“ZARD (ザード) was a Japanese pop group. Originally a group of five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as group leader. However, Sakai was the only member who stayed on the group while others joined and left regularly. As such, Zard and Sakai may be referred interchangeably. Zard‘s work was sold under record label B-Gram Records Inc. Sakai was also a very prolific lyricist. She wrote 150 songs during her 17-year career (numerous songs for other artists as well as all of the Zard songs except for two, Koionna no Yūutsu (恋女の憂鬱) and Onna de Itai (女でいたい) from their first album, Good-bye My Loneliness, which was written by Dariya Kawashima) and released several books of poetry as well.”(Wikipedia).
ZARD, Izumi Sakai, is one of my favorite singers. I’ve first knew her in 1998 when I got her first album from Asahi Bookstore in Colindale, London. Her voice and performance is very different comparing with the same generation of Japanese singers, when I listen to her songs I almost don’t skip any track! My favorites of her are Nostalgia, Good-bye My Loneliness, Believe In Love, and What a Beautiful Memory. Izumi Sakai had cervical cancer so she was admitted to the Keio University Hospital where she accidentally fell down the stairs and died in 2008 at age of 40. Zard fans will no more listen to any new of her, but her past will never always playback!
P.S.: Posted song is “Nostalgia”.
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I’m sorry!