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 20 March 1955) is a famous Japanese singer and songwriter. She is known for her unique style, especially in a music genre called city pop. This music often sounds like a mix of pop, funk, and disco.

Mariya Takeuchi is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. She has sold over 16 million records! She has also won many awards for her music. Her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita, is also a well-known singer, songwriter, and producer.

Mariya Takeuchi was born in Taisha, Japan. She later went to Keio University. She started her singing career in 1978 with the RCA record label. Her first album, Beginning [], was very popular.

She released four more albums between 1979 and 1981. All of them were successful. Her 1980 album, Love Songs [], was her first album to reach No. 1 on the music charts in Japan. In 1981, Mariya decided to take a break from music.

Three years later, Mariya and her husband signed with Moon Records. She made a big comeback in 1984 with her album Variety. This album was released around the world and became a huge hit, also reaching No. 1.

A song from that album, "Plastic Love", became a surprise hit in 2017. This happened after a video of the song was uploaded to YouTube and went viral. The song is now very famous and helped bring back interest in city pop music.

After the 1980s, Mariya Takeuchi started releasing albums less often. She focused more on releasing single songs. Since 1981, every single she has released has been popular on the Japanese music charts. She has stayed with the Moon record label, which is now part of Warner Music Japan. In 2020, she re-recorded her song "Song of Life" ("Inochi no Uta" (いのちの歌)). This version reached No. 1, making her the oldest Japanese singer to have a No. 1 single!

Early Life and Education

Takeuchi's yearbook photo from 1973.

Mariya Takeuchi was born in Taisha, a town in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. She grew up in her family's traditional Japanese inn, called Takenoya. Her great-grandfather started this inn in 1877.

Her family loved music and always played records from all over the world. Mariya learned to play the piano and guitar by the time she was in third grade. Listening to the Beatles inspired her to travel and see the world.

In 1972, when she was in her third year of high school, she went to Rock Falls, Illinois, in the United States. She was an exchange student through a program called AFS Intercultural Programs. Her nickname there was Mako.

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

Music Career Highlights

Mariya joined her university's music club. In 1978, she signed with RCA records. Her first single, "Please Come Back, My Time" ("Modotte oide, Watashi no Jikan" (戻っておいで・私の時間)), and her first album, Beginning [], were released in November 1978.

Her songs "Dream of You: Blue Breeze of Lemon Lime" ("Dream of You: Lemon Lime no Aoi Kaze" (ドリーム・オブ・ユー〜レモンライムの青い風〜)) and "September" became hits in 1979. She won several "best new artist" awards that year. In 1980, her song "Mysterious Peach Pie" ("Fushigi na Peach Pie" (不思議なピーチパイ)) was also a big hit.

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Mariya released five albums and many singles. She worked with many talented musicians and producers. One of her songs, "Heart to Heart," was later recorded by the Carpenters in English. It was one of the last songs recorded by Karen Carpenter before she passed away.

At the end of 1981, after her fifth album Portrait (PORTRAIT), Mariya decided to take a break from performing and releasing new music. She got married six months later. Even during her break, she kept writing songs for many other popular Japanese singers.

Writing Songs for Others

Mariya wrote many songs that became top hits for other artists.

• For Naoko Kawai, she wrote "Stop the Fighting" ("Kenka wo Yamete" (けんかをやめて)) and "Invitation".
• For Yukiko Okada, she wrote "Dreaming Girl: Love, Nice to Meet You" ("Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite" (-Dreaming Girl- 恋、はじめまして)).
• For Miho Nakayama, she wrote "Color: White Blend" ("Iro: White Blend" (色・ホワイトブレンド)).

Mariya has often re-recorded these songs for her own albums. Her song "Station" ("Eki" (駅)), originally for Akina Nakamori, became very famous when Mariya sang it herself. Another well-known song she wrote is "Cheer Up" (Genki wo Dashite), first recorded by Hiroko Yakushimaru.

Return to Music and Later Success

Since returning to music in 1984, Mariya has released seven successful studio albums. All of them reached No. 1 on the Japanese music charts. As a singer-songwriter, she has had eight top-ten hit singles. These include "Single Again", "Confession" ("Kokuhaku" (告白)), and her only No. 1 hit, "Camouflage" ("Camouflage" (カムフラージュ)).

She also continued writing songs for other singers like Ryōko Hirosue, Takako Matsu, and Seiko Matsuda. Some of these songs also became top hits:

• "5 Seconds Before I Fall in Love Seriously" ("Maji de Koi suru 5 byō mae" (MajiでKoi suru 5 byō mae)) for Ryōko Hirosue.
• "Everybody is Alone" ("Minna Hitori" (みんなひとり)) for Takako Matsu.
• "Everyone's Happy Birthday" ("Minna no Happy Birthday" (みんなのハッピーバースデイ)) for Mana Ashida.

Mariya Takeuchi in 2019.

By 2014, Mariya had released 12 studio albums, 42 singles, and several compilation albums. Her total sales were over 16 million by 2009. Her 1994 compilation album, Impressions, sold over 3 million copies in Japan alone, making it her best-selling album.

Besides her music, Mariya has also helped manage her family's inn, Takenoya, since 2018.

"Plastic Love" Goes Viral

Outside of Japan, Mariya Takeuchi is most famous for her city pop song "Plastic Love". This song is from her 1984 album Variety. When the song was first released, Mariya didn't think it would be popular in other countries because it was mostly in Japanese.

However, in the mid-2010s, the song became incredibly popular online. It went viral after being uploaded to YouTube. It became a favorite in online music communities like vaporwave and future funk. As of June 2021, the song had over 67 million views on YouTube!

Music critics have praised "Plastic Love." Noisey magazine called it "the best pop song in the world." Even the band Gorillaz called it "a wonder woman slab of Japanese funk." The song has inspired many fan artworks and videos. In 2019, Warner Music Japan released a short music video for the song, 35 years after it first came out. A longer version was released in 2021.

In 2021, Mariya formed a new music duo called Peach & Apricot with another Japanese pop singer, Anri. Their first song together, "Watching Over You," was released in November 2021.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles

Songs Written for Other Singers

See also

In Spanish: Mariya Takeuchi para niños