Mariya Takeuchi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mariya Takeuchi
Background information
Native name	竹内 まりや
Birth name	Takeuchi Mariya
Also known as	Miyabi, MAKO (as a lyricist)
Born	(1955-03-20) 20 March 1955 (age 70) Kizukiminami, Taisha-machi, Hikawa-gun (Current: Izumo-shi), Shimane Prefecture, Japan
Genres	J-pop Kayōkyoku city pop funk soul disco
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	1978–present
Labels	RCA (1978–1982) Alfa Moon (1984–1987) Moon / MMG (1987–1993) Moon / East/West Japan (1994–1997) Moon / Warner Music Japan (1998–present)
Spouse(s)	Tatsuro Yamashita ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	1
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Mariya Takeuchi (竹内 まりや, Takeuchi Mariya, born March 20, 1955) is a famous Japanese singer, songwriter, and music producer. She has sold over 16 million records, making her one of Japan's top-selling music artists. Many people call her the "Queen of City Pop," a popular music style. Her song "Plastic Love" became very popular worldwide and helped bring back interest in City Pop music in the 21st century.

Mariya Takeuchi was born in Taisha, Shimane, Japan. She later attended Keio University. She started her music career with RCA in 1978. She released five albums with them, and they all appeared on the Oricon Charts. Her third album, Love Songs (1980), even reached number one.

In 1981, she took a break from music. In 1982, she married fellow singer and songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita. She returned to music in 1984, signing with Moon Records. Her album Variety was released that year and became a big success. Since then, she has released many more albums, and all of them have appeared on the Oricon Charts. Since 2001, every one of her albums has reached the top spot.

She has stayed with the Moon record label and also signed with Warner Music Japan in 1998. In 2020, her re-recorded song "Inochi no Uta" made her the oldest Japanese singer to have a single reach number one on the Oricon Charts.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Takeuchi's yearbook photo, 1973

Mariya Takeuchi was born in Taisha, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. She grew up in her family's traditional Japanese inn, called Takenoya, which her great-grandfather started in 1877. Her family always played music from all over the world.

She learned to play piano and guitar by third grade. Listening to the Beatles inspired her to travel and explore. In 1972, during her third year of high school, she studied in Rock Falls, Illinois, USA. She was an exchange student through the AFS Intercultural Programs. Her nickname was Mako.

In 1974, she started studying English literature at Keio University in Japan. That same year, she won a national English speaking contest. She married musician Tatsuro Yamashita in April 1982. They have one daughter.

Music Career Takes Off

First Albums and Hits

While at university, Mariya joined the music club. She was invited to sing on some recordings in 1978. In August of that year, she signed with RCA records. In November, she released her first song, "Modotte oide, Watashi no Jikan," and her first album, Beginning.

Her songs "Dream of You: Lemon Lime no Aoi Kaze" and "September" became hits in 1979. She won several "best new artist" awards that year. The 1980 song "Fushigi na Peach Pie" was also a big hit. She even had a song, "Apple Papple Princess" (1981), featured on the NHK program Minna no Uta.

Taking a Break and Writing Songs

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Mariya recorded five albums and many singles. She worked with many talented Japanese and North American musicians and producers. One of her songs, "Heart to Heart," from her 1980 album Miss M, was later recorded by the Carpenters with new English lyrics.

At the end of 1981, after her fifth album Portrait, she announced she would take a break. She stopped holding concerts and releasing new music. Six months later, she got married. During her break, she continued to write songs for many other singers.

Returning to the Spotlight

Many of the songs Mariya wrote for other singers became top-ten hits. These included "Kenka wo Yamete" and "Invitation" for Naoko Kawai. She also wrote "Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite" for Yukiko Okada. "Iro: White Blend" was a hit for Miho Nakayama. Mariya has often re-recorded these songs for her own albums.

"Eki," a song she wrote for Akina Nakamori, became very well-known through Mariya's own version. "Genki o Dashite", first recorded by Hiroko Yakushimaru, is another one of Mariya's famous songs.

Since returning to music in 1984, she has released seven successful studio albums. Most of these albums feature her own songs. All of them have reached number one on the Japanese Oricon chart. She has also had eight top-ten hit singles. These include "Single Again," "Kokuhaku," and "Junai Rhapsody." Her only number one hit single was "Camouflage." She continues to write songs and lyrics for other singers, like Ryōko Hirosue and Takako Matsu.

"Plastic Love" Goes Global

Takeuchi in 2019

As of September 2014, Mariya Takeuchi had released 12 studio albums, 42 singles, and several collections. Her total sales were over 16 million by 2009. Her 1994 collection, Impressions, sold over 3 million copies in Japan. Since May 2018, she has also helped manage her family's inn, Takenoya.

Outside of Japan, Mariya is most famous for her City Pop song "Plastic Love." This song is from her 1984 album Variety. When the song first came out, Mariya didn't think it would be popular in other countries. She said it was mostly in Japanese, so they didn't expect it to go abroad.

However, "Plastic Love" became incredibly popular online in the mid-2010s. It went viral after being uploaded to YouTube. The song became popular overseas through music styles like vaporwave and future funk. As of June 2021, it had over 67 million views on YouTube. Music critics have praised it, with one calling it "the best pop song in the world." Even Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn called it "a wonder woman slab of Japanese funk."

Recent Music Projects

In 2021, Mariya Takeuchi formed a new music duo called Peach & Apricot with Anri, another Japanese singer-songwriter. "Peach" comes from Mariya's hit song "Fushigi na Peach Pie." "Apricot" comes from Anri's first album title, Apricot Jam.

On November 3, 2021, they released their first song together, "Watching Over You." Mariya wrote the lyrics for the song. This song was the first time Mariya and Tetsuji Hayashi worked together in 40 years.

Personal Life

Mariya Takeuchi is married to Tatsuro Yamashita, who is also a singer-songwriter and music producer. They got married in 1982 and have one daughter. Mariya also has a niece.

Music Albums and Songs

Albums

Compilations

Singles

Songwriting credits for other singers

See also

In Spanish: Mariya Takeuchi para niños