Holding out for a Voice of Power: In Praise of Miki Asakura

The figure of Miki Asakura (麻倉未稀) is obviously no stranger to Kayo Kyoku Plus, as J-Canuck already covered some of her musical endeavours during the past few years. While listening to my favourite album of hers, By Myself, I thought to myself, “Gosh, I miss Miki Asakura!” This outburst of inappropriate nostalgia in a guy who did not even live at the heyday of Miki’s popularity resulted in me revisiting the singer’s live performances on YouTube as well as getting my hands on her 35th anniversary album Voice of Power.

My first introduction to Miki Asakura was somewhere around 2018, when somebody posted on City Pop Facebook group Miki’s cover of Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean". Evidently, Miki is not “the King of Pop,” but I fell in love with her crystal clear voice. This discovery led me to, arguably, the singer’s most famous hit ever, “Hero,” which is basically a cover of Bonnie Tyler’s ever-popular "Holding Out for a Hero" song. Asakura’s version was used for the 1985 TBS series School Wars, but I have to say that I prefer it over Bonnie’s original. Miki makes the song much more epic due to her powerful vocals. In addition, she clearly relishes performing Hero. All the evidence is included in the following recording:

I only wish that Miki had gone into the rock genre and churned out albums as epic as her “trademark” song. She is a perfect choice to perform upbeat pieces done by the likes of Saori Satoh and Akira Sudou. Nevertheless, Miki’s albums usually oscillate at the threshold between City Pop and light mellow vibes. This is not a bad thing at all; perhaps, she prefers to stay within such a convention, but I am positive she can do so much more than that.

The Voice of Power album, released in 2016, contains 12 tracks, out of which I believe 3 are original songs. This compilation is basically a showcase of Miki’s talent. From moody City Pop through covers to remixes. We can listen to her versions of Frank Sinatras’ "I Love You Baby", ABBA’s "Dancing Queen", Earth, Wind & Fire’s "Boogie Wonderland", and Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". All of the covers are a pleasure to listen, but "Dancing Queen" is arguably the most unexpected inclusion on the disc. Needless to say, Miki handles the difficult song like a pro. While listening to it, I could easily picture her doing Meryl Streep’s grooves from the Mamma Mia! (2008) movie. Come to think of it, I would like to see Miki Asakura instead of Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!

This is not the end of surprises this album has to offer. Namely, we also get a Eurobeat(!) remix of "Hero" song. As soon as I heard it, I vividly pictured in my mind Hachiroku racing down the Akina pass. Upon second listen through, I played Carx Drift Racing just to relive the excitement of Initial D. Miki totally nails this remix.

Last but not least, there is also the original version of Hero from 1985 and an instrumental track if you would like to have a go at it during karaoke night. What is more, you can also listen to a remixed version of Miki’s "Tasogare Dancing" song (it really gives off synthwave vibes). Here's the original 1984 version:

All things considered, grab Voice of Power if you can because it is ridiculous fun. This was my brief, rambling retrospective on the wonderful Miki Asakura. This 80s singer indeed has a “voice of power” and  a “heart of gold.“ Even after successfully battling cancer, she keeps on rocking to this very day. Stay awesome Miki, and I hope that you will release more albums in the future.

Sources: JapaneseWiki, Amazon, MikiAsakuraOfficial; Photos: 1, 2.