Asami Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林麻美; born 29 November 1953), which is the stage name for Toshiko Tanabe (Japanese: 田邉 稔子), is a Japanese singer, actress and model.

Asami Kobayashi
小林麻美
Born29 November 1953 (1953-11-29) (age 70)
Other namesToshiko Tanabe

Life and career

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Born in Kōriyama, Kobayashi started her career as an idol while still at high school;[1] she made her record debut in 1972 with "Hatsukoi no merodī" (初恋のメロディー; "Melody of First Love"),[1][2] which reached the 18th position on the Oricon Singles Chart.[3] She eventually had her breakout in the late 1970s as a model and an actress for commercials of major brands such as Shiseido and Parco.[2][4]

Kobayashi's major hit was the 1984 song "Amaoto wa Chopin no Shirabe" (雨音はショパンの調べ; "The Sound of Rain is Chopin's Music"), a cover of Gazebo's "I Like Chopin" with Japanese lyrics by Yumi Matsutoya;[2][4] the song peaked at the top of the Oricon Singles Chart for three weeks.[5] She also worked as an actress in TV dramas and films.[1][3] In 1991, she married and retired from show business to focus on her family.[4]

Kobayashi made her official comeback in 2016, posing on the cover of the magazine Kunel.[2][4] In 2020, she was the subject of a biography, Kobayashi Asami ― dai ni-maku (小林麻美―第二幕; "Kobayashi Mami ― The Second Act"), written by Hiroshi Nobue.[2][4]

Discography

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Singles

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# Title Release Date
1 Hatsukoi no Melody (初恋のメロディー, Melody of First Love)
Debut single
1972-08-05
2 Rakuyō no Melody (落葉のメロディー, Melody of Falling Leaves) 1972-12-20
3 Koi no Lesson (恋のレッスン, Love Lesson) 1973-04-20
4 Aru Jijō (ある事情 , Certain Circumstances) 1974-10-05
5 Apartment no Kagi (アパートの鍵, The Apartment Key) 1975-02-20
6 Watashi no Kanashimi (私のかなしみ , My Sadness) 1975-07-05
7 Yume no Atosaki (夢のあとさき, After the Dream) 1976-02-20
8 Amaoto wa Chopin no Shirabe (雨音はショパンの調べ, The Sound of Rain is Chopin's Music)
Biggest hit
1984-04-21
9 Kanashimi no Spy (哀しみのスパイ, Spy of Sadness)
1984-11-21
10 Chiffon no Sasayaki (シフォンの囁き, Chiffon Whispers) 1985-05-22
11 Utsuri Yuku Kokoro (移りゆく心, A Changing Heart) 1987-03-05
12 I Miss You (アイ・ミス・ユー) 1987-06-21

References

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  1. ^ a b c Okamura, Yasuyuki (31 July 2020). "「産もうと。結婚なんてしなくてもいいからって」時代のミューズ・小林麻美が37歳で親友ユーミンにも芸能界にも別れを告げた理由". Shūkan Bunshun. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hayashi, Mariko (29 March 2020). "「母親の日常しかやってなかった」小林麻美が電撃引退後の生活を林真理子に語る〈週刊朝日〉". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "休養を振り返った21歳の小林麻美「人間は何か仕事をしてなくちゃいけない」". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 14 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e "「雨音はショパンの調べ」小林麻美、25年ぶり復活 雑誌の表紙飾る". Huffington Post (in Japanese). 19 July 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2008-10-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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