Sister.
When many Japanese people mention this title, they think of a musical legend goddess: Sakai Izumi.
She is a symbol of the times, even though she died 14 years ago, but her influence has not diminished to this day.
For those who grew up in the company of classic animations such as "Conan", "Slam Dunk Master", "Dragon Ball" and so on, "Turning the Wheel of Destiny", "My Friend", and "Gradually Attracted to You" written and sung by Sakai Izumi are the whole youth.
Around the roulette of fate
ZARD - Thoughts that shake without losing ~ Sakai Izumi Memorial Music Box Collection
For the previous generation of Japanese, the sound of Sakai spring water represents a deeper strength.
Tokushiro Korena-shu "Unnecessary 认输" ("Don't lose"), "Japan's first encouragement song "Wa" "Second National Anthem".
Countless people have survived the economic downturn of the 1990s, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Japan, and the 2011 earthquake.
Even a few decades later, on the day of the "10th Anniversary of the 311 Earthquake" in Japan, all the audio-visual stores still sounded "Don't Admit Defeat".
Sakai Spring Water has influenced generations of people with her voice, but her life is only 40 years short.
01
"You either don't know her,
Or you'll definitely like her. ”
Compared with the song, Sakai Izumizu's own "sense of existence" is incredibly weak.
She has been debuting for 16 years, counting the memorial service, and has only appeared in public 7 times. There was only one concert.
In this case, It is a miracle that Sakai Izumi can still become a National Idol in Japan.
Looking at the images she left behind, it is difficult not to sigh further, in today's day, you can hardly see such a star -
Even if she has a pure and beautiful face, she has been called "the most beautiful rock song in Asia" by countless people;
Sakai Izumi himself, but he did not care about the "packaging" thing at all.
She never wears heavy makeup, faces the audience more plain, and only pays attention to a refreshing and clean dress, simple and simple.
Young people at that time, both boys and girls, thought this sister was particularly cool, and for the first time, they knew that coolness could also have nothing to do with appearance.
Sakai Izumi never hides her true self, so that in everyone's impression, she does not look like a gorgeous and brilliant "big star" at all, but more like a big sister who is suddenly pushed onto the stage:
You can see her introverted shyness due to her inability to face the crowd and her eyes to avoid the camera;
You can also see the nervousness that she is not used to being on TV shows and overwhelmed by the praise of others.
Because Sakai Izumi is not used to facing the camera, most of the photos used to promote the MV are relied on by the staff, who secretly shoot and capture when she is working selflessly...
Only in this way can we capture her most natural and comfortable side.
So unsuitable to stand in front of the public, she has not changed even when she is the reddest-
She simply chose to leave the stage and focus on creation.
1993 music program 'MUSIC STATION'
It was Sakai Izumi's last public appearance on television.
Sakai Spring Water, as the name suggests, is as clean as a clear spring.
Lace news, gossip, hype, all have nothing to do with her.
No wonder the Japanese media described Sakai Izumi as "either you don't know her or you're going to like her." ”
02
Sachiko Kamaike
Sakai Spring Water was not the big star "Sakai Spring Water" from the beginning.
In 1967, a little girl was born in Kanagawa Prefecture and her parents named her Sachiko Kazuki.
Sachiko has loved music and poetry since she was a child, but she also likes to draw photography, enter the track and field team, and play baseball.
It is rumored that Haruko of "Slam Dunk Master" is based on her.
Most of the time, she was a shy and shy literary girl, quiet and quiet, and told her inner turmoil to paper and pencil.
At the age of 18, Sachiko watched the band SADE perform and was shocked by their frank expression of their appearance with their singing voices, and for the first time in her life, she had the idea of becoming a singer.
After graduating from university, Sachiko first left after working for a real estate company for two years, and was discovered by street scouts in 1989 before she began to set foot in the entertainment industry.
However, Sachiko's career as a singer did not begin here.
In good shape, she was assigned to modeling work, occasionally running dragon sets in TV series, and even had to take some photos of rubbing the side ball.
At that time, the closest she was to her dreams was just some promotional singing:
In the rare video recordings before Sachiko became a singer, she wore rare heavy makeup and tried to interact with the few people in the audience.
It's just that no one pays any attention to her, somewhat embarrassed.
But at least when she mentions her dreams, she looks happy:
"Please support me Sachiko Kazuki, if I become a professional singer in the future, the name may change ~"
Even if no one took her words to heart at the time.
In fact, she is weak in appearance and firmer than anyone. Although she is not accustomed to her current job, she is not willing to accept defeat.
Fortunately, in August 1990, at the age of 23, she was discovered by the well-known music producer Daiyuki Nagato.
With the support of the producers, Sachiko Kabuike officially assumed the stage name of "Sakai Izumi" as Japan's first rock girl band, Zard
Lead singer, began his own musical career.
She could finally express herself with her own voice.
That year, Sakai Izumi's debut musical EP "Good-bye My Loneliness" directly reached the top ten of the Japanese public trust charts, setting a record for Japan's first newcomer debut song.
03
The power of spring water
Although the band's personnel are constantly changing, she is alone and carries the whole Zard, so in everyone's hearts, Zard = Sakai Spring Water.
In the 80s and 90s of the last century, Japanese rock and roll were in full bloom, and in contrast, Sakai Izumi's voice was not very prominent, she once said: "I have always felt that my voice is very ordinary." ”
Innate conditions are not optional, but beliefs can be determined by themselves.
Sakai Izumi debuted for 16 years, and almost all the lyrics of his works insisted on his own creation.
She has a small notebook with her to keep track of her thoughts at all times.
Not only has she published poetry collections, but she has also written lyrics for other bands and singers.
The 1st poem of The 1st Poems of The Emperor's Life "Living With You" (Yoko Kyodo This Life), Sang Stool Kore Sakai Izumisho.
In his own work, Sakai Izumi is stubborn, serious to every word, and even exhale.
Take Conan's classic Wheel of Fate, for example, which she has repeatedly considered, revised, and even revised after its release, so that there are dozens of different mixes and arrangement versions of this song.
In the 1990s, the whole of Japan was shrouded in the haze of the bubble economy, the stock market fell sharply, companies collapsed one after another, and young people faced unprecedented employment problems, could not see the direction of life, and were depressed.
It was at this time that she brought "Don't Admit Defeat" to everyone.
The sound and lyrics of Sakai's spring water are like a beam of light, shining into the darkness, and also like a steady stream of spring water flowing into the dry land, listening to countless people crying:
"Don't concede, it's just a little bit off
Please be sure to run to the end
Don't concede
You see that the target is not far away
No matter how far apart they are
My heart will be with you
Please feel the gaze that has been watching you."
To this day, the song still accompanies many people and is written into Japanese textbooks.
In the 16 years since its debut, ZARD has shaped countless classic songs, and the 70 billion yen sales it has created have become a miracle in the history of the Japanese music scene, which no one has ever matched.
04
Reliable sister
There was no one who had been with Sakai Izumi who didn't like her.
She cares a lot about the people around her, and colleagues praise her as cute and reliable in private, sometimes "an innocent child;" sometimes taking the initiative to solve problems and encourage others, "is a reliable big sister." ”
Although Sakai Izumi is reluctant to appear in front of the public, this does not mean that she does not care about her fans, and she cherishes the letters from fans.
If you pay a little attention, you can find that she has a mysterious lyric in her 1996 "見つめていたいね":
"The keeper of 3G has been watching us in heaven."
In fact, the lyrics are based on a fan letter from Sendai City.
A high school teacher wrote to Quanshui that a student in the third grade G class he taught, a big fan of Quanshui, was unfortunately killed in a motorcycle accident. His nickname is "keeper".
Springs wrote him into the lyrics like a solemn reply:
"My sister will always remember you."
05
"Thank you"
Fate is cruel,
In 2001, Sakai Izumi was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and endometriosis and declared a one-year hiatus.
One day five years later, she went to the hospital due to sudden discomfort, and after examination, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to undergo hysterectomy in June of the same year.
In 2007, she was found to have spread the cancer to her lungs.
Every day, she obediently wrote words and took medicine in the hospital to fight the disease, laughing and saying, "This is not the time when you have cancer and you will die!" ”
How could the disease bring her down, she was Sakai Spring Water.
She is looking forward to being discharged from the hospital, wanting to create better songs for everyone, even if she is suffering from cancer, she also writes positive lyrics: "Cry as much as you want, forget everything before yesterday."
She did not complete her posthumous work "Glorious Mind" during her illness.
It later became the theme song for the TV version of 2014's Conan
However, the surprise came quickly.
On May 26, 2007, Sakai Izumi finished his walk and slipped on his way back to the ward. Because of severe head trauma, she died the next afternoon.
Two days before Mingming, she also agreed with producer Daiyuki Nagato that as soon as she was discharged from the hospital, she would return to the recording studio to prepare for the next album and a concert three years later, preparing for a comeback in the fall of this year.
The whole of Japan was saddened by her sudden departure, and countless people could not believe it when they heard the news, and then wept:
"My sister still has a lot of songs to sing..."
She saved a whole box of lyrics before she died, and there are more than 300 articles that have not yet been published.
On the day of the memorial service, more than 40,000 fans appeared on the scene, and when they were about to end, they clapped their hands and sang the song "Don't Admit Defeat" to send off the eternal sister:
"Thank you, Sister Quanshui."
There are still many people who still say good morning and good night when she is still alive in the world, and wish her a happy birthday on her birthday-
If she's still here, maybe she's a cool 54-year-old rock singer now:
As always, mysteriously hiding and writing songs with high prolific songs;
When you are tired, read the letters written by fans, see everyone call her "Sister Spring Water", and share what happiness and troubles;
Occasionally open a concert, maybe still reluctant to watch the camera, but when singing, confident enough to shine...
Time kept going, and for those who still remembered her, the pity had turned into gratitude:
"Thank you for letting us know that there have been such wonderful people in the world."
Picture 丨 Network, B station @ Xiao Ruirui and big meat
Responsible editor 丨77
Author, editor 丨 netizen Xiao Li
Follow me and share unique lifestyles and character stories from around the world