Japanese singer Hideki Saijo, best known for cover version of global hit ‘YMCA’, dies aged 63
Performer – a star across Asia – influenced golden era of Canto-pop era in the 1970s and ’80s and counted Hong Kong singer Anita Mui as his biggest fan
Hideki Saijo, a Japanese singer popular across Asia, who was best known for his cover version of the international hit Y.M.C.A., died of acute heart failure on Wednesday, his office said. He was 63.
The television celebrity took the Japanese music industry by storm in the 1970s and ’80s – also influencing the golden era of Canto-pop during those two decades – by rolling out numerous hits including Young Man, the Japanese version of US disco group Village People’s hit Y.M.C.A. in 1979, and Kizudarake no Lola (Scarred Lola) in 1974.
Saijo, who was also an actor, made his debut in the entertainment industry in 1972 at the age of 16 and quickly rose to stardom along with idol singers Hiromi Go and Goro Noguchi.
Together they were dubbed “Shin Gosanke,” or the “top three”.
Saijo, who had been performing concerts in other Asian countries since the 1980s – and counted the late Hong Kong singer Anita Mui as his biggest fan – sang at an event on the eve of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, in South Korea, where public performances of Japanese songs had been banned.
He was also the first Japanese performer to sing in front of China’s Great Wall in 1998.
Captivating fans with his passionate singing style and dynamic stage performance, Saijo produced a number of hits such as Boomerang Street in 1977.