Miki Matsubara: Urban Pop Idol

Four years ago, Miki Matsubara’s 1979 debut single “Zhen Yuzhong no Door (Stay with Me)” has taken the world by storm with the help of social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. The pop star sadly passed away from cervical cancer at the age of 44, but she accomplished much more than just one-hit wonders. She released 10 studio albums and several Compilation record During her career, she was especially known for composing and singing anime songs. On the 20th anniversary of her death, we look back at the urban pop star’s life and career.

Matsubara Miki’s background

Miki Matsubara was born in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture on November 28, 1959, and grew up in the port city of Sakai. Her father worked in a hospital and her mother sang in the jazz band Crazy Cats. Watching her perform, Matsubara developed a passion for music at an early age. She started playing piano at the age of three and quickly became familiar with jazz. In junior high school, she joined the rock band Kurei, and later played keyboards for the Yoshinoya band in high school.

Despite his excellent academic performance, Matsubara decided not to go to college. Instead, she pursued a career as a singer. At the age of 17, she left Osaka for Tokyo to realize her dream. She worked part-time while studying at Suginami High School and performed in various places. Fatigue affected her vision, which meant she had to sit for an oral exam. However, this didn’t seem to affect her singing as she was discovered by jazz pianist Yuzuru Sera and soon after was signed to the record label Pony Canyon.

open new doors

Her talent as a singer is obvious to all. What we need is a big hit to complement her mesmerizing voice. “Pony Canyon” director Haruhiko Kaneko invited Tetsuji Hayashi, the emerging composer of Mariya Takeuchi’s “September,” to write a song “full of Western pop style.” Miura Yoshiko wrote the lyrics and released “Mayonaka no Door” on November 5, 1979. It entered the Oricon charts at No. 28 and sold over 100,000 copies.

Matsubara’s catchy follow-up single “Ai wa Energy” was also written by Miura and Hayashi. Used as a promotional song for the supermarket chain Seiyu, appearing together with “Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)” from Matsubara’s first album, pocket park. The LP was released in January 1980 and peaked at number 13 on the Oricon charts. In the same year, her second album, Who are you?which included standout tracks such as “Aitsu no Brown Shoes” and “Jazzy Night” were released. Other hits from her early years include “Neat na Gogo San-ji” and “Cupid” from her third album, and “Wash”, the B-side of the underrated single “See-Saw Love”.

anime soundtrack

In 1984, the urban pop singer released the single “Ganmo Doki” under the name Matsubara Suxijiang. It was used as the opening theme song for 50 episodes of the anime TV series Gu Gu Ganmo. The track’s B-side “Hyokopon Kankei” was used in the closing credits. Three of Matsubara’s tracks—”Safari Eyes,” “Over the Top” and “Pas de Deux”—appear in Koichi Manashita’s sci-fi animated film, The Dirty Couple: The Eden Project. In the book, 500 Must-See Anime Movies: The Ultimate GuideAuthor Helen McCarthy called it a “movie with a lot to enjoy,” adding, “Even the cheesy 80s pop soundtrack has its own charm.”

One of Matsubara’s most famous songs is “The Winner”, which was used as the opening theme for the first seven episodes of the popular anime series. Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memorieswhich aired from May 1991 to September 1992. She also produced an English version of the song, titled “Back to Paradise”, which was played in episodes one and six. Throughout the 1990s, Matsubara continued to work on animation soundtracks and composed several songs for commercials as well as hits for artists such as Mieno and Mariko Kouda.

taken too early

In addition to her solo career, Matsubara plays in the band Dr. Woo, which often features her husband Masaki Honjo as drummer. In late 2000, Matsubara reportedly sent an email to the other members of Dr. Woo, as well as her management and friends, informing them that she was leaving the music industry and that she would no longer be reachable by phone or mail. It was later learned that the reason she disappeared from public view was because she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She died on October 7, 2004. Three years later, her husband also died.

Sixteen years after Matsubara’s death, Indonesian YouTuber Rainych uploaded a cover of “Mayonoka no Door (Stay with Me)” to her YouTube channel, garnering millions of views. The original song has also become a TikTok sensation, with people playing it alongside anime videos or people dancing to it. Then a new trend emerged where people of Japanese descent would play the song to their mothers, who would light up and start singing along. The single topped the Spotify Viral chart for 20 consecutive days and topped the Apple Music Japanese pop chart in 84 countries and regions. Pony Canyon subsequently reissued the single and Matsubara’s debut LP.

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