singers I like

Today I will briefly write about two of my favorite singers: 坂井泉水(さかい いずみ) and Teresa Teng (テレサ・テン, kanji: 邓丽君).  They both had great achievements as singers (Teresa from late 1970s to mid 1990s and 坂井泉水 from early 1990s to 2000s), but sadly, both have passed away.

I came to know about 坂井泉水 for her songs "運命のルーレット廻して" for Detective Conan, and "DAN DAN 心魅かれてく" for Dragon Ball. (I am a fan of Japanese manga too ^-^). Her voice is just amazing, and the lyrics are soul healing. I find it especially encouraging to listen to her songs over and over again when feeling low. Unlike many other singers, 坂井泉水 composed most of her songs by herself and her other songs, like "負けないで", "my friend" (for manga Slam Dunk), and "きっと忘れない" are also well known in Japan, and thought of as encouraging songs.

Teresa Teng is considered to be one of the best singers ever by many. Raised in Taiwan and fluent in Mandarin, English and Japanese, Teresa made a fame in her late teens by singing various traditional Chinese songs, and later on, Japanese ones. Her 1974 song "空港" (kuu kou) became an immediate hit in Japan. The later half of 1980s was definitely the prime time for her career in Japan, when she won the Japan Grand Prix (kanji: 全日本有线放松大赏, year 1984-86) three times in a row by three different songs, something no one has ever accomplished or even dreamed about then. Her success as a singer deserves more praise due to her identity as a non-Japanese. Nowadays, her songs are still being playing everyday in bars, restaurants, and many other places across the world.

Here are some of the youtube videos that I would like to share about the two singers. Enjoy!

Teresa Teng: 


時の流れに身をまかせ:  (Grand Prix Champion, 1986)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVoXLoS9p7k&feature=related

愛人 (Grand Prix Champion, 1985):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tPAddMqNLM

つぐない (Grand Prix Champion, 1984):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeVdlNZ4yMQ&feature=related

別れの予感:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFPNKLaO10&feature=related

空港:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKKL0Wj4-oc&feature=related


坂井泉水: 


負けないで:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvMYT-UMTiU&feature=related

きっと忘れない:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trDzLp_Ixg&feature=related

My Friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-9bjST27g&feature=related

DAN DAN 心魅かれてく:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4YUluTzY4Q

素直に言えなくて:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRliZUlwsko&NR=1

hello にほんご！

はじめまして！
わたしわ卓子平です。北京からきました、Columbiaだいがくのよねんせ、にじゅういさいです。ちゅこくじんです。まいにちわたしはにほんごをべんきょうします。
どうぞよろしく！

Hi everyone,

My name is Ziping Zhuo. I am from Beijing, an undergrad senior at Columbia University, and I am twenty one years old. I am a Chinese. I study Japanese everyday.

It is nice meeting you!

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I am learning Japanese first because I have a natural interest in picking up different languages, and I have been deeply influenced by Japanese culture (like manga) since I was young. It is definitely interesting for me to be exposed to the language per se. Also, Japanese is spoken a lot in the business world. After a while, I expect to be able to process business information directly in Japanese, which should be pretty powerful. Hopefully it will come in handy in the future when I travel to Japan.