CJ's Akina Nakamori Page
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Beginning with "Shojo A," Akina began a string of No. 1 hits that would catapult her to superstar status. By 1983, Akina had established herself as a top-selling artist with a combined (singles and albums) annual sales of 8 billion yen (roughly equivalent to 32 million dollars at the time). Akina's tremendous popularity, as reflected by her consistently high rankings on the music charts, was further confirmed by her weekly performances on popular televised ranking shows such as "The Best Ten" (TBS) and "Uta no Top Ten" (NTV), as well as regular guest appearances on musical showcase programs such as Fuji TV's "Yoru no Hit Studio Deluxe."
In 1985, Akina was cast to play the part of a young woman dying from a heart ailment in the motion picture "Ai Tabidachi." The film co-starred Kondo Masahiko (aka "Matchy") as her ne'er-do-well boyfriend (Kondo had become her real-life boyfriend as well). The movie, which did well at the box office, would prove to be Akina's first significant step toward expanding her career to include acting.
In 1986, Akina would prove that her win the previous year was no fluke. She claimed the Record Taisho Grand Prize for a second straight year with the smash hit, "Desire". In doing so, she became only the second singer to win the award twice (Hosokawa Takashi was the first) and the first to achieve it in consecutive years.
The single "Nanpasen," composed by Kato Tokiko, was released the following year. Akina's stirring performances of "Nanpasen" could easily have earned her a third consecutive Record Taisho honor. The song, which dealt with separation in love, would prove to be a particularly poignant theme for Akina. 1987 was a significant year for Akina in another way. The concurrent release of her English-language album, "Cross My Palm," under the Reprise (in Japan) and Atlantic (in the U.S.) labels, signaled an all-out attempt to fashion Akina into an international artist. Although the album ultimately did not make a major impact in the U.S. market, the fact that Warner-Pioneer had backed the venture in earnest demonstrated just how great Akina's star power had become.
In addition to best-selling hits and musical achievements, Akina would also become widely known for her visually-stunning fashions (a number of which she herself designed) and graceful on-stage movements. Akina's early ballet influence was made evident as she choreographed the dance steps that accompanied many of her performances. |
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