Zard
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ZARD is a Japanese pop group. Originally a group of 5 members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai (aka Sachiko Kamachi) as group leader. She is part of the record label B-Gram Records, Inc.
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[edit] Career
ZARD made their debut in February 10, 1991 with a single Good-bye My Loneliness. By their third album, it appears that the only member left in ZARD was Izumi Sakai, and from that point on, she has been the only member in that group. While she is the only member left, the band's name did not change.
Sakai is also a very prolific songwriter. She has written all her own lyrics (except for one song, Onna de Itai (女でいたい?) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Dariya Kawashima (川島だりあ?)[1]), and has released several books of poetry as well. She has also written songs for other artists, most notably, for JPOP groups Field of View, WANDS and DEEN. She also wrote the lyrics for and participated in the collaboration for the single "Hateshinai Yumewo" featuring JPOP groups ZARD, REV & WANDS. The single also featured famed Japanese baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima. Some of her singles have been used in Anime, such as Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan.
ZARD is also known for being mysterious. This is partially because her record label does not release too much personal information on their artists, and also because she does not make that many personal appearances. She has rarely appeared on any live TV music programs (eg. Asahi TV's Music Station, Fuji TV's Hey Hey Hey Music Champ), which the main public relations tool for the record industry in Japan, since 1993 or do any public appearances. Her first concert was in 1999, which was held on a cruise ship for a mere 600 people in her fan club (300 entries x2 among 2 million concert ticket requests). Her first real concert tour, "what a beautiful moment tour", was held in 2004, 13 years after her debut. Almost every single concert was sold out at the time. The tour ended up having 10 concerts spanning 4 months from March to July 2004, with a final concert held in the famed Budokan.
ZARD is one of the most successful female singers in the 1990s, with her record sales being #1 for female singers, and #3 for overall total, just behind the groups B'z and Mr. Children. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts.
She will have released 40 singles and 16 albums as of 7 September 2005.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- 'Good-bye My Loneliness' (10 February 1991)
- 'Fushigine' (25 June 1991)
- 'Mou Sagasanai' (6 November 1991)
- 'Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite' (5 August 1992)
- 'IN MY ARMS TONIGHT' (9 September 1992)
- 'Makenaide' (27 January 1993)
- 'Kimi ga Inai' (21 April 1993)
- 'Yureru Omoi' (19 May 1993)
- 'Mou Sukoshi Ato Sukoshi...' (4 September 1993)
- 'Kitto Wasurenai' (3 November 1993)
- 'Kono Ai ni Oyogitsukaretemo' (2 February 1994)
- 'Konna ni Soba ni Irunoni' (8 August 1994)
- 'Anata wo Kanjiteitai' (24 December 1994)
- 'Just believe in love' (1 February 1995)
- 'Ai ga Mienai' (5 June 1995)
- 'Sayonara ha Ima mo Kono Mune ni Imasu' (28 August 1995)
- 'Mai Furendo' (8 January 1996)
- 'Kokoro wo Hiraite' (6 May 1996)
- 'Don't you see!' (6 January 1997) (Closing Theme to Dragon Ball GT.)
- 'Kimi ni Aitakunattara...' (26 February 1997)
- 'Kaze ga Torinukeru Machi he' (2 July 1997)
- 'Eien' (20 August 1997)
- 'My Baby Grand -Nukumori ga Hoshikute-' (3 December 1997)
- 'Iki mo Dekinai' (4 March 1998)
- 'Unmei no Ruretto Mawashite' (17 September 1998)
- 'Atarashi Doa -Fuyu no Himawari-' (2 December 1998)
- 'GOOD DAY' (2 December 1998)
- 'MIND GAMES' (7 April 1999)
- 'Sekai ha Kitto Mirai no Naka' (16 June 1999)
- 'Itaikurai Kimi ga Afureteiruyo' (14 October 1999)
- 'Kono Namida Hoshi ni Nare' (1 December 1999)
- 'Get U're Dream' (6 September 2000)
- 'promised you' (15 November 2000)
- 'Sawayakana Kimi no Kimochi' (22 May 2002)
- 'Asu wo Yumemite' (9 April 2003)
- 'Hitomi Tojite' (9 July 2003)
- 'Motto Chikakude Kimi no Yokogao Miteitai' (12 November 2003)
- 'Kakegae no Naimono' (23 June 2004)
- 'Kyou wa yukkuri hanasou' (24 November 2004)
- 'Hoshi no Kagayaki yo/ Natsu wo matsu SEIRU no You ni' (20 April 2005)
- 'Kanashii Hodou Anata ga Suki/ Karatto Ikou!' (8 March 2006)
- 'Heart ni Hi wo Tsukete' (10 May 2006)
[edit] Albums
- Good-bye My Loneliness (27 March 1991)
- Mou Sagasanai (25 December 1991)
- HOLD ME (2 September 1992)
- Yureru Omoi (10 July 1993)
- OH MY LOVE (4 June 1994)
- forever you (10 March 1995)
- TODAY IS ANOTHER DAY (8 July 1996)
- ZARD BLEND -SUN & STONE- (23 April 1997)
- Eien (17 February 1999)
- ZARD BEST The Single Collection -Kiseki- (28 May 1999)
- ZARD BEST -Requested Memorial- (15 September 1999)
- ZARD Cruising & Live (26 January 2000)
- Toki no Tsubasa (15 February 2001)
- ZARD BLEND II -LEAF & SNOW- (21 November 2001)
- Tomatteita Tokei ga Ima Ugokidasita (28 January 2004)
- Kimi to no Distance (7 September 2005)
- Golden Best -15th Anniversary- (25 October 2006)
[edit] References
- ^ Good-bye My Loneliness album notes
[edit] External links
- WEZARD.net - Official Website
- ShinKong - Official Website in Taiwan
- ZARD the BEST - English Fansite
- ZARD Fan Club in KOREA - Korean Fansite
- ZARD Forum - Discussion of ZARD in English (also in Chinese and Korean)
- Nippop Profile | Zard
