Yoshiko Sai

Japanese singer (born 1953)

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Psychedelic folk
Jazz
Bossa nova
Flamenco
Progressive music
Art pop

Occupation(s)

Singer
composer
poet

Years active

1975–1979
2001–present

Labels

Teichiku Records (1975–1977)
Nippon Columbia (1977–1979)
P-Vine Records (2008–present)

Websitesaiyoshiko.com

Musical artist

Yoshiko Sai (佐井好子, Sai Yoshiko, born 22 June 1953) is a Japanese singer, composer and poet.

Musical career

Yoshiko Sai was born in the south of Nara Prefecture in 1953. As a child she liked to draw, and eventually also became a keen reader. Although tests left little time for this hobby during high school, she recalls that she read some works by Edogawa Ranpo. In junior high school she entered the chorus club. Then in senior high school she and four other students started a band inspired by the popular folk group "Akai Tori" (赤い鳥), but she was more interested in painting at the time (she would later be personally responsible for the artwork of most of her albums). After failing to enter the Kyoto University of the Arts in 1972 she enrolled in the law department at Doshisha University instead, but spent the following year bed-ridden by a kidney disease. During her convalescence she read many books by famous authors, but most of all bizarre and dreamlike novels by authors like Mushitarō Oguri, Tachibana Sotoo, Yumeno Kyūsaku, Juran Hisao and Seishi Yokomizo. She recalled that "... perhaps it was because of my illness, but reading dark novels made me feel calm." The books would have a large influence on her later songwriting. After being discharged she began to write poems, and came up with the idea of turning them into songs so that many people could listen to them at once.^[1]

She became a professional musician after meeting Rabi Nakayama after a concert, who was convinced to let her record her first album.

Yoshiko's first album was produced by Yuji Ohno who would later become famous for writing the soundtrack of anime franchise Lupin III. Soon after recording her second album, she wrote movie soundtracks.

Soon after her fourth album was out, Yoshiko Sai retired from the music industry. She kept low-profile until the 2000s when several re-publishing of her music and poems, as well as new material, emerged in Japan.^[1]