Gonna finish off this broadcasting day with something appropriately summery. I only found this song simply through the usual browsings of YouTube and it's a winner to me.
Marina Saito（斉藤まりな）is a Tokyo-born singer and TV personality who, according to her J-Wiki profile, has had great admiration for Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）and constantly sang her songs. While attending Gakushuin University in the capital, she also participated as a pinup model through the "Miss Flash 2011" DVD series. However on graduating in 2014, Universal Music Japan took notice of her voice and signed her up for a major debut with a mini-album "Hajimaru Futari"（はじまるふたり...A Beginning Couple） in August.
"Hajimaru Futari" is her only music release thus far and it has only 4 tracks, one of which is "crazy for you", a spritely and sunny number that has some merits with those horns and Saito's talented vocals. The song was written and composed by Shinya Tada（多田慎也）, who has provided his works for a number of Johnny's Entertainment bands and the various female aidoru groups under Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）such as AKB48. In her biography at Universal Music Japan, she's been described as the next generation of pop singer involved in the current form of City Pop that has the feeling of nostalgia and newness. When I listen to "crazy for you", there is that feeling of Hitomitoi（一十三十一）, come to think of it.
It's just a pity that it's just been the one mini-album so far, and apparently she took a leave of absence in 2016 after moving from UMJ but resumed her career a year later.
What can I say? J, you've done it again. Another stellar find, a genuine city-pop throwback that flew under the radar in Japan because ...I don't know, actually. Marina has a pleasant singing voice and Shinya Tada's songwriting sparkles like a bright summer afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that she may decide to produce albums or singles again but I'm just glad that she's performing as it is. She's got a good voice.
DeleteYes, she does, and it would be a shame to waste that talent. They need to get some top songwriters on the job and hit the studio to put together an album.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that she doesn't have more songs. I had discovered her on soundcloud a few years back and tried to find more of her stuff but just couldn't find any. :(
ReplyDeleteHello, Michael and Kevin. Yes, it would be nice if Marina decided to return to recording. She does sound as if she has the chops for singing. But at this point, it's just the one mini-album.
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