I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
I found out maybe a year or so ago that singer-songwriter UA and her family had moved to some remote area in Canada for good quite a while back. Maybe things are a good deal cooler there than they are in Toronto which is feeling like 40 degrees Celsius on the Humidex today. Looks like I'm getting some of that ol' Tokyo feeling again.
Anyways, it was early in KKP's time that I posted UA's"Rhythm"（リズム）, her 5th single from September 1996 that was the very first purchase I ever made of her. I have no regrets at all since it has all sorts of old-school cool infused into the melody and arrangement. Well, thirteen years following that posting, I have the coupling song from "Rhythm", "Akai Anata" (Red You).
Written by the singer and composed/arranged by KING 3K and LITTLE MASTER FLASH, I'm not sure whether UA was referring to a blushing fellow or someone who's been literally painted red. However, her lyrics are filled with plenty of colour to make Benetton happy. Could be quite existential with purple eyelids, rainbow bridges and stars filled with tears. In any event, UA really wants to meet this guy no matter what.
The interesting thing is that UA's normally low and throaty voice has been pitched pretty high...almost to aidoru levels. That and the relaxed sing-songy hip-hop nature of "Akai Anata" make the song feel like an urban kids' tune. It hadn't been placed as a track on any of her albums...only making room on her September 2003 BEST album"Illuminate 〜the very best songs〜" which hit No. 4 on Oricon and ended up as the 66th-ranked album of the year.
I'm not sure if this is the gastronomic trend in Japan for 2025, but through a couple of Japanese programs including yesterday's final episode of "Asaichi"（あさイチ）before going on summer hiatus, I found out that the drink known as a tea soda may be getting lots of love around the country. Through the other variety show, the tea soda (which is what the name says) originated in one area of Japan and has remained a local favourite but suddenly it's making its way around the country.
Now, at first impression, the thought of mixing cold Earl Grey tea and soda water doesn't exactly thrill me but then again, I have to remind myself, I once had the same reluctance with Calpis soda since I thoroughly enjoyed the original Calpis syrup mixed with plain cold water. I'm OK with it now although I will still prefer the unfizzy version. But once the heat over there comes back down to something more humane, those who are heading to Japan on vacation might want to see if a café is serving the stuff. I'd be game to try it out.
Seeing tea soda last night did have me thinking about another Author's Picks, and this time, it's revolving around tunes that have something to do with the basic drinks of coffee, tea and milk. It took a bit of doing, but I was able to track down six. Wherever you are, enjoy a cup or glass!🥛
In all the years since the 1990s that I've known about smoky singer-songwriter UA, she's usually been about the cool and groovy with her music whether it's the kakkoii soul of "Rhythm"（リズム）or the club music of "Kazoetarianai Yoru no Ashioto"（数え足りない夜の足音）. I believe that there was also even some shoegaze or avant-pop in her discography. However, I also remember highlighting her in the article for the traditional classic "Haru ga Kita" （春がきた）that's included in every kid's textbook since she gave her own wonderful rendition.
I don't think any of us UA fans had any idea though that the Osakan singer would ever do as something as upbeat and sunny and pop as "Ai ni Ikou" (Let's Go See 'Em!). This was released as her first digital single a little less than a month ago, and this time, she didn't have any official say into the songwriting with Kenichi Nozaki（野崎賢一）who works for one of the largest advertising companies on the planet, Dentsu, and musician Taisei Iwasaki（岩崎太整）providing words and music.
As you can gather from Nozaki's name, the song was meant to be a new commercial tune for railway company JR Tokai and "Ai ni Ikou" has that same vibe that another jingle of theirs from twenty years previously has had, TOKIO's "AMBITIOUS JAPAN" (good golly, has it been that long?). The song and the campaign possess that hopeful and joyful ambiance of family and friends being able to get in touch in person once more after a few years of the pandemic. Apparently, the song has also been converted into the onboard chime on their Bullet Trains.
To be honest, when I first heard this yesterday, I couldn't quite believe that it was actually UA singing "Ai ni Ikou". It didn't strike me as being her type of song but her vocals were certainly there, albeit a little lighter-sounding. Regardless, I'll have to talk with my student tonight about this development since he's a veteran in the tourism industry.
As a freshman at University of Toronto in the mid-1980s, I was required to take the introductory course on East Asian History which I believe was given the code of EAS 100Y. We had a colourful bunch of professors to teach us throughout the year on the respective histories of Japan, China and Korea with one fellow being affectionately called Gatling because he often spoke like how a certain gun rattled off its rounds. Another professor who was in charge of the Japanese segment even showed us the famous 1966 Yukio Mishima（三島由紀夫）film "Yukoku"（憂國...Patriotism） in full, and a lot of us were going "Oh, man, we're watching this after lunch?!".
Well, I did get my education but frankly retaining it was another matter, and I recall being an absolute bust in the final exam; was never good at those. Still, I remember that there were a few lectures on the teachings of Confucius of which I recall the virtue of filial piety, something that I am trying to practice now although not strictly on Confucian lines.
On that point, I was watching "Uta Con"（うたコン）last night and Rimi Natsukawa（夏川りみ）was one of the guests. Her contribution to the show was the gentle and calming Okinawan song "Tinsagu nu Hana" (The Balsam Flowers) which according to Wikipedia relates Ryukyuan values including some of those Confucian virtues. However, during the host-and-guest banter, Natsukawa merely mentioned about the significance of the titular balsam flowers and how they've been used as healing balm for burns and the like. Their pigment also stains fingernails like nail polish and it's from there that the unknown lyricist likens that action to one's own heart being stained by the teachings of one's own parents.
From the J-Wiki article on "Tinsagu nu Hana", the song had first made its appearance on NHK's "Minna no Uta"（みんなのうた）children's music program in 1966 (though I couldn't find that first example on YouTube), years before Okinawa was handed back over to Japan. Since then, it made enough of an impact on listeners that a number of other artists, such as singer-songwriter UA, have covered the song over the decades. As for Natsukawa, she first recorded "Tinsagu no Hana" on a mini album of covers of Okinawan songs called "Minami Kaze"（南風...South Wind） in March 2002 which reached No. 37 on Oricon. Her cover was arranged by Chuei Yoshikawa（吉川忠英）.
Around this time in August, I wrote about this amazing collaboration among music producer Mondo Grosso, singer-songwriter UA, special guest Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and vocalist Hikari Mitsushima（満島ひかり）for the 2022 synthpop tune"In This World".
Well, much to my surprise and delight, those first two figures of Mondo Grosso and UA actually had worked together much earlier. Going back to 1997, they worked on music and words respectively to create Yoko Oginome's（荻野目洋子）36th single"Look Up To The Sky" which was released in March that year.
According to the J-Wiki article for the single, Oginome was able to listen to a CD by Mondo Grosso that she had received from photographer Itaru Hirama（平間至）who had accompanied the producer on a concert tour. The singer was duly impressed from what she heard and stated that she wanted to infuse that groove in any future music. I gather that it was only a matter of time before she and Grosso got together with UA to come up with "Look Up To The Sky".
I do love my groove as well so I do like "Look Up To The Sky". In a way, the song does hint at some of that Mondo Grosso goodness that was to come with stuff like bird's "Souls" and BoA's "Everything Needs Love". Plus, the previous year, UA herself had one of my very favourites thanks to her and Mondo Grosso with "Rhythm". The music video with Oginome going all sexy and tropical doesn't hurt either. "Look Up To The Sky" has got groove and perhaps some house with the singer going mellower in her vocals compared to her aidoru-era nasally delivery. Incidentally, the song also got into her 17th studio album"Chains" from December 1997.
Almost five years ago in 2017, I put up an article on the groovy "Labyrinth"（ラビリンス）, a collaboration between musician/producer extraordinaire Mondo Grosso, aka Shinichi Osawa（大沢伸一）, and actress/singer/dancer Hikari Mitsushima（満島ひかり）. I had been reminded through Mitsushima's tripping the light fantastic through Hong Kong that she was indeed that third descriptor because of her time as a kid in the song-and-dance group Folder decades ago.
Well, this year, Mondo Grosso and Mitsushima got back together again, and this time, they had a couple of more big names in Japanese music helping out. Not only was Osawa providing music and Mitsushima singing, but R&B chanteuse UA wrote the lyrics and Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）was on the piano for the March 2022 digital download single "In This World". A song hauntingly delivered by Mitsushima, "In This World" is a siren song set to beats as if an angel hit the dance floor and had to interpret the music (wouldn't that be an idea for an anime?). UA's lyrics seem to feel as if they were addressing the urge to get out of the shadows of self-isolation due to the pandemic and actually engage the five senses once again beyond the computer screen in a world that's worth experiencing and saving.
In an article on "In This World" for Anime News Network, there was a comment from Sakamoto stating that he hadn't been sure how he could actually contribute to such a song but Osawa's music was able to lead the way. For me, I'm glad that MG did ask The Professor to help out. It was a sign that I had wanted to hear for some time that Sakamoto was still able to work despite his cancer battles over the past few years.
The music video with Mitsushima literally dancing in air in a theatre is quite the tour-de-force performance, and it gave me a "What If?" thought. A couple of years, there was that NHK Kohaku Utagassen in which the annual New Year's Eve special had to be held without any spectators due to COVID regulations. It would have been quite the thing if "In This World" had been formulated and recorded earlier with Mitsushima appearing as part of the Red team to do this at NHK Hall. I'm not sure if that would be done now in the now-renovated facilities with full audience participation expected (unless the situation really worsens in Tokyo).
A couple of weeks following the release of the original single, an EP of "In This World" came out, and this particular track has Sakamoto performing "The Piano Mix" an orchestral instrumental.
For those who watched "Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness", there was that scene where Stephen and America do that tour of the multiverse which included one universe consisting of sentient paint beings. I would have enjoyed some more time in at least a few of those realities but I guess the reality is that even Marvel Studios has limits on its budget. However, I heard that Michelle Yeoh's"Everything Everywhere All at Once" may have one-upped the Doctor Strange sequel on that point.
In any case, getting back to the universe of Sherwin-Williams, I figure that if more time had been spent there in the movie, it's possible that we might have seen the above scene played out instead of having it appear as singer-songwriter UA's latest music video. It's quite the giddy and fluid experience featuring the singer and I'm glad that she's back on the blog.
"Ocha" (Tea) is one of the tracks on the Osakan singer's May 2022 EP, "Are U Romantic?". Written by her and composed by vocalist Takashi Nagazumi（永積崇）, aka Hanaregumi（ハナレグミ）, it's quite the groovy tune that has lyrics about as Dadaist as the video. The composer lends a hand in the backing vocals for this standout but also relaxing event (kinda like how tea affects one), especially with UA's vocals sounding familiar if slightly more whispery, too. She also lays down the rap at the end.
It may be a coincidence but having UA and Hanaregumi sing about the wonders of what is arguably the oldest mixed drink in existence seems like kismet. The reason that I say this is that my last article on UA back last December was on her "Milk Tea" in the late 1990s, while Hanaregumi is someone that I will always associate with his collaboration with Tomita Lab（冨田ラボ）, "Nemuri no Mori" (眠りの森) whose video has the two enjoying drinks in a café.
In the past decade since coming back to Toronto for good, I've only had my beloved milk tea just a smattering of times. But when I was living in Ichikawa and working in Tokyo and environs, the drink was definitely a much more frequent libation, especially in the torrid summers. Even when I took my most recent trip to Japan in late 2017, the very first dinner that I had in my hotel was, as you can see above, karaage bento with a carton of milk tea. Nope...far from healthy but I have no regrets.
Coincidentally, for the first time in a few years, I have an UA single called "Milk Tea" which was her 9th release in March 1998. From listening to her cool and eclectic music, seeing her fairly serious demeanor, and noting her relatively sparse appearances on television, I had (perhaps unfairly) pegged Ms. Kaori Shima（嶋香織）as one of the more unapproachable singers alongside other acts such as Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）and the early version of Koji Tamaki（玉置浩二）. Not that I ever had any opportunity to meet UA, but if the chance had presented itself, I probably would have been sweating bullets and handing out my autograph book at arm's length.
Now I remember watching this particular video for "Milk Tea" with UA in the red hoodie in the sparse household set while I guess her buddies are teasing the heck out of her during the song. Without all that makeup and seeing her actually getting all giddy and giggly on camera had me changing my mind about her so-called unapproachability. She was already in her mid-20s when "Milk Tea" came out, but she appeared more like an awkward and shy teenager in the video.
As for the song itself which was written by UA and composed by Hirofumi Asamoto（朝本浩文）, it's a laidback alt-pop number with the twangy guitar and the singer's measured and sultry vocals. There is another instrument mewling away like an impatient kitten. To be honest, it's not my favourite UA single since I actually go more for her R&B material like "Rhythm"（リズム）from earlier in her career. "Milk Tea" reached No. 21 on Oricon and is also on her 2nd album"Ametora"（アメトラ）from April 1998. That peaked at No. 2 and became the 57th-ranked album of the year, going Platinum with a little over 400,000 copies sold.
Singer-songwriter Motohiro Hata（秦基博）provided a pensive and unplugged cover of "Milk Tea" as the coupling song for his September 2007 3rd single"Aoi Chou"（青い蝶...Blue Butterfly）. That single peaked at No. 22.
Long time, no see UA! I gather that it's been about 3 years since I put up a song by her, so time to rectify that absence.
Somewhere deep in my collection of DVDs, there is one which contains a lot of her music videos in the 1990s and early 2000s, so I remember catching her very first one for her debut single "Horizon" released in June 1995.
I was a bit surprised that "Horizon" didn't register in the Oricon charts at all after its release although admittedly in comparison, UA wasn't quite as polished here as she would be in later singles. However, her vocals and the melody by Hiroshi Fujiwara (藤原ヒロシ) showed a lot of promise in terms of the indie-ish pop/funk that I'm hearing here (UA provided the lyrics). It would be another few years before I finally bought her first full album "11" after seeing her otherworldly beauty on a number of other discs often on the shelves at Tower Records.
"Horizon" was also a track on her first mini-album"Petit" which came out in October 1995.
One of us will probably devote an article on the new NHK kayo/J-Pop show "Utakon"（うたコン）sometime in the near future. I've just seen the second episode of the show which replaced the long-running "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）this month, and the new kid on the block has definitely been shifting things to include some more of the J-Pop. I've got no problems with the new format per se although a couple of slip-ups did pop up in last night's sophomore outing such as Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）missing out on one line in his first song and Toko Furuuchi（古内東子）giving a surprisingly subpar performance of her arguably most famous song "Dare Yori Suki Nanoni"（誰より好きなのに）. I continued to be surprised about who showed up and Toko, who I had never seen appear on a TV show, was one of the biggies but then was given another (unfortunate) surprise when she sounded off-tune during her performance. Generally speaking, I think "Utakon" is still going through some growing pains but I'm hopeful that things will become a well-oiled machine bringing the generations together every Tuesday.
One of the highlights from last night's show was "Hoshikage no Komichi" which translates into the romantic Starlight Lane. I remember it primarily for the words of "I love you, I love you..." which I had originally thought was just part of an elaborate commercial jingle for one of those Kirin drinks. But when I heard Risa Junna（純名里沙）perform it on the NHK stage, those famous words juggled those old memory engrams and it was then that I found out about how long ago "Hoshikage no Komichi" had been created.
Written by Ryo Yano（矢野亮）and composed by Ichiro Tone（利根一郎）for release in April 1950, the original version has that "Wah, wah, wah" ballad sound which I've associated with the sweet music sung by crooners back in the early half of the 20th century. In fact, according to the J-Wiki article on the song, composer Tone molded "Hoshikage no Komichi" to have Minoru Obata's（小畑実）distinct voice reflect more of a Bing Crosby delivery, although Der Bingle had that deeper baritone. And what I also found out was that during an age when the usage of English lyrics was rare in a kayo kyoku, Obata's crooning of "I love you" became quite the talk of the town after the single's release. The talk of the town translated into sales of 200,000 copies...a huge hit no matter the decade.
(karaoke version)
Over 40 years later in December 1992, Naomi Chiaki（ちあきなおみ）very briefly came out of her retirement from the music industry to record her version of "Hoshikage no Komichi". And speaking of Minoru Obata, Chiaki is another balladeer with a unique set of vocal cords. Those dulcet tones of hers approaching the more smooth jazz/Latin arrangement make for a nice little urban lullaby. However, Yano's lyrics deal about that cool nighttime stroll down a lane for a couple very much in love.
(Sorry but the video has been taken down)
"Hoshikage no Komichi" has become a kayo standard considering the number of other singers who have covered it such as UA (below) and Frank Nagai（フランク永井）. The above is Midori Karashima's（辛島美登里）version which was recorded onto her 2001 album"Eternal-One". At the same time, the song has become a favourite in advertisements. Not only has it been used for those Kirin products, but it was once used in 1985 to hawk instant coffee and in 1992 for Audi.
This was a song that has popped up on NHK's"Kayo Concert" a couple of times including the previous episode last night (so glad that it's back)...and no surprise; it just seems to be tailor-made to be performed on stage.
"Kaimono Boogie" (Grocery Shopping Boogie) is a rapid-fire report on the craziness of doing the daily shopping by kayo boogie queen Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シヅ子）. Written and composed by Ryoichi Hattori（服部良一）in June 1950 for some Nichigeki revue show (ah, no wonder it's great on stage), the song gained a great reputation so it got its own single release. I think Kasagi was definitely the big factor here as she sings out the role of a harried-but-tough-as-nails housewife hitting the fish market and fruits-and-vegetable shop while bantering about in the Osakan dialect non-stop...and if there's a group of people who can talk and shop at the same time, it's the Osakans. There was no Oricon at the time (and there wouldn't be for the better part of a couple of decades), but I can only wonder how it would have done on the charts since "Kaimono Boogie" managed to sell about 450,000 records.
As I've said before, nostalgia has had a huge hand in Japanese pop culture, and when something as snappy as "Kaimono Boogie" is created, it's pretty much rendered immortal. So unsurprisingly, the 1950 song has been covered by a number of artists including Osaka-born UA for her 2010 album"KABA". Here she is performing it on stage.
(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)
Glad to see you again, Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子）. She was actually on Tuesday night's "Kayo Concert", and this is her performing "Kaimono Boogie" on stage with all of the trappings of mid-Showa Era living. I'd say that it was a tribute to Kasagi when she performed it as part of the stage show, and Kobayashi plays it up to the hammy hilt. It would be nice if she could come back to the Kohaku Utagassen to act out something like this on the Shibuya stage and leave the planet-sized costumes to posterity.
One of my supermarkets in the neighbourhood: Y's Mart.
Good ol' Minami-Gyotoku was truly blessed with no less than
4 supermarkets and a good sprinkling of convenience stores.
I had collected enough of chanteuse UA's singles and one album that I decided to grab her 2003 DVD of her music clips titled "Illuminate - The Very Best Clips". Taking a look through the myriad videos, I definitely received the impression that the soulful Osaka singer liked the conceptual over the straight performance.
Case in point, there is the video for her 11th single from November 1998, "Kazoetarinai Yoru no Ashioto" (The Countless Sounds of Footsteps in the Night). Written and composed by UA, the video was certainly one to remember as the singer was dressed up in black as some sort of mysterious modern-night sprite quietly haunting the streets and expressways. Another reason that I remembered the video was that the song didn't fit into the Neo-Soul and Pop balladry that I had previously known her for. Instead, it was about as close to club music that I ever heard her sing, and I wonder if later cool singers such as bird and Yoshie Nakano of Ego-Wrappin' covered this one.
"Kazoetarinai Yoru no Ashioto" addresses the nuttiness of life through the meaningless words being bandied about and the tide of humanity that one has to often swim against. In the video, UA just seems to have isolated herself in her own very tiny timestream as she dances and walks the night away while the rest of the world literally speeds by (the video probably has some stylistic tribute to Madonna's "Ray of Light") and even looking at one irate driver who almost ran her down with nothing more than slight irritation. However, as soon as the first rays of sunrise peek through the horizon, the black pullover disappears and the formerly dark wraith fades off. Feel free to make your own philosophical insights.
The single went as high as No. 29 on Oricon and ended the year as the 272nd-ranked single of 1999. It was also a track on UA's 3rd album, "Turbo", which came out in October 1999. It did much better than the single by peaking at No. 6 and finishing at No. 135.
One of the things I've admired about chanteuse UA is that she never seemed to be satisfied with keeping to a certain genre or a set of instruments. She has done some cool groove R&B and then some indie-ish pop balladry with "Kumo ga Chigireru Toki"（雲がちぎれる時）. Then, just a few months after that song was released, UA came up with her 7th single in February 1997, "Amai Unmei" (Sweet Destiny).
Far from the then-de rigueur Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉） technopop, the UA-&-Hirofumi Asamoto（朝本浩文）-created song includes a slide guitar that doesn't make the song sound particularly country-&-western but it does add a certain whimsical flavour that makes it stand out. I remember the song well due to the austere video of the close-up of the singer recording away in front of the microphone.
"Amai Unmei" peaked at No. 10 on the charts and finished the year as the 94th-ranked song. It turned out to be her most successful single.
"Kumo ga Chigireru Toki" (Til The Clouds Break) is a straight pop ballad of hope by UA. Released in November 1996, I was struck by the black-and-white video of just her face as she squeezed the emotions out of it. Her voice had that power but it still contained that soft edge while she sang about hoping for the sun to break through the gloom. Methinks her vocals alone could have done that.
Written by UA and composed by Hirofumi Asamoto（朝本浩文）,"Kumo" sounds somewhat indie-ish without the R&B of some of her other songs at that time such as "Rhythm". I think it's one of those songs that would quieten the karaoke lounge in deference to any who sang it well. Her 6th single only rose as high as No. 73 on the Oricon weeklies, though, but was a part of her debut album, "11", which peaked at No. 3.
As I mentioned in my first posting on UA, "Rhythm"was the first of her singles that I'd bought years ago. But I soon also came across her 4th single, "Jounetsu"(Passion), which was her breakthrough hit from June 1996. Where "Rhythm" was mellow and groovy, "Jounetsu"was cool and funky. I just love the original single version with her husky vocals and the backing horn section (like the album version from "11" less so), and also the official video which seems to emulate some experimental filming from the 60s. The song was written by UA and composed by Hirofumi Asamoto （朝本浩文）.
This YouTube video is of her 15th anniversary concert in Tokyo in 2010. "Jounetsu" was her first Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 18 and and spending a total of nearly 6 months on the Oricon charts. Eventually, the single would sell a little over 230,000 copies. With this song and "Rhythm" coming out in 1996, I think UA really stood out as one of the first female Japanese singers to bring over contemporary R&B.
Along with City Pop singer-turned-Techno artiste, Miharu Koshi（越美晴）, UA's face was long a visage that I'd seen and been intrigued by every time I hit a Tower Records or an HMV. With those huge eyes and Jolie-class lips on a face that was often decked out in various types of makeup, I had wondered what kind of singer she was. But it wasn't until I heard this song that I finally pulled the trigger and picked up the single.
Born Kaori Shima（嶋香織） in Metropolitan Osaka's Suita City, she had a job singing in some sort of nightclub when she was scouted by producer Hiroshi Fujiwara（藤原ヒロシ） (also known as the father of Harajuku culture, according to Wikipedia). In June 1995, she debuted with "Horizon", taking on the stage name of UA, which means "flower" or "kill" in Swahili.
UAhit it big with her 4th single, "Jounetsu"（情熱...Passion), exactly a year later, but my first listen to her was with her next release, "Rhythm" in September 1996. Written by UA and composed by Shinichi Osawa（大沢伸一） (aka Mondo Grosso and the producer who helped launch Bird's career a few years later), I really enjoy its mellow R&B groove....it has that old-school and new-school feel at the same time. And UA's voice has that huskiness which reminds me of a cool muted trumpet. The official music video above (which I hope stays for a while at least) has the then-24-year-old as a bit of a bumbling garage mechanic struggling to get by in an American city, and the ending kinda reflects UA's dry sardonic sense of humour. I've seen her appear on "Hey Hey Hey Music Champ" with the Downtown boys, and she was able to render the guys (momentarily) speechless when she nonchalantly told them in front of a full audience that she had been knocking boots with her then-husband just before coming to the studio. Indeed.
As for "Rhythm", her 5th single peaked at No. 20 on the Oricon charts.
