Marlene (Japanese singer)


Marlene is a Filipina jazz vocalist from Manila, Philippines mainly active in Japan. Her real name has been cited as Marlene dela Peña or Marlene Pena Lim. Marlene moved to Japan in the late 1970s and released her first single through EMI Japan in 1979 before signing a contract with CBS Sony in 1981. In 1983 two of her albums appeared on the Oricon charts. Deja Vu reached #8, while Magic reached #5, each enjoying sales of over 150,000 records.
In the United States, Marlene is known for her work with Seawind, with whom she recorded her second album Summer Nights in Los Angeles in 1982. Her sixth album, Looking for Love, was also recorded in Los Angeles in 1984. She has recorded 31 albums in total so far and is the highest paid Pinay jazz artist in Japan. Marlene was the subject of Mundo ni Juan sa Japan, a television film documentary in 2015.
She has appeared in two Japanese films — Nantonaku and Karanukan, where she played the character "Yukie".