Double is the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

for Japanese R&B singer (born March 14, 1975). Double used to be the name for the two member R&B group consisting of Takako and her sister Sachiko (1973 - 1999). After the death of Sachiko, Takako started her solo career adopting Double as her stage name. Double has been titled as the "Queen of R&B" and is considered to be a pioneer for being the first artist to bring American-style R&B to Japan.

History

Early life and musical interest

Takako Hirasawa was born in Niigata, Japan. After her older sister Sachiko came back from a trip to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, she introduced Takako to the music of Mary J. Blige. Inspired by the 1992 video to Real Love, the two sisters decided to enter the music business as R&B artists. The duo began by performing at the US

Yokota Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo. It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa. The base houses 14,000 perso ...

Fussa, Tokyo is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 56,786, and a population density of 5600 persons per km². The total area of the city is . About one third of the city area is occu ...

Music career

On February 4, 1998, Double made their debut as a duo. They released the single, "For Me", which debuted on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...

chart at #89. They released three more singles, "Desire", "Bed" (both 1998) and "Shake" (1999). "Shake" was the duo's highest charting single, peaking at #21. Before the release of their debut album ''Crystal'', Sachiko died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage in May 1999. In June, ''Crystal'' was released and made its debut at #2. One of the first major successes for modern R&B in Japan it is considered a major influence paving the way for later acts such as

Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, " Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...

, Ai and a re-styled

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

. After the death of her sister, Double went on a hiatus and returned to the music industry in June 2000. Retaining the stage name, Double released her first solo single, "U", which came in at #29 and had a video produced by Brian Alexander Morgan (

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

). She released one more single, "Angel", before releasing her

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

debut solo album, ''Double'', which peaked #13. Double later released an English version of the album, ''Double (Eng Ver.)'', which debuted at #30. In 2004 Double completed a personal ambition to record a

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

album, titled "Life is Beautiful" in which she teamed up with leading Japanese producers

m-flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists ...

. In 2007 for her album "Reflex", Double teamed up with US Hip-Hop trio

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

for "Say I Gotta Believe," and with American rapper

Ak'Sent Krystle Kantrece Johnson (born May 29, 1987), better known by her stage name Ak'Sent, is an American rapper. She is from Los Angeles, California. Early life and career Ak'Sent's father Charles Johnson is of African-American descent, while her ...

for "We International." Throughout her career Double has showed a strong sexuality through her image, cover art and videos, something not usually associated with Japanese artists. She has put this down to her influence from

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and has stated that she feels natural to present herself as sexy even if music buyers feel shy to pick up her CDs. Double has also made a point to avoid appearing on TV shows and remain out of the limelight, performing live only sporadically. She has confessed to being nervous about performing live due to being a perfectionist that can't undo things on stage, thus preferring the studio. To commemorate her tenth anniversary, Double released her first greatest hits album, ''10 Years Best We R&B'', which debuted at #2. Double also released her first collaboration album, ''The Best Collaborations'', which like her previous album debuted at #2, selling 63,413 in its first week. The album featured a new song, "Black Diamond", with the "Queen of Hip-Pop"

and the two performed the track at the finale of Double's 2008 live tour at Tokyo's

Studio Coast ageHa (also as 'AGH') was a weekend club event in Tokyo, Japan. It was held on Friday and Saturday at the Usen Studio Coast event space in the Shin-Kiba district, which also hosted live concerts and other events. The word ''Ageha'' is Japanese fo ...

, whilst also appearing together at the 2008

MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online votin ...

Trivia

Double originally thought her career would be in the beauty industry as a makeup artist or hairdresser, if she did not pursue a career as a singer.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

'' (1999) * ''

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

'' (2000) * ''

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

'' (2002) * '' Wonderful'' (2003) * ''

Reflex In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...

'' (2007) * ''

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

'' (2011)

References

External links

Double official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Double Japanese women pop singers Japanese rhythm and blues singers Living people People from Niigata (city) 1975 births Musicians from Niigata Prefecture 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers