is a Japanese singer,

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in the United States were descri ...

and businesswoman from

Tennōji-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Japan, wards of Osaka, Japan. It is named after the ''Shitennō-ji'', the temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, which is located in the ward. General information Tennōji Station is the city's main southeastern rail termina ...

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

. She has various nicknames, one being "Akko". Due to her above-average height (174 cm or 5’8.5"), she is also nicknamed "jotei" (女帝), meaning "empress".

Biography

Akiko Wada is Japanese of Korean ethnicity. She was born Kim Bok-ja ( Korean: 김복자,

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 金福子, ''Kim'' is the family name). Like many

Zainichi Korean () are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...

s, she also had a Japanese-style name for everyday use, . When she took Japanese citizenship, her name became , which upon marriage became . She is signed to the

Horipro is a Japanese talent agent, talent agency that manages actors, entertainers and musicians, as well as commercial and television productions. It has locations in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville and Los Angeles in the United States. History I ...

entertainment agency.

Career

At age 15, she dropped out of high school after 2 or 3 days due to her father arbitrarily delivering a note telling the school that Akiko would quit attending the school. Then Akiko started performing in clubs due to boredom. She was signed to the

entertainment agency and released her debut single, "Hoshizora no Kodoku" in 1968 and had her first hit the next year with "Doshaburi no Ame no Naka de". She performed on

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

, a music show broadcast live every New Year's Eve, in 1970 and has performed over 30 times on the show since then. She received the award for Best Song at the 1972 Japan Record Awards for "Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata". She played the voice of

Bowser , also known as King Bowser or King Koopa, is a Character (arts), fictional character and the Antagonist, main antagonist of Nintendo's ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise."The Top 100 Videogame Villains". IGN. Retrieved October 8, 2010. ...

in '' Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!''. She has also voiced Marge Simpson in the Japanese version of ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' created by Matt Groening. The film was directed by series veteran David Silverman (animator) ...

''. She also performed with the music group M-Flo on the song "Hey!" on their 2005 album '' Beat Space Nine''. Wada performed at the famous

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, New York in September 2008 as part of her 40th debut anniversary tour.

Kōhaku Uta Gassen Appearances

References

External links

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japan-zone.com article
1950 births Living people Horipro artists Japanese women pop singers Japanese women jazz singers Japanese jazz singers Japanese people of Korean descent Japanese racehorse owners and breeders Japanese radio personalities Japanese rhythm and blues singers Japanese women television personalities Japanese television presenters 21st-century Japanese businesswomen 21st-century Japanese businesspeople People from Tennōji, Osaka Singers from Osaka Naturalized citizens of Japan Warner Music Japan artists 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers Japanese women television presenters Zainichi Korean musicians Zainichi Korean businesspeople {{Japan-singer-stub