drama planned by Hiroyuki Gotō for Fuji TV and Kyodo TV, based on the ''shōjo'' comic series of the same title by Hisaya Nakajo. Filming locations inc ...

'' (2007) * '' Bones'' (2010) – Season 5, Episode 15 (Riku Iwanaga) * ''

Taira no kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

'' (2012), Gion no nyōgo

References

External links

Official website
* *
Sony Music public site

Universal Music public site

HMV Japan – Top 100 Japanese pop artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuda, Seiko 1962 births 21st-century Japanese actresses 20th-century Japanese actresses Japanese dance music singers Japanese electronic musicians Japanese women pop singers Japanese women singer-songwriters Japanese idols Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Japanese television personalities Living people 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers People from Kurume People of Shōwa-period Japan Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Universal Music Japan artists Musicians from Fukuoka Prefecture Japanese women in electronic music English-language singers from Japan