Singer Miyako Otsuki appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on April 20th. She spoke about her feelings on being called a "late bloomer" and about her actions during the live broadcast of the Japan Record Awards, which she still regrets.
She debuted in 1964 at the age of 17. It took her 20 years to get her first hit, and 28 years after her debut, she won the Japan Record Award for "Shiroi Kaikyo" (White Strait). "It was so much fun, I never once thought about quitting," she said with a smile. The program also showed photos from when she debuted, as well as a picture of her in a bikini swimsuit, looking like she was having fun on Amami Oshima, which she visited for the first time when she was 21.
She was invited to sing in shows featuring senior artists from the same record company, such as Michiya Mihashi, Hachiro Kasuga, Yoko Kishi, Chiemi Eri, and Peggy Hayama. "I was so happy that so many people called me Miyako-chan and that I was able to perform with them," she said. "I'm sure everyone who supports me wanted to see more, but I was just so happy that I was able to sing today."
He then confided to Kuroyanagi that there was "something I still deeply regret." It was when he received the Best Vocal Performance Award at the Japan Record Awards for "Onna no Eki" (1987). Despite it being a live broadcast, he was so happy about winning that he ended up talking on and on. He didn't even notice the signal to wrap things up, and when they said, "Shall we go on with the song?", the intro began, and he thought, "But I'm still talking..." Afterwards, the Grand Prize was announced and Kondo Masahiko won, but as the program was nearing its end, Kondo started singing with only a brief comment, and the captions began scrolling across the screen.
"Later, when I received the grand prize for 'Shiroi Kaikyo' (White Strait) in 1992, I was so happy that I wanted to say something, but they said, 'Okay, let's get to the song,' and this time they didn't let me say anything at all," she laughed.
