On this day in 2007, Izumi Sakai died from brain contusion after falling from an outdoor staircase at Keio University Hospital. Eighteen years on from her death, and the popular lead singer of the band Zard is still fondly remembered in this country. Known as the “voice of Japan’s lost decade,” she was the only consistent member of the group and, as a result, was often referred to as Zard. Here is her story.
Izumi Sakai’s Background
Born Sachiko Kamachi on February 6, 1967, Sakai had a keen interest in music as a youngster. She started learning how to play the piano from the age of 4 and later took guitar lessons. At junior high school, her main focus, outside of class, was track and field, as she was said to have been an impressive sprinter.
After graduating with a degree in English from Shoin Women’s Junior College — now Shoin University — Sakai worked in the general affairs department of a real estate company. During her time there, she won a “karaoke queen” contest and was then scouted by the talent agency, Stardust Promotion. She went on to feature as a promotional model for Japan Air System (JAS) — which has since merged with JAL — and as a Nissin race queen.
In 1990, Sakai auditioned to become a chorus singer for the J-pop group B.B. Queens, singing “Roppongi Shinju” by Ann Lewis and “Tsugunai” by Teresa Teng. Though she didn’t get in, Daiko Nagato, the legendary producer for bands such as B’z and Boøwy, liked what he saw and recruited the singer. She subsequently changed her name from Sachiko Kamachi to Izumi Sakai and formed the band Zard.
Zard’s Debut
The group debuted in February 1991 with the single “Good-bye My Loneliness,” the theme song for the popular drama series, Kekkon no Risou to Genjitsu (The Ideal and Reality of a Married Life). It peaked at number nine on the Oricon Chart, selling more than 200,000 copies.
Zard’s first TV appearance came the following year on Music Station, where the group performed its fourth single, “Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite,” which charted for 17 weeks, selling over 450,00 copies. Speaking to the host, Kazuyoshi Morita — better known as Tamori — Sakai said the group wanted to make sure it was economically viable before performing publicly.
A Mysterious Figure
Sakai was known to be quite shy and rarely gave interviews or performed in public. According to Nagato, “she wasn’t good at talking and wanted to focus on recording.” Her record label also didn’t release much personal information on their artists, so she had a reputation for being mysterious.
Adding to this mystique was the fact that Zard’s first live show wasn’t until August 1999 — eight years after the group formed — aboard the luxury cruise ship Pacific Venus. It was watched by a crowd of just 600 people, who were randomly selected out of 2 million ticket requests. The group’s first and only tour with Sakai as the singer came five years later.
Despite rarely appearing in public, Zard became one of the best-selling Japanese bands, or female artists — as many viewed it as a solo project with a backing band — of all time. She had 12 hits which topped the Oricon Singles Chart and nine albums that reached the number one spot.
‘Makenaide’
The song that resonated with Japanese people the most was “Makenaide,” released in 1993. A motivational phrase encouraging people to persevere and not succumb to defeat, it offered hope to the working masses in the early 1990s after the Japanese stock market crashed.
“Makenaide” became the theme song for Japan during its so-called “Lost Decade,” selling over 1.6 million copies. The other two Zard singles to exceed 1 million in sales were “Yureru Omori” and “My Friend.”
Sakai was a prolific writer who wrote around 150 songs during her 17-year career, including the opening theme tune to Dragon Ball GT — “Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku” — for Field of View. She also wrote hits for other J-pop groups, such as Wands and Deen, and penned the lyrics for all but two of Zard’s tracks. As well as music, Sakai was known for her poetry and oil paintings.
Izumi Sakai’s Death
In 2006, Sakai was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Though the tumor was removed, in April 2007, the cancer spread to her lungs. While in Keio University Hospital, she was known to take daily walks. Encouraged by how treatment was going, she had reportedly started planning for a new album.
During one of her walks on May 26, Sakai accidentally fell 3 meters off a landing of a staircase outside the hospital, which was wet as it had been raining. A passerby saw the singer and she was taken to the emergency room. Sadly, she never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead the following day. She was 40.
A public memorial service was held for Sakai a month after her death. Around 40,000 people attended. A series of memorial concerts were held in September 2007, which immediately sold out. The following year, Zard embarked on a nationwide tour in her honor, with the final concert taking place at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on the first anniversary of Sakai’s death.
