Taeko Ohnuki


Taeko Ohnuki, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She was influential in the city pop genre.

Early life and career

She was born in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, 1953. Her father was Kenichiro Ohnuki, a member of the Japanese Special Attack Units.
In 1973, she formed Sugar Babe with musicians including Tatsuro Yamashita and Kunio Muramatsu. Because the dominant music style at the time was hard rock, they weren't welcomed quite too warmly by the audiences and they ended up splitting only three years later. Her solo activity began in 1976. The same year, after the dissolution of Sugar Babe, she released her first solo album Grey Skies which continued the same style as Sugar Babe's. Her second, landmark album Sunshower the following year had a different style, mixing pop music and jazz. With the third album, Mignonne, she worked with producer Eji Ogura but the sales-focused process was difficult for her, and the album didn't sell as well as expected. She took a two year break from music afterwards. Beginning from 1980 she released her “Europe” trilogy of albums: Romantique, Aventure and Cliché, taking on a more electronic sound.

Later career