- Ritsuko Okazaki
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Ritsuko Okazaki
岡崎 律子Born December 29, 1959 Origin Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture Died May 5, 2004 (aged 44) Genres J-pop Occupations Singer, songwriter, lyricist Instruments Vocals, piano Years active 1993–2004 Labels Star Child Associated acts Melocure Website http://www.ne.jp/asahi/okazaki/book/index.html Ritsuko Okazaki (岡崎 律子 Okazaki Ritsuko, December 29, 1959 – May 5, 2004) was a Japanese singer-songwriter born in Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture. She first made her professional debut with the single, Kanashii Jiyū / Koi ga, Kiete Yuku.
Contents
About
Personal
Ritsuko Okazaki was born in Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture on 29 December 1959. She was 1.58m tall and was born left-handed. During her childhood, she was forced by her mother to use her right hand. However, after hearing that it was bad to force her to use her right hand, her mother quickly advised her to use her natural hand.
During her school days, she spent lots of time in the bakery where she worked part time, and practiced with her band, Eleanor. She was then in charge of the chorus and piano.
Source:[1]
Career
Okazaki made her debut as a singer-songwriter in 1993. During the nineties, she continued singing and also wrote songs for seiyūs.
From 2000, she became more involved with anime and composed several songs for Wedding Peach, Fruits Basket, Princess Tutu, Symphonic Rain and Love Hina. She formed the duo, Melocure in 2002 with singer-songwriter Megumi Hinata.
In the following two years, the duo released several singles and an album, Melodic Hard Cure. Okazaki also produced songs during these years for artists such as Megumi Hayashibara, Mayumi Iizuka, and Yui Horie.
Her work consists mainly of ballads and can be categorised within the spectrum of Japanese music as most closely related to J-Pop. According to her fans, the lyrics of Okazaki's songs are characterized by poetic imagery, depth of emotion, gentle optimism and simplicity.
Death
On May 5, 2004, Ritsuko Okazaki died suddenly at the age of 44 from septic shock as a result of septicemia.[2] She was unable to speak any last words, and left her work unfinished.
Before that, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2003 but still continued with her work. During this time there was little information released about her. The news was revealed to the public in the liner notes of the CD soundtrack re-release of the visual novel Symphonic Rain, which was released a year after her death.
Discography
Singles
Title Release date Notes Kanashii Jiyū / Koi ga, Kiete Yuku (悲しい自由 / 恋が、消えてゆく, Sad Freedom / Love has Disappeared) March 3, 1993 Sai'ai / Jūnigatsu no Yuki no Hi (最愛 / 12 月の雪の日, Beloved / The Snowy Day of December) February 23, 1994 Chōkyori Denwa / Girlfriend (長距離電話 / Girlfriend, Long Distance Call / Girlfriend) September 15, 1994 Riguretto ~Koibito Nara~ / Shigatsu no Yuki (リグレット～恋人なら～ / ４月の雪, Regret ~If as Lovers~ / The Snow in April) April 25, 1996 A Happy Life / Hamingu (A Happy Life / ～ハミング～, A Happy Life / Humming) August 25, 1996 "A Happy Life" sung by Megumi Hayashibara as the opening theme for Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!. Rain or Shine -Futte mo Harete mo- / White Land (Rain or Shine －降っても晴れても－ / White Land) October 25, 1997 L'aquoiboniste (Muzōsa Shinshi) / Moonshadow (L'aquoiboniste (無造作紳士) / Moonshadow, L'aquoiboniste (Trouble-free Gentleman) / Moon Shadow) December 8, 1999 Japanese cover of "L'aquoiboniste" by Jane Birkin For Furutsū Basuketto / Chiisana Inori (For フルーツバスケット / 小さな祈り, For Fruits Basket / A Small Prayer) July 25, 2001 The opening and ending themes for Natsuki Takaya's anime adaptation, Fruits Basket. Morning Grace (23 październik, 2002)
The opening and ending themes for Princess Tutu. Albums
Title Release date Notes Sincerely yours March 24, 1993 Joyful Calendar March 23, 1994 A Happy Life May 25, 1996 Ritzberry Fields August 21, 1997 Rain or Shine October 25, 1997 Ohayō (おはよう, Good Morning) November 6, 1998 Love Hina Okazaki Collection December 15, 2001 Love Hina Self Cover Album December 16, 2001 Life is lovely. February 5, 2003 Sister Princess RePure Twelve Angels 12 Characters Ending Songs February 5, 2003 For Ritz December 29, 2004 Contains Okazaki's cover of the songs from Symphonic Rain. Love & Life: private works 1999-2001 May 5, 2005 Includes songs from 3 promotional CDs previously exclusive for her fan club members. Source:[3]
References
- ^ "PROFILE" (in Japanese). 岡崎律子 BOOK. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/okazaki/book/profile/profile.html. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
- ^ Announcement of her death on "Ritsuko Okazaki Mailing List 'Ritzmail'"
- ^ "DISCOGRAPHY" (in Japanese). 岡崎律子 BOOK. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/okazaki/book/disco/disco.html. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
External links
- Okazaki Ritsuko's official homepage (Japanese)
- Official site @ Star Child (Japanese)
- Official site @ Universal Music (Japanese)
- Ritsuko Okazaki @ King Records (Japanese)
- Memorial page @ CDJapan
Categories:- Culture articles needing translation from Japanese Wikipedia
- 1959 births
- 2004 deaths
- People from Nagasaki (city)
- Japanese singer-songwriters
- Deaths from sepsis
- Ritsuko Okazaki
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