


Takeuchi’s Claim to Fame in the Western World is a Song you Have Probably Heard of Called “Plastic Love” Yamashita was a lion in this genre, perhaps filling the same position relative to city pop that one would think of Elvis Presley to rock.īetween their personal chemistry and a strong affinity for the genre, Takeuchi and Yamashita naturally became an unparalleled force. In such, many of her songs have become exemplary of the genre itself, and are slowly reemerging as lost relics of the past with the City Pop Genre becoming more and more popular as Vaporwave and Future Funk enthusiasts admire it and search for tracks to sample from. The 1980s was around the time that the City Pop genre was first emerging funky music that appeals to a sprawling, big-city lifestyle of relaxing at the beach in the afternoon and driving through the streets in the evening, music ready to go. Over the course of the 80s, the two collaborated together in what would be a fateful pairing for themselves individually, and Japanese music as a whole. In addition to her own talent, she has a life-long partner in crime – in 1982, around five years into her career, Takeuchi married Tatsuro Yamashita, a singer-songwriter and record producer. Takeuchi is billed as a singer/songwriter and is known for writing most of her own songs. Takeuchi’s rise to stardom in the late 70s and early 80s paved the way for jpop to move forward.Īlthough Takeuchi was relatively unknown to most of the world until recently, she has sold over 16 million records in Japan (note: this estimate might be as much as 10 years old, so the number is likely vastly higher at this point), including nearly 20 albums (including compilations, best hits albums, and live albums) and over 40 singles, with her most recent single release, Inochi no Uta reaching number 1 on the Oricon charts in January of 2020. Since the start of her career in 1978, and continues to produce chart-topping hits to this day.
