Junko Ohtsuka -- Hoshi Furu Yoru ni（星降る夜に）

Another "new" singer that I've come across for the first time, allow me to introduce you to singer-songwriter Junko Ohtsuka（大塚純子）.

Raised in Oita Prefecture, Ohtsuka made her debut in 1988 with her single "Risky" and has worked under three recording companies: Alfa Moon, Sony Records and Fun House.

Under the Sony label, she released her debut album in July 1990, "Hurts", although the cover with her and that adorable pooch displays quite the opposite feeling. The track du article here is "Hoshi Furu Yoru ni" (On the Night of the Falling Stars) which was written by Shintaro Hirai （平井森太郎）and composed by Chika Ueda（上田知華）. Ohtsuka has a distinct voice which I can't really associate with anyone else's, but from some of the other songs by her that I've heard, she seems to have kept things to the pop world although I think that she was capable of rock music.

"Hoshi Furu Yoru ni" strikes me as being an intimate ballad with a fair amount of majesty, ideal for the evening indicated here as the clear night sky displays its stationary and shooting stars. Hirai's lyrics seem to relate a young woman thinking about the jump into adulthood and perhaps not feeling all that joined with society at the moment. Perhaps she's looking up at the heavens for solace.

To date, Ohtsuka released 11 singles up to 1996 and 3 albums including the aforementioned "Hurts". More to explore in her discography, and another Junko to add to the Labels.👍