History Music / YumiMatsutoya

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: While she's ultimately a pop singer through and through, she draws from a diverse range of genres and subgenres.

* OneOfUs: She was concerned that renowned figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (a household name in Japan, who skated to her song "Haru yo, koi") might have a standoffish or diva attitude given his fame, but when she finally met him she ended up being awed by him similar to how many of his fans feel. In an interview, she said she hardly dared to stand close to the much younger man because she found him "so pure" that she didn't want to "besmirch" him.

** In addition, her songs "Nani mo Kikanaide" (Don't Ask Me Anything) and "Rouge no Dengon" act as two sides of the same coin, the former being from the POV of [[YourCheatingHeart the other woman]] and the latter from the jilted wife. The two songs were featured on the same single and appear back-to-back on the album "Cobalt Hour."

* LyricalDissonance: In one of her most popular songs, no less! "Rouge no Dengon" (yes, the one from [[Anime/KikisDeliveryService Kiki's Delivery Service]]) is about a woman who discovers that her husband [[YourCheatingHeart has been unfaithful,]] and goes to rat him out to his mother, after using her rouge to write a message in the bathroom telling him that she knows. Possibly intended to be a case of BlackComedy.

Yuming began [[ChildProdigy playing piano at a young age]], and became active as a studio musician and songwriter [[TeenGenius while she was still a teenager.]] In 1972, she released her first single under her maiden name Yumi Arai, and released an album annually from 1973 to 1976. Because of her fairly plain looks and just-good-enough vocals, she struggled at first to find an audience, but steadily grew a dedicated fanbase due to her excellent songwriting and sharp production. She eventually broke through to mainstream success in 1975 with the single "Rouge no Dengon" (ルージュの伝言, ''Message in Rouge''), and has been a superstar ever since. After [[YokoOhNo marry]][[AvertedTrope ing]] [[CreatorCouple her producer Masataka Matsutoya]], she continued to grow in popularity, becoming perhaps the biggest name in J-Pop during TheEighties, both setting trends and borrowing from them. However, no matter how "mainstream" her music has become, she has always maintained [[AuteurLicense a high degree of creative control]] and an uncanny ability to craft brilliant melodies and insightful lyrics.

Outside of Japan, she is most famous for her work with StudioGhibli; two of her [[SignatureSong most iconic]] [[TheSeventies '70s]] songs were featured in [[Anime/KikisDeliveryService Kiki's Delivery Service]] and another was [[RevivalByCommercialization popularized]] by its usage in [[Anime/TheWindRises The Wind Rises]].

* PromotedFangirl: Was a fan of the band [[Music/ProcolHarum Procol Harum]] as a teenager. In 2012, she had the opportunity to perform with them, and even recorded a new version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" with them.

Yumi [[FanNickname "Yuming"]] Matsutoya is a Japanese singer-songwriter. While she is fairly obscure in most parts of the world, she is one of the legends of JapanesePopMusic in her native country, having been [[LongRunners active since 1972]] and having produced some of the country's most beloved pop songs of [[TheSeventies the '70s]] and [[TheEighties '80s]]. As a songwriter, she was initially influenced by artists like CaroleKing and JoniMitchell, as well as bands like ProcolHarum. However, as her career has gone on, she has drawn from [[GenreRoulette a vast array of musical genres,]] while still fundamentally remaining a Pop musician.

Outside of Japan, she is most famous for her work with StudioGhibli; two of her [[SignatureSong most iconic]] [[TheSeventies '70s]] songs were featured in [[Anime/KikisDeliveryService Kiki's Delivery Service]] and another was [[ColbertBump popularized]] by its usage in [[Anime/TheWindRises The Wind Rises]].

** We also have "Chinese Soup," which is a bouncy ragtime number [[spoiler:[[CrossesTheLineTwice that may or may not be about]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism.]]]]

* CreatorCouple: Married her producer Masataka Mastutoya.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Being Japanese, this shows up at times when she puts [[GratuitousEnglish English words and phrases]] into her lyrics.