The history of Japanese chanson, which began with the first Japanese chanson singer, Awaya Noriko. The music video for "Zubi Zubi Zu" sung by Hina, a promising new chanson singer, has been released!

The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great star Fubuki Koshiji and the Paris Olympics, and the Japanese chanson world is suddenly showing signs of excitement. In this season, a CD called “Everyone Loves Japanese Chanson” is attracting attention, which is a collection of familiar songs from the recordings of chanson (French for “song”) kept by Nippon Columbia, Japan’s oldest record company. For those who are unfamiliar with chanson, it can be listened to as an introduction, and for chanson fans, it can be listened to as a look back at the history of chanson in Japan.

Noriko Awaya, who has been active since before the war, is said to be the first Japanese chanson singer, having been one of the first to sing foreign hits in Japanese, such as “Hito no Kimo Shiranade” (Don’t Know What I Feel), and popularizing them. The Takarazuka Revue Company also made a major contribution by popularizing songs such as “Sumire no Hana Saku Koro” (When the Violets Bloom). After the war, the chanson world was supported by such artists as Fubuki Koshiji, who celebrated her 100th birthday this year, Hiroshi Ashino, Natsuyo Mikumidori, Yoshiko Ishii, and Akihiro Maruyama (now Akihiro Miwa). The CD also includes Koshiji’s first recording of “Ai no Sanka” and Miwa’s debut song “Meke Meke.”

Currently, Kumiko and Sasaki Hidemi are active as chanson singers, but the chanson world holds the “Next Generation Chanson Singer Discovery Contest” every year to discover new chanson singers. The bonus track is “Zubi Zubi Zu” sung by Hina, a promising newcomer who won the 8th Grand Prix in 2022. The work was also released as a digital single, but the music video, filmed at the Japan Chanson Hall in Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture, has been completed and will be released on the YouTube channel “Chanson for you…” at 7pm today.

YouTube channel “Chanson for you…”

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEm0lZnDAJAxqgZaP4jTYLg

(CD) “Everybody Loves Japanese Chanson”