CINDY (Japanese singer‐songwriter Mayumi Yamamoto)

Mayumi Yamamoto (山本 真裕美, Yamamoto Mayumi; 5 May 1958 – 17 December 2001), known professionally as Cindy, was a Japanese singer, lyricist, and composer. Originally working in music journalism, she met Stevie Wonder and worked with him. She later released four albums – Love Life (1986), Angel Touch (1990), Don't Be Afraid (1991), and Surprise (1997) – and worked as a lyricist and composer for artists like Miho Nakayama. Since her death, her music has been associated with city pop and gained popularity among DJs in Japan. Mayumi Yamamoto, a native of Yokohama, was born on 5 May 1958. Her father was a Korean lyricist, and her mother was Japanese. Her stage name Cindy was her baptismal name, named after a fairy. After graduating from Santa Maria International High School in Yokohama, she moved to the United States. She subsequently worked in music journalism, where she interviewed such musicians as Lionel Richie. She received the attention of Stevie Wonder during an interview on the job, and the two later participated in recording sessions. After returning to Japan in 1982, she performed several commercial songs and participated in the LP recording of her close friend Ann Lewis. She sang "Chance On Love" and "Open Invitation", the theme songs of the 1981 anime adaptation of Urusei Yatsura; it was released as a single from Kitty Records in 1984. She released her debut album Love Life in 1986; Stevie Wonder worked on two of the album's songs. Her next two albums, Angel Touch and Don't Be Afraid, were released in 1990 and 1991. She also sang "Touch the Sky" as part of the collaboration album Tower of Love. Hata of Lightmellowbu said on Mikiki that Cindy's singing voice was like an "angel voice". In addition to singing, she was a composer and lyricist, working with Miho Nakayama as well as some of her own songs; among Cindy's compositions for Nakayama were "Mermaid", "Witches" (both 1988), "Rosécolor" (1989), and "Semi-sweet Magic" (1990). She also worked with Tatsuro Yamashita as a chorus singer, including in recordings and concerts. Cindy died on 17 December 2001. In 2015, remastered CD editions of Angel Touch and Don't Be Afraid produced by Tamotsu Yoshida [ja] were released. By 2021, several of Angel Touch's songs were being widely used in the Japanese DJ scene. One of them, "Watashitachi o Shinjite ite", was included in Sony Music Japan's 2021 city pop compilation Aldelight City: A New Standard For Japanese Pop 1975-2021 and in Hitoshi Kurimoto's 2024 album compilation City Pop Groovy 90's: Girls & Boys. "今月の新人". Myojo. Shueisha. December 1984. p. 158. 新訂現代日本人名錄 98. Vol. 2. 日外アソシエーツ. 1998. p. 1478. ISBN 978-4-8169-1468-3. Chance On Love/Open Invitation (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1984. 7DS-0081.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) "タワーレコードだけで買えるシティ・ポップ作品をご紹介". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025. "CINDYのアルバム2枚が吉田保リマスタリングで再発". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025. lightmellowbu (16 November 2021). "lightmellowbuが選ぶ〈91年リリースの1曲〉【アーティストと音楽関係者が選ぶ〈わたしの1曲〉】". mikiki by Tower Records (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025. "CINDY作曲の歌詞一覧 - 歌ネット". Uta-Net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "cindyjapan - Cindy シンディ". Instagram. Retrieved 10 February 2025. Tofubeats (16 February 2021). "【tofubeatsの棚の端まで】最終回 シティ――木村恵子や和田加奈子など、シティ・ポップからJ-Popへの過渡期の3枚". mikiki by Tower Records (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 February 2025. "ソニー・ミュージックダイレクト新レーベルからシティポップの名曲詰め込んだコンピ盤発売". Music Natalie (in Japanese). 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025. "90年代に特化したシティポップコンピ、アナログ＆CDで登場". Music Natalie (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025. LOVE LIFE (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1986. 28MS-0098.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) "ANGEL TOUCH | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "Don't be afraid | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025. "Surprise | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 February 2025. THINK YOUR LOVE AWAY/SPREAD THE LOVE (cover). Cindy. Kitty Records. 1986. 7DS-0107.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) "天使の気持ち | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "私達を信じていて | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "Special Ever Happened | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "愛がさびしい時 | Cindy". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. Official website (Sony Music Entertainment Japan) Cindy on Instagram