23 Facts About Miki Matsubara

Miki Matsubara was a Japanese composer, lyricist, and singer from Kishiwada, Osaka.

Miki Matsubara participated in the opening and ending theme songs of the TV anime Gu-Gu Ganmo under the name "Suzie Matsubara".

Miki Matsubara spent her childhood in Hiraoka Town, Nishi-ku, Sakai, Osaka.

Miki Matsubara grew up in a family of four, including a father, a mother and a younger sister.

Miki Matsubara's father was a board member of a hospital and her mother was a jazz singer who had sung with the Japanese jazz band and comedy group Crazy Cats.

Miki Matsubara started learning the piano at the age of three and later became familiar with jazz.

Around this time Miki Matsubara became interested in rock music and joined the rock band "Kurei".

Miki Matsubara was described as an excellent student and was expected by many around her to attend college, but at that time she had already made plans to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

In 1977, when she was still in high school, Miki Matsubara went to Tokyo alone at the age of 17 to make her debut as a singer.

Miki Matsubara started her career in 1979 and is known from hit songs such as her debut and immediate breakthrough "Mayonaka no Door " which has been covered by numerous artists, including Akina Nakamori.

Miki Matsubara was offered by many to perform in college festivals, concerts and so on.

Miki Matsubara had some international work with Motown jazz fusion group Dr Strut in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Osaka, later releasing a jazz cover album titled Blue Eyes.

Miki Matsubara composed songs for a couple of anime, some of her most known musical compositions were for the anime series Gundam.

Miki Matsubara composed songs for several singers, like Hitomi Mieno, but her most notable works were likely with the singer and actress Mariko Kouda, whom Miki Matsubara composed multiple songs to.

Kouda's song "Ame no Chi Special", which Miki Matsubara composed, was featured in the five-minute music television and radio series Minna no Uta as a music video in 1997.

Miki Matsubara married Masaki Honjo, a support musician for her band.

Miki Matsubara burned all her cherished sheet music and records.

In 2001, it was revealed that Miki Matsubara's actions were prompted by a late-stage cancer diagnosis she had received at the time, after which she began treatment.

Miki Matsubara associated her career with the time when she became ill, so putting music behind her was in hopes for a new chance at life.

Miki Matsubara regretted doing music as she wished she got to enjoy life more instead of focusing on her career.

Miki Matsubara returned to her parents' home and spent her final years battling her illness.

Miki Matsubara's death was announced to the public two months later.

An increased interest in city pop during the 21st century, particularly the 2010s, contributed to Miki Matsubara gaining global recognition and "Stay with Me" becoming a resurgent hit in the West and throughout Asia in 2020.