Seiko Sato -- Hoshi no Inai Shuumatsu（星のいない週末）

 

(cover version by Miku Hatsune)

Never heard of singer-songwriter Seiko Sato（佐藤聖子）before but she had her time behind the microphone between 1992 and 1998, and the Saitama Prefecture native was also appearing as a tarento on television. During those 1990s, she released thirteen singles and six albums of which her debut album was "Bright Lights" from February 1992.

"Hoshi no Inai Shuumatsu" (Starless Weekend) is the track that launches "Bright Lights". Written by Yui Nishiwaki（西脇唯）and composed by Sato, it's a song that straddles the line between bouncy girl pop and 90s City Pop. I'm not sure that they needed those hints of New Jack Swing, though. But I do like Sato's voice which reminds me of Reimy（麗美）and Cindy. The lyrics tell of a young woman heading home from the supermarket and looking up at the night sky, but instead of pining for love, she sees bright hope up there despite the lack of astral bodies. 

Once Sato retired from singing, she went full-time into practicing her flamenco dancing, a hobby that she had started back in elementary school. In fact, she established her own flamenco school, according to her J-Wiki profile.