Miki Fujimura
Miki Fujimura (藤村 美樹 Fujimura Miki, born 15 January 1956 in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, and raised in Fukushima) is a former Japanese female singer.
Biography
After she was born in Setagaya, Tokyo, her family relocated to Fukushima. While at a summer camp organized by School Mates (Sukuuru Meitsu), a Japanese idol , she met Ran Ito and Yoshiko Tanaka in 1969. The following year, Ito and Tanaka signed contracts with Watanabe Productions. Fujimura's parents were against Miki going into show business, but Ito and Tanaka were able to convince them to allow Miki to join them. The three of them then debuted with the showbiz training group "School Mates". The three girls eventually formed their own unit by the name of Candies.[1]
Eventually, the trio caught the eye of songwriter Kōichi Morita. He wrote the song "Anata ni Muchū" (Crazy for You) to show the vocal power of the three girls. Fujimura was a strong lower alto harmony (to Tanaka's lead), and throughout Candies' five-year career, she was a supporting vocalist (to Ito's lead) on singles.
In July 1977, during a live performance, the trio made a surprise announcement that "[they] want[ed] to return to being normal girls" and immediately end their careers. After a press conference to calm down the masses, they announced the formal disbandment date during the following April. Thus, in December 1977, Fujimura was finally given the lead vocalist position on the single "Wana" (Trap). The single reached #2 on the Oricon charts, and was their highest-charting single until the following year, when they released their penultimate single "Hohoemi Gaeshi" (Return of a Smile) which charted at #1.
Candies broke up in April 1978 at a massive day-to-night concert. The group sang a total of 51 songs, and Fujimura finally was able to show her vocal prowess by leading many cover songs, including the song "For Freedom", which was the namesake of the concert.
After the group's breakup, she restarted as a solo pop singer in 1983. Her only single "Yume-Koi-Bito" (Dream Lover) reached #13 on the Oricon charts and sold over 160,000 copies. The single was used as an image song for Kanebo cosmetics, which made the song even more popular.
In April 1983, she married Yoshikazu Omi, a salaryman from Tokyo, with a televised reception and a final performance of her single. In the press conference after the reception, she withdrew from the music business to focus on her married life. Unlike her former Candies groupmates, she now goes by her married name, Miki Omi, and never returned to show business.
In 1984, she gave birth to her first child, Minori Omi, currently a stage actress for the Seinenza Theater Company.
In 2008, there were plans for a Candies reunion tour to celebrate 35 years since their debut and 30 years since their epic farewell concert. She refused to take part in the concert for the sake of her family. The tour never came about, but the trio contributed pictures and essays to release a commemoration "Time Capsule" best-of album instead.
In April 2011, after the death of fellow Candies member Yoshiko Tanaka, she made her first public appearance at her funeral ceremony and along with Ran Ito, delivered the eulogy.
Discography
Albums
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yume-Koi-Bito. (夢・恋・人。) | 1983-02-01 |
Singles
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yume Koibito (夢恋人) | 1983-03-25 |
Appearances
Television
- 1983, Tetsuko no Heya (Tetsuko's Room) - Talk Show
See also
- Yoshiko Tanaka, (a member of Candies)
- Ran Ito, (a member of Candies)
References
- ↑ キャンディーズ「同窓会」のおじさんたち オフ会のノリなのか. JCast (in Japanese). 7 April 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2010.