Sachiko Kumagai -- Mirai wa Kimi no Mono（未来はきみのもの）

I've categorized the early 1970s to be the time of Japanese folk and the beginning of that decade's aidoru boom and the early 1980s to be the period of YMO/techno kayo, the frilly-dressed aidoru and City Pop. When it comes to the early 1990s, I think about how popular Japanese music went from kayo kyoku to J-Pop with one aspect being the rising/sustained fame of several pop-oriented female singers and/or songwriters ranging from the mellow Miki Imai（今井美樹）to the perky Mariko Nagai（永井真理子）.

There was also the use of synthesizers back in those days which have struck a nostalgic chord (no pun intended) with me. And so I discovered this singer-songwriter by the name of Sachiko Kumagai（熊谷幸子）. Actually, the name does sound familiar but I wasn't able to glean any memory of her songs. However, this one here, her 2nd single, "Mirai wa Kimi no Mono" (The Future is Yours), is sticking with me just fine.

Released in August 1992, those synths playing what sounds like Bacharach rather said 1990s, and yep, it's one happy-go-lucky song on a rush. I was a bit surprised that it didn't seem to make any sort of impact when it was first released but then again, perhaps there were too many singers who were coming out with a similar sound back then. In any case, I enjoy Kumagai's chipper vocals, the cheerful melody and the electric guitar in there.

As for the singer herself, Kumagai was born in East London, South Africa but was raised in Yokohama. Her days of music began when she was just 3 years old when she took up learning classical piano. As well, she gained an interest in the shamisen and listened to Latin music. In high school, she began songwriting after being inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）. Her big hit as a singer-songwriter came in 1994 when she created and sang "Kaze to Kumo to Watashi"（風と雲と私...The Wind, The Clouds and Me） as the theme song for a Fuji-TV drama. I will probably take a look at that one later on.