In this "Fateful Encounters" segment, we ask today's most popular artists and actors about the people who influenced them. This time, Kiyotaka Sugiyama, the vocalist of "Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe," who will be holding a concert titled "Oi, Hiroishi!!" at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall (Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) on July 19, talks about his fateful encounter with composer Tetsuji Hayashi, who wrote all of Omega Tribe's hit singles.
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The turning point for us was meeting the composer Tetsuji Hayashi. Without him, our musical careers would never have begun.
Before I met Hayashi-san, before I decided to make my professional debut (in 1983), I bought the record "Mayonaka no Door ~ Stay With Me" (1979) by Hayashi-san (sung by Matsubara Miki). When I saw the credits, I thought, "This guy called Hayashi Tetsuji is writing songs. He writes cool songs. His sense is a little different from Japanese songs up until now." Since then, I've been listening to Hayashi-san's songs frequently.
When the talk of our debut was decided and I heard that Hayashi-san would be working on our songs, I thought, "Here it comes!" I thought that our debut was definitely going to happen.
I told this story to Hayashi-san himself. I've forgotten what his reaction was, since it was a long time ago, but I think he said something like, "That's the same for both of us" (laughs).
Recently, there seems to be a revival of the 1980s city pop that Hayashi and others created. Nowadays, anyone can listen to the music they like anywhere and freely, and can also broadcast it themselves. In this environment, it makes me very happy and grateful as someone who created it that songs that are a snapshot of that short, fleeting era in Japan's 1980s, when culture, fashion, and music were unique, are now reaching the younger generation. Please keep listening.
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The people who influenced me in terms of vocal production and vocal style are Paul McCartney and Steve Perry of the rock band "Journey". These two are my ideals. Paul in particular can produce any voice, and I have always admired him since I was a teenager and wanted to be like him. My favorite song is "Oh! Darlin'".
I'm in my mid-60s now, but I've been watching my diet for about 20 years now. We travel a lot, so we drink and eat as much as we want when we're traveling, but in return, we eat simple meals when we get home. We try to eat a lot of natto, rice, miso soup, fish, and vegetables.
My time to relax is when I'm surfing. If I have a day off, if I have a chance, I'll go to the ocean (laughs). I just spend time staring blankly at the ocean. When a wave comes, I just ride it. Spending time like that without thinking about anything is very relaxing.
Stretching after coming out of the waves and stretching every day is essential. My daily routine is stretching before going to bed. I sometimes spend a lot of time sitting, so I stretch my legs and my lower back. When I play the guitar, my arms get stiff, so I stretch those too.
In 10 years, I'll be 75 years old. I have no idea what I'll be like, but my senior (singer-songwriter) Minami Yoshitaka, who I work with, is 10 years older than me. Looking at him, I feel like I still have a lot of potential.
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Sugiyama Kiyotaka Born July 17, 1959, in Isogo Ward, Yokohama. Blood type AB. In 1980, he won a Popcon award with his predecessor band, "Kyuti Panchos." In 1983, he made his major debut with "Sugiyama Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe." He released many hit songs, including "SUMMER SUSPICION," "Your Heart is Marine Blue," and "Futari no Natsu Monogatari - NEVER ENDING SUMMER-." The band broke up in 1985. The following year, in 1986, he made his solo debut with "Sayonara no Ocean."
*The performance that Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe will hold at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall on July 19th will be a memorial concert for the band's original member and drummer Keiichi Hiroishi, who passed away in March this year, and is titled "Hey, Hiroishi!!" WOWOW will be exclusively broadcasting and streaming the concert live on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 5pm on the same day (archived streaming will be available on WOWOW On Demand for two weeks after the concert).
