Hiromi Iwasaki -- Romance （ロマンス）

1975 was an auspicious year for the 16-year-old Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）. Launching her long career with "Duet" in April, which managed to attain No. 19 on the Oricon charts after 22 weeks, her second single, released a mere 3 months later in July, went much higher much faster. "Romance" is a classic kayo kyoku aidoru song with its orchestral backing and chorus, but what made it special was Iwasaki's voice which already had hints of that richness which would blossom when she progressed into more adult pop songs.

Iwasaki's first two singles were created by lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠） and composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）. Both of them have made history by being the most commercially successful in their areas of expertise. "Duet" may have been promising but it was "Romance" that transformed Iwasaki into a star. After its July release, it reached No. 1 on September 1, 1975 and stayed at that position for 2 weeks. It became the No. 6 song of the year and earned Iwasaki a Japan Record Award for Best Newcomer and a spot on the 1975 Kohaku Utagassen, a show on which she became a regular participant into the mid-80s. Both "Duet" and "Romance" were tracks on her first album, "Aozora"（あおぞら）, released in September. That album managed to peak at No. 4.