Akemi Ishii
Akemi Ishii | |
|---|---|
石井明美 | |
| Born | 26 August 1965 (age 60) Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan |
Akemi Ishii (Japanese: 石井明美; born 26 August 1965) is a Japanese singer, best known for the song "CHA-CHA-CHA".
Life and career
Born in Tateyama, after graduating from high school, Ishii moved to Tokio, working in a beauty salon in Ginza and in a snack bar in Roppongi, where she was scouted by a talent agent.[1] Put under contract in April 1986, she made her record debut four months later with "CHA-CHA-CHA", a cover of the Italo disco song with the same name by Finzy Contini.[1] The song was chosen as theme song of the TBS drama series Seven Men and Women and became a major success, ranking first on the Oricon Chart and selling over 800,000 copies.[2] The same year, she received the Award for Best New Artist at the Japan Record Awards.[3]
In 1990, Ishii had another major hit with "Lambada", a cover of Los Kjarkas' "Llorando se fue".[4] The same year, she got married and retired.[1] She divorced in 1993, and came back to the music business with "あなたらしくいて", the theme song for Nippon Television series Tuesday Suspense Theater.[1][5]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Mona Lisa (Sony, 1986)
- Joy (Sony, 1987)
- Fanatique (CBS/Sony, 1988)
- 熱帯夜 / Tropical Nights (CBS/Sony, 1990 )
- Colors (Beatsista, 2011)
References
- ^ a b c d "「男女７人夏物語」主題歌ヒットの大誤算 石井明美さん - 朝日新聞デジタル＆Ｍ". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 23 January 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ "美女ざんまい". Shukan Jitsuwa. 1 September 2022. pp. 102-103.
- ^ "第28回日本レコード大賞". Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ "「夜霧のハウスマヌカン」元案にそれだけはイヤ… やや語る再スタートと「ランバダ」では「3キロ痩せた」（2ページ目）". Shūkan Shinchō (in Japanese). 13 March 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ "石井明美". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
External links
- Akemi Ishii discography at Discogs