Sachiko Kobayashi


Sachiko Kobayashi, born on December 5, 1953 in Niigata, Japan, is a female Japanese enka singer and occasional voice actor and voice provider of VOCALOID 4 Sachiko developed by YAMAHA co. She previously worked alongside the Pokémon Company, under the alias "Garura Kobayashi".

Biography

When Kobayashi was 9 years old in 1963, she became a champion in the TBS-produced "Uta Mane Tokuhon" music variety show and was scouted by famous Japanese composer and guitarist Masao Koga. Although Kobayashi was only a grade four student, her voice was said to be exactly like well-known Japanese enka singer Hibari Misora.
One year later, Kobayashi and her family left their hometown, Niigata, Niigata and headed to Tokyo where she released her debut song, "Usotsuki Kamome".
In 1968, she acted as the heroine in "Aoi Taiyou", a TV drama produced by TV Asahi. The drama's ending song was also credited to her. However, after 1968, Kobayashi's level of celebrity dropped, thus causing her to get fewer TV appearances and other opportunities.
In 1979, her song "Omoide Sake" became the best seller of the year, winning the 21st Japan Record Awards, and causing her to be popular again. As a result, she was asked to take part in the illustrious annual end-of-year music show "Kōhaku Uta Gassen". After 1979, Kobayashi was considered one of the most famous enka singers in Japan until now.
In July 2015, a Vocaloid called "Sachiko" was released by Yamaha based upon her voice for the Vocaloid 4 engine.

Discography

Singles