Shizuka Kudo

Shizuka Kudo
工藤 静香
Birth name 工藤 静香 (Kudō Shizuka)
Born (1970-04-14) 14 April 1970
Origin Hamura, Tokyo, Japan
Genres Pop
Occupation(s) Singer, Actress
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1986–present
Labels Pony Canyon
Associated acts Onyanko Club, SMAP

Shizuka Kudo (工藤 静香, Kudō Shizuka, born 14 April 1970) is a Japanese singer pop idol and actress born in Hamura, Tokyo. She debuted as member no. 38 of the Onyanko Club in May 1986 and went on to a successful solo career with 11 no. 1 hits.[1]

Biography

Kudo began her career aged 14 in the three-piece pop unit Seventeen Club, formed from a 1984 Miss Seventeen Contest organized by the Japanese magazine Seventeen. They released two singles in 1985 on Sony Records and Kudo later said she joined "just to have fun".[1]

Onyanko Club debuted on the first of April 1985 on their own Fuji TV variety show Yūyake Nyan Nyan[2] with eleven high school girls selected from participants in the Fuji TV All Night High School Girl Special (オールナイトフジ女子高生スペシャル) aired in February that year. Kudo auditioned for the group after completing high school in May 1986, becoming member no. 38.

The group gave a new approach to the idol formula with 52 official members and three unofficial members, with several, including Shizuka Kudo, forming sub-groups, such as Ushirogami Hikaretai.[2] Ushirogami Hikaretai, which teamed Kudo with Akiko Ikuina and Makiko Saito, released five singles and two albums in a one-year period from May 1987 to March 1988 with a live album their final release in July 1988 (Hora ne, Haru ga Kita - First Concert).

Kudo has said of her time in Onyanko Club that "it was a great experience, with good, bad and really dirty things", and that she tried not to learn from the behavior of others around her.[1]

Onyanko Club disbanded on 9 September 1987 with a final concert but Kudo had already launched her solo career with her first single, '"Kindan no Telepathy" less than two weeks before, on 31 August. It climbed to the top of the music chart and also became a favorite throughout Asia during the early 1990s. She enjoyed a run of eight consecutive number 1 singles in Japan between 1988 and 1990, and eleven in total.[1]

She continued to release new music every year until 2000 with sporadic releases since then. Her most recent release came in 2008 when she teamed up with Miyuki Nakajima, co-composer of five of Kudo's late-1980s hits, for a double A-side, "Night Wing"/"Yuki Gasa". Kudo said of their long-term working relationship, "We are not that close. We have a nice distance. Sometimes when I hear her music, it scares me but I especially like her passionate lyrics."[1]

Kudo also appears on television in jidaigeki roles and also creates her own jewelry that is sold in Japan.

Trivia

Kudo married Takuya Kimura of popular boy-band SMAP in 2000. They have two children named Kokomi and Mitsuki.

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Robert Michael Poole (2008-11-07). "Shizuka Kudo -The storied J-pop superstar reflects on life at the top". Metropolis (free magazine). Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  2. 1 2 "Onyanko Club". Encyclopedia Idollica. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

Sources

  • "Chimpman News with Shizuka Kudo". Japan Sugoi. 3 November 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
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