秋元薫 (singer)

Kaoru Akimoto (秋元薫, born June 5, 1964 in Tokyo) is a Japanese J-pop singer who performed during the 80s and 90s, during which the music genre Kayōkyoku was popular. She is most known for her 1986 album Cologne and the song "Dress Down", which became popular in the 2010s and 2020s due to the city pop music boom. Since its release, it has been remastered as Cologne + 1. Akimoto is also known for providing the vocals to soundtracks for various video games and providing backup vocals for other singers and music groups. Akimoto was born in Tokyo, Japan on June 5, 1964, into "a very ordinary family with no connection to music". As a child, Akimoto played the piano, which started her love of music and her future career as a singer. She participated in various singing auditions, winning several of them during her elementary school years. She went to First Girls High School in Sendai, during which she played in the school band and attended several more singing auditions. She also began writing her own lyrics, something she had done since childhood. Akimoto cites her musical style as being influenced by singers such as Chaka Khan and Saki Kubota, the latter of whom she often listened to throughout high school. During her college years at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Akimoto started her singing career, providing background vocals for singer Yumi Matsutoya as well as being a chorus singer for his international music tours. In 1985, she released the single "Paradox", which became the theme song for the OVA anime TV series Fire Tripper. According to Akimoto, this paved the way for her debut as a solo artist. The following year, Akimoto released her debut album Cologne featuring lyrics all self-written by Akimoto. The album initially was not a huge success, but increased in popularity decades later during the 2010s and 2020s with a resurgence of the city pop music genre amongst newer generations of music listeners. In 1989, Akimoto along with members of the jazz fusion band Casiopea joined together to form the music group Shambara, performing with the band in the 1990s. Akimoto continued to provide vocals for other singers and musicians into the 90s. Akimoto also provided vocals to soundtracks from other games and TV series such as GALAXY FRAULEIN Yuna Mika Akitaka Illust Works (銀河お嬢様伝説 ユナ あきたか みか イラストワークス) and Slow Step (1991). In the 1990s, Akimoto retired from performing but made a comeback in 2021 with the re-issued and remastered release of the 1986 album Cologne titled Cologne + 1. She also partnered with South Korean music producer Night Tempo to create an album titled The Showa Groove, featuring a remixed version of her hit "Dress Down". In 2022, Akimoto released the single "Narcissist". Rumic World Part 1: Flame Tripper Music Edition (るーみっくわーるど Part 1: 炎トリッパー音楽篇) (soundtrack, 1985, Victor Records) Paradox (1985 album) (パラドックス) (Victor Musical Industries Inc.) (from the soundtrack of the anime television series Fire Tripper) VIDEO ANIME vs TV ANIME Anime Song Best Collection (ビデオアニメvsテレビアニメ アニメソング ベストコレクション) (1986 vinyl LP) Cologne (1986 album) Rumic World PART 1 Fire Tripper <Drama Version> (るーみっく わーるど PART 1 炎(ファイヤー)トリッパー <ドラマ篇>) (1986 LP album) Shambara (1989 album) Slow Step (スローステップ オリジナル・サウンド・トラック) (1991 anime series soundtrack) Reflected in the Eyes (瞳に映して) (1991 album, Polydor Records) Comics Image 「Compiler」・Assembler (コミックスイメージ「コンパイラ」・アセンブラ) (1992 CD) Perfume (1992 album by Megumi Hayashibara) Tomodachi de Iikara (友達でいいから) (1994 album by Yumiko Takahashi) Dark Savior Sound Factory Series Vol. 3: Original Vocal Track (ダークセイバー サウンドファクトリーシリーズVOL.3オリジナル・ボーカルトラック) (1996 CD) GALAXY FRAULEIN Yuna Mika Akitaka Illust Works (銀河お嬢様伝説 ユナ あきたか みか イラストワークス) (1996 soundtrack album) Caravan on the Radio (キャラバン・オン・ザ・ラジオ) (1997 CD featuring music from games by Hudson Soft, primarily Bomberman) Dress Down (2017 LP vinyl) FINAL BOUT ~ SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day Tournament Original Soundtrack VOL. 3 (2020 CD) Cologne + 1 (2021 album) Narcissist (2022 single) Night Tempo Presents The Showa Groove (2022 album) Kaoru Akimoto, Kaoru Akimoto Discography 1986-1991, retrieved 2026-05-18 "KAORU AKIMOTO". 5ELEVEN Magazine. 2026-04-19. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "秋元薫(Akimoto Kaoru) "Dress down" (1986)". billiebirkin (in Korean). 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2026-05-18. J-canuck (2015-11-07). "Kayo Kyoku Plus: Kaoru Akimoto -- Dress Down". Kayo Kyoku Plus. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "GALAXY FRAULEIN Yuna Mika Akitaka Illust Works - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "TYCY-5157 | SLOW STEP ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "Kaoru Akimoto - Night Tempo presents The Showa Groove / Night Tempo, Kaoru Akimoto(아키모토 카오루/秋元薫)". 벅스! (in Korean). 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "JBX-25079 | Rumic World PART 1 "Fire Tripper" Music Compilation - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "JBX-2051 | VIDEO ANIME vs TV ANIME Anime Song Best Collection - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "JBX-25084 | Rumic World PART 1 Fire Tripper - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. Shambara (1989), Shambara (Kaoru Akimoto & Yurie Kokubu) - SHAMBARA, retrieved 2026-05-18 "KICA-102 | Comics Image 「Compiler」・Assembler - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "KICS-215 | Perfume / MEGUMI HAYASHIBARA - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "VIDL-10484 | Tomodachi de Iikara / Yumiko Takahashi - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "VICL-5327 | Dark Savior Sound Factory Series Vol. 3: Original Vocal Track - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "GALAXY FRAULEIN Yuna Mika Akitaka Illust Works - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "HCD-7082 | Caravan on the Radio - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18. "FINAL BOUT ~ SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day Tournament Original Soundtrack VOL. 3 - VGMdb". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 2026-05-18.