Yumi Mattôya

b. Yumi Arai, 29 January 1954, Tokyo, Japan. As the girl of a wealthy draper who could afford to provide her personal lessons in music, Yumi progressed into a lady singer-songwriter, debuting in 1972 with ‘Henji Wa Iranai’ (‘I Don’t Desire Any Reply’). Her 5th solitary, ‘Anohi Ni Kaeritai’ (‘I Desire TO RETURN To That Day time’), topped the Japan singles graph in 1975, after she wedded, acquiring the name Mattôya. The sense of airy urbanity which has characterized her lyrics and music, aswell as just how these were performed, added towards turning what got usually been known as ‘folk’ – a derivation of the type of music earlier produced by Bob Dylan – into ‘fresh music’, a field that could later on overwhelm kayôkyoku, previously the most frequent style of well-known music in Japan. The eclectic music of Mattôya, who’s fondly known as Yûmin, continues to be especially well-liked by female listeners.