Atsuko Hiyajo

Atsuko Hiyajo
比屋定 篤子
Born (1971-12-24) 24 December 1971
Naha, Okinawa, Japan
GenresPop
OccupationSinger
InstrumentVocals
Years active1997–present
Labels

Atsuko Hiyajo (Japanese: 比屋定 篤子, Hepburn: Hiyajō Atsuko; born 24 December 1971) is a Japanese singer and radio personality. Born in Naha, she performed for a band while at Musashino Art University, as well as her own concerts in Tokyo. Making her major label debut in 1997, she released several albums and singles with Epic Records Japan and Sony Music Entertainment Japan in the 1990s and 2000s. Following her return to Okinawa, she began working as an independent musician, collaborating with Ryusenkei and other musicians, and served as the Wednesday host for RBC iRadio's At BBS . One of her songs, "Maware Maware", received renewed popularity from the city pop boom of the 2010s.

Biography

Hiyajo was born on 24 December 1971 in Naha and was educated at Okinawa Prefectural Naha High School and Musashino Art University.[1] She performed for a band and joined a Latin Music Research Society during her time at university.[2]

Hiyajo's music career began when she started performing her own concerts in Tokyo and composing original content.[3][2] In 1997, she released her first major-label release with "Koyoi Kono Mama".[2] One of her songs, "Mebius" (1998), was the ending theme of the TBS travel show Sekai Ururun Taizaiki .[4] In addition to her singles, she released three albums with Epic Records Japan and Sony Music Entertainment Japan.[5][6][7] Writing for Popeye, Ryohei Matsunaga remarked that "Hiyajo's expansive, soaring vocals possess a timeless appeal that transcends fleeting trends—a voice instantly recognizable even from a distance."[3]

Hiyajo returned to Okinawa in 2001, but continued to make live performances and newer musical releases.[3] She collaborated with Ryusenkei, with one example being the song "Natural Woman" (2009).[8] In 2015, she released an album with Yuko Sato, Ryukyu Standard, through Tuff Beats; covering Ryukyuan children's songs, it was described by Eiko Kamoshida of Intoxicate as "embod[ying] a deep sense of nostalgia for Okinawa".[9] She performed "Okinawa Wawawa", a 2016 ending theme for Shimajirō no Wow!.[10] In 2017, she released her album Kaze to Uroko.[3] She also formed the trio Fin-Tong with Hiroaki Sugawara and Shigeharu Sasago.[2]

Outside of her career as a musical artist, Hiyajo has worked as a radio DJ,[3] once serving as the Wednesday host for RBC iRadio's At BBS .[1]

Some of Hiyajo's music has regained popularity amidst the city pop boom of the 2010s. Such growing demand from the city pop boom resulted in a 2017 seven-inch single re-release of her 1998 song "Maware Maware".[3] "Maware Maware" became popular after the city pop boom came to South Korea, with Matsunaga attributing its popularity to the efforts of Japanese musician Yohei Hasegawa.[3] It also appeared in the 2024 city pop compilation City Pop Groovy '90s: Girls & Boys.[11] Additionally, her album Sasayakareta Yume no Hanashi was re-released by Sony Music Japan in 2022 as part of their Aldelight City Pop Collection series,[12] and will receive a vinyl re-release as part of the City Pop on Vinyl 2026 series in July 2026.[13]

Discography

Albums

Title Details
Nostalgia
(のすたるじあ)[5]
  • Released: 12 December 1997
  • Label: Epic Records Japan
Sasayakareta Yume no Hanashi
(ささやかれた夢の話)[6]
  • Released: 20 February 1999
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records
Lua Laranja
(ルア・ラランジャ)[7]
  • Released: 1 October 1999
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records
Hiyajō
(ひやじょう)[14]
  • Released: 20 February 2004
  • Label: Happiness Records
Live+
(stylized as LIVE +)[15]
  • Released: 03 May 2006
  • Label: Happiness Records
A Million Smiles
(in all-caps)[16]
  • Released: 21 November 2007
  • Label: Happiness Records
Kinō to Chigau Kyō: Hiyajōatsuko Best & Rare
(昨日と違う今日～比屋定篤子ベスト&レア)[17]
  • Released: 23 November 2016
  • Label: Sony Music Direct
Kaze to Uroko
(風と鱗)[18]
  • Released: 13 December 2017
  • Label: Happiness Records

Singles

Title Details
"Koyoi Kono Mama"
(今宵このまま)[19]
  • Released: 21 June 1997
  • Label: Epic Records Japan
"Kimi no Sumu Machi ni Tonde Ikitai"
(君の住む街にとんで行きたい)[20]
  • Released: 22 October 1997
  • Label: Epic Records Japan
"Sweet Rhapsody"[21]
  • Released: 22 April 1998
  • Label: Epic Records Japan
"Maware Maware"
(まわれ まわれ)[22]
  • Released: 1 August 1998
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records
"Mebius"
(メビウス)[4]
  • Released: 21 November 1998
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records
"Nanairo Shinwa"
(七色神話)[23]
  • Released: 23 July 1999
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records
"Orenji-iro no Gogo ni"
(オレンジ色の午後に)[24]
  • Released: 22 September 1999
  • Label: Sony Music Associated Records

References

  1. 1 2 "アーティスト紹介 比屋定篤子 （ 那覇高４３期）". 関東城岳同窓会-県立二中、那覇高校出身者の同窓会 (in Japanese). 9 November 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "比屋定篤子". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Matsunaga, Ryohei (2024). "ONGAKU三題噺". Popeye (in Japanese). No. 929.
  4. 1 2 "メビウス | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "のすたるじあ | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "ささやかれた夢の話 | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 "ルア・ラランジャ | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Shibasaki, Yuji. "RYUSENKEIが貫き続ける不変の美意識とは? 全キャリアから万遍なく選曲された初ベスト盤『Time Machine Love 2003-25』". Bounce (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 June 2026 – via Mikiki.
  9. ↑ Kamoshida, Eiko. "〈沖縄のサウダージヴォイス〉比屋定篤子とジャズ・ピアニストのサトウユウ子、沖縄のわらべうたを温もりあるピアノと歌で聴かせるコラボ作". Intoxicate (in Japanese). No. 2015 December. Retrieved 16 June 2026 – via Mikiki.
  10. ↑ "しまじろうのわお！「おとうさん ふとったの？」(テレ東、2016/1/9 08:30 OA)の番組情報ページ" (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 June 2026 – via www.tv-tokyo.co.jp.
  11. ↑ "キリンジ、NONA REEVESも収録! 究極のシティポップコンピ第2弾『CITY POP GROOVY '90s』CD版の詳細が決定". Mikiki (in Japanese). 4 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "ソニーミュージックのシティポップの名盤再発シリーズ『ALDELIGHT CITY POP COLLECTION』第1弾10タイトルが11月23日発売". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "「CITY POP on VINYL 2026」2026年7月18日開催". Tower Records Japan. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "ひやじょう | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "LIVE + | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "A MILLION SMILES | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "昨日と違う今日～比屋定篤子ベスト&レア | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "風と鱗 | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "今宵このまま | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "君の住む街にとんで行きたい | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Sweet Rhapsody | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "まわれ まわれ | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "七色神話 | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "オレンジ色の午後に | 比屋定篤子". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2026.
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