"Uta Con"（うたコン）for this week focused on the theme songs for the past number of NHK morning serial dramas including the currently running "Tora ni Tsubasa"（虎に翼...The Tiger and Her Wings） which will be wrapping up in a couple of weeks. I still remember the preceding asadora which was the jazz-and-kayo-kyoku-filled "Boogie Woogie"（ブギウギ）with actress/singer Shuri（趣里）even singing with Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）and Yu Sakai（さかいゆう）on the theme song, "Happy Boogie"（ハッピー☆ブギ）.
It's not everyday that the star of an NHK morning serial also ends up singing the theme song but Shuri's performance wasn't an unprecedented event. As I was to find out on "Uta Con" today, the honour of being the first asadora star to sing the theme song of her own show goes to actress/singer Risa Junna（純名里沙）who appeared to sing "Piano", the titular song of her series which came out in 1994.
As it turns out, Junna has plenty of experience behind the microphone and on the stage since she had been a top star at the famous Takarazuka Revue. The troupe even encouraged her to take on the NHK role of Piano Sakurai while taking a break from performing on the stage. Not surprisingly, her vocals are wonderfully sweet with JOE'S PROJECT, aka master composer and arranger Joe Hisaishi（久石譲）, and lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）. A single was released in August 1994 which peaked at No. 48.
After retiring from Takarazuka in 1996, Junna has remained active through television, movies, stage and commercials.
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