I was pretty shocked when I read about singer-songwriter Izumi Sakai's death on today's newspapers. Known more popularly as Zard, she was the biggest female solo singer of the 90s. Zard was one of the earliest Japanese artists I learnt about when I first got into J-music back then, so her passing does make me feel that a small fragment of my past is gone, it's a feeling rather similar to how I felt when Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui died.
I liked Zard's songs a lot, but I can't really call myself a fan. Having always been very low-profile and mysterious, rarely appearing on TV programs like Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ! or Pop Jam, Zard had always been just a voice to me, not a gimmick nor a mere product, all I could do was like her songs. There weren't any outlandish outfits nor tabloid-baiting controversy, it was all about the songs, not the image, not about being crazy or cartoonish. So I guess a Zard fan could only afford to like her for her songs and nothing more.Zard discovered that she had cervical cancer in 2006 and had her tumour removed. However, she returned to hospital in April 2007 when the cancer had spread to her lungs, and had taken daily walks since then. During one of the walks in May 26, she accidentally fell from the stairs and was discovered later by a passer-by. She was sent to an emergency room, but unfortunately it was too late. She died from a brain contusion. She was only 40.
Which song of hers do I remember most? Some of her songs were used for anime series like SLAM DUNK, DETECTIVE CONAN and DRAGON BALL GT. Strangely, the one I remember most would be her 2000 single, PROMISED YOU. I think that might actually be my all-time favourite Zard song. the following's a video of her performance, she looked absolutely ethereal.