Yumi Matsutoya

Yumi Matsutoya (formerly Yumi Arai) became one of the most famous members of Japan's singer/songwriter era in the 1970s, and continued to garner hits into the 2000s, a notable feat if one considers the careers of her Western contemporaries: Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, and so on. Her voice is instantly recognizable: rough and smooth at the same time, bitter and sweet, slightly nasal, but deeper and lower than most Japanese female singers (it has become more so over time). She never fit the model of the cute, perky pop singer, but her fans are legion, allowing her to...