Iwasaki Yoshimi

Iwasaki Yoshimi was born on June 15, 1961 in Tokyo, Japan. Her older sister is the renowned singer Iwasaki Hiromi. In the beginning, after her older sister's initial success as a singer, Yoshimi wanted a piece of fame for her own. In the late 70s she acted in theatre, and tv dramas; however, Yoshimi wanted to sing. Yoshimi knew that she would probably be overshadowed in the music business by her successful older sister, but she opted for a singing career anyways. Around the time of her graduation from Horikoshi High School (pretty much the school ALL idols have seemed to attend :O), she was signed onto Pony Canyon records. She released her first single "Aka to kuro" in February 1980, and it was received rather well, as people knew her sister's fame, they saw Yoshirin (her nickname) as having a great vocal ability like her sister. That New Year's Eve, Yoshimi was invited to perform at Kouhaku Utagassen (her older sister Hiromi had been attending consecutively since her debut in 1975), as seeing the two sisters together would create some great publicity. Yoshimi performed her 3rd single "Anata iro no Manon" and gained some recognition as more than a starting off artist, while her older sister looked on in support the whole time. The public actually really enjoyed seeing the sisters together, as it didn't happen very often due to each other's busy schedules. After awhile though Yoshimi's glow seemed to fade in the eyes of the public and she was becoming just another ok idol, nothing too special. Toward the end of 1984, her career seemed to be in dire straits as her singles kept jumping higher and higher on the Oricon charts (japanese equivalent of Billboard's 100), her last single of 1984 earning a dismal spot at 94. But 1985 brought in new hope for Yoshimi as she was cast as a voice actress and the main singer for the anime "Touch." This helped her career get back up from the lows she had been experiencing. Even if it didn't last too long, the success brought by her decision to be a part of "Touch" gave her, her one and only top ten single, the 2nd opening to the anime, "Ai ga hitoribocchi." After her work with "Touch" was over, she received many invitations to star in TV dramas, of course she accepted and has become a rather famous TV drama star. As though her career in music seemed to dwindle, a new career arose for her in television, which she is still acting in many dramas to date. It's good to know her story has a good ending so far. Some of Yoshimi's more famous singles are: "Anata no iro Manon", "Gomen ne Darling", "Touch", and "Ai ga hitoribocchi."

Personal Favorite Yoshimi Song: Anata iro no Manon
Number ones: 0
Top ten percentage: 1 song out of 27 = 4%

Singles

#	Song Title	Release Date	Highest Position	My Rating	Picture
1.	Aka to kuro	2/21/1980	19	7/10
2.	Suzukaze	5/21/1980	18	8/10
3.	Anata iro no Manon	8/21/1980	22	10/10
4.	I THINK SO	12/21/1980	23	7/10
5.	Shiki	3/21/1981	30	7/10
6.	LA WOMAN	6/5/1981	34	8/10
7.	Gomen ne Darling	9/5/1981	41	8/10
8.	Aishite Mon Amour	1/21/1982	25	-
9.	Tokidoki ryokou	4/21/1982	34	8/10
10.	Margarita Girl	7/21/1982	41	7/10
11.	Keshou nante niawanai	10/5/1982	49	8/10
12.	Koi hodo suteki na Show wa nai	1/21/1983	22	7/10
13.	Last Dance ni wa hayasugiru	4/21/1983	44	7/10
14.	Tsuki no hamabe	7/21/1983	47	8/10
15.	Oshare ni Kiss Me	10/21/1983	68	-
16.	Pretender	1/5/1984	41	-
17.	Ai wa doko ni itta no	4/21/1984	86	-
18.	Kuchibiru kara Suspense	7/5/1984	73	-
19.	Yokohama Headlight	10/21/1984	94	8/10
20.	Touch	3/21/1985	12	7/10
21.	Ai ga hitoribocchi	10/16/1985	10	8/10
22.	Che-! Che-! Che-!	6/5/1986	15	9/10
23.	Jounetsu monogatari	2/5/1987	31	7/10
24.	ONLY HE	8/5/1987	-	-
25.	Garasu no Carnival	7/1/1989	-	-
26.	Message	11/1/1998	-	-
27.	Comme l'oiseau: Tori ni natte	?/?/2001	-	-