Akiko Wada
和田 アキ子
Born
Kim Bokja

(1950-04-10) April 10, 1950
Occupations
  • Singer
  • tarento
  • businesswoman
Years active1968present
AgentHoripro
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Japanese name
Hiraganaわだ あきこ
Katakanaワダ アキコ
Japanese name
Kanji飯塚 現子
Hiraganaいいづか あきこ
Katakanaイイヅカ アキコ
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGim Bok-ja
McCune–ReischauerKim Pokcha
Websitewww.ako50.com

Akiko Wada (和田 アキ子, Wada Akiko, born April 10, 1950) is a Japanese singer, tarento and businesswoman from Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture.

She has various nicknames, one being "Akko". Due to her above-average height (174 cm or 5'8.5"), she is also nicknamed "jotei" (女帝), meaning "empress".

Biography

Akiko Wada is Japanese of Korean ethnicity. She was born Kim Bok-ja (Korean: 김복자, Hanja: 金福子, Kim is the family name). Like many Zainichi Koreans, she also had a Japanese-style name for everyday use, Fukuko Kaneumi (金海福子, Kaneumi Fukuko). When she took Japanese citizenship, her name became Akiko Wada (和田 現子, Wada Akiko), which upon marriage became Akiko Iizuka (飯塚 現子, Iizuka Akiko).

She is signed to the Horipro entertainment agency.[1]

Career

At age 17, she dropped out of school and performed in clubs. She was signed to the Horipro entertainment agency and released her debut single, "Hoshizora no Kodoku" in 1968 and had her first hit the next year with "Doshaburi no Ame no Naka de". She performed on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a music show broadcast live every New Year's Eve, in 1970 and has performed over 30 times on the show since then. She received the award for Best Song at the 1972 Japan Record Awards for "Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata".

She played the voice of Bowser in Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!.[2] She has also voiced Marge Simpson in the Japanese version of The Simpsons Movie.

She also performed with the music group M-Flo on the song "Hey!" on their 2005 album Beat Space Nine.

Wada performed at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York in September 2008 as part of her 40th debut anniversary tour.[3]

Kōhaku Uta Gassen Appearances

NumberYearSongAppearance orderOpponentRemarks
211970笑って許して (Waratte Yurushite, "Laugh and Forgive")2/24Mizuhara HiroshiKōhaku debut
221971天使になれない (Tenshi ni Narenai, "Can't be an Angel")3/25Kenichi Mikawa
231972孤独 (Kodoku, "Solitude")2/23Four Leaves
241973Waratte Yurushite (repeat)6/22Yukio Hashi
251974美しき誤解 (Utsukushiki Gokai, "Beautiful Misunderstanding")10/25Kaientai
261975もっと自由に (Motto Jiyū ni, "More Freely")6/24DOWN TOWN BOOGIE WOOGIE BAND
271976雨のサタデー (Ame no Satadē, "Rainy Saturday")7/24Hideki Saijo
281977夜更けのレストラン (Yoake no Resutoran, "Break of dawn Restaurant")12/24Masao Sen
291978コーラス・ガール (Kōrasu Gāru, "Chorus Girl")13/24Masao Sen (2)
371986もう一度ふたりで歌いたい (Mō Ichido Futari de Utaitai, "Sing with the Two of Us Once More")12/20Sugawara YouichiReturned after 8 years
381987抱擁 (Hōyō, "Embrace")20/20Hiroshi ItsukiHost and finale for red team
391988だってしょうがないじゃない (Datte Shōganai Janai, "Can't Be Helped")9/21Yoshi IkuzōRed team host
401989Datte Shōganai Janai (repeat)19/20Shinji TanimuraHost and penultimate performance for red team
411990抱かれ上手 (Dakare Jōzu, "Good at Being Held")27/29Saburō Kitajima
421991あの鐘を鳴らすのはあなた (Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata, "You Are the One That Rings That Bell")28/28Shinji Tanimura (2)Red team finale
431992愛、とどきますか (Ai, Todokimasuka?, "Does Love Reach You?")27/28Masashi SadaRed team penultimate performance
441993星空の孤独 (Hoshizora no Kodoku, The Loneliness of The Starry Night)24/26Shinji Tanimura (3)
451994Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata (repeat)22/25Akira Kobayashi
461995Mō Ichido Futari de Utaitai (repeat)25/25Takashi HosokawaRed team finale
471996Mother20/25Masashi Sada (2)
481997 (Yume, "Dream")24/25Saburō Kitajima (2)Host and penultimate performance for red team
491998今あなたにうたいたい (Ima Anata ni Utaitai, "I Want to Sing to You Now")25/25Hiroshi Itsuki (2)Show finale
501999Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata (repeat)27/27Saburō Kitajima (3)Red team finale
512000Mō Ichido Futari de Utaitai (repeat)27/28Saburō Kitajima (4)Red team penultimate performance
522001Yume (repeat)27/27Saburō Kitajima (5)Red team finale
532002Hōyō (repeat)25/27Masashi Sada (3)
542003古い日記 2003 KOUHAKU Remix (Furui Nikki Kōhaku Rimikkusu, "Old Diary Kōhaku Remix")27/28Hiroshi Itsuki (3)
552004Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata (repeat)22/28Yuzu
562005HEY!27/29Misato WatanabeAppeared under white team
572006Mother (repeat)23/27Masafumi Akikawa
582007Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata (repeat)26/27Shinichi MoriRed team penultimate performance
592008Yume (repeat)26/26Kiyoshi HikawaRed team finale
602009Mō Ichido Futari de Utaitai (repeat)22/25Kobukuro
612010AKKOィィッ!紅白2010スペシャル (Akko! Kōhaku 2010 Supesharu)
Medley consisting of 人生はこれから (Jinsei wa Korekara), Waratte Yurushite (repeat), Furui Nikki (repeat)
16/22Yūzō Kayama
622011Ano Kane o Narasu Nowa Anata (repeat)19/25Arashi
632012Ai, Todokimasuka? (repeat)21/25Akihiro Miwa
642013今でもあなた (Ima Demo Anata)17/26Tokio
652014古い日記〜2014紅白スペシャル〜 (Furui Nikki 2014 Supesharu)11/23V6First half finale
662015Waratte Yurushite (repeat)11/25Takashi Hosokawa (2)

References

  1. "ホリプロオフィシャルサイト -和田アキ子-". Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  2. "Sûpâ Mario Burazâzu.: Pîchi-hime kyushutsu dai sakusen." Internet Movie Database. Accessed 29 May 2009.
  3. "Akiko Wada performs at Apollo Theater in New York". Japan Today. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
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