Miho Nakayama offered the ideal way for an idol to move through the Japanese entertainment industry. The singer and actor, who passed away at the age of 54 last Friday, managed one of the most versatile careers in the country’s pop history. She showed how one could truly function as a “talent” — not as a dabbler trying a lot but mastering none, but rather someone tackling a wide variety of fields and bringing her best to each. 

As a fixture in Japanese pop culture, Nakayama also served as a sort of living timeline of how the nation’s music and celebrity changed at the end of the 20th century. All mainstream artists have to face shifting trends. They can either stay static in the time they first appeared, or move with the times. Nakayama excelled at the latter, unafraid to challenge new sonic backgrounds or entire fledgling mediums. Whether working with existing musical powerhouses or helping to usher young ones into the spotlight, Nakayama’s charm always came across in her songs.

Nakayama created one of the best song catalogs and filmographies any artist — idol or otherwise — has ever managed in Japan. She did it by being in sync with her times and linking up with contemporaries who could help bring her music and films to the peak of then-present developments. From one angle, her career is almost a miniature history of Japanese pop from the end of the Showa era into the dawning of the Heisei period. 

Yet she’s more than just a musical museum piece, as Nakayama made some of the best songs from this period, ones that sound as vital today as they did decades ago, and will remain gems in J-pop history for many more.

Idol Beginnings

Nakayama’s entertainment origin story is a familiar one in Japanese entertainment history — teen goes to Harajuku, street scout sees potential in the adolescent, youth goes for it. Opportunities for her came quickly, starting out as a model for various ads but eventually making a breakthrough by appearing in the risque teen-sex drama “Maido Osawagase Shimasu,” a head-spinning watch today both due to its of-the-time horniness and clever gags (most notably, the use of professional wrestlers as metaphor for raging hormones). That turned her from an unknown to someone the public was fascinated with, and not long after she emerged as an idol too.

Starting with 1985’s fluttery dance-pop dash “C,” Nakayama entered Japan’s musical space in the mold of idols such as Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori. She continued acting too, and many of her singles served as themes for the dramas she appeared in. This synergy helped her become a hit artist out the gate, with “C” selling hundreds of thousands of copies and her fledgling pop career moving on an upwards trajectory. By the end of her first year as a professional entertainer, she could star in the hit movie BE-BOP HIGH SCHOOL while delivering a smash via its theme song. 

Musically, Nakayama was already playing with a wide variety of sounds that slowly eased her out of pure idol bubbliness. She worked frequently with then-established lyricist Takashi Matsumoto and arranger Mitsuo Hagita, but could also find a new angle to her sound by teaming up with singer-songwriter Mairya Takeuchi for the throwback stroll of “Iro: White Mix” (above) or collaborating with a then-rising producer named Tetsuya Komuro for synthesized Euro-club experiments like “50/50.” 

Her music and movie career was only picking up steam, and by 1987 Nakayama was one of the biggest young stars in Japan. So famous, in fact, she pioneered a whole new medium. She lent her likeness and voice for Nakayama Miho No Tokimeki High School, an early dating simulator made by Square Enix and Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System. You could call a phone number and hear her voice while getting gameplay tips. Now that’s rare stardom.

Shinin’ Star

Usually at some point, an idol trying out multiple media needs to choose one. Do you stick with music, or embrace acting full time? Nakayama opted to do both…and do both very well. While still appearing in all sorts of TV shows and movies, she also released some of the late ‘80s finest Japanese pop, a personal high period for her.

That run began with Nakayama working with Toshiki Kadomatsu, an artist connecting the dots between AOR, dance and jazz, who today has become a pillar of what gets tagged “city pop.” If Tatsuro Yamashita created a slinky soundtrack inspired by funk and rock, Kadomatsu updated it for the club era. Nakayama and him first connected for 1987’s “CATCH ME,” a glimmering dance-pop number maximizing machine percussion to create a discotheque-ready rumbler. They followed that up with “You’re My Only Shinin’ Star,” a ballad. 

The real highlight of their creative partnership came with 1988’s CATCH THE NITE (above), primarily featuring Kadomatsu as producer save for some guests, including one song written by Hiroshi Sato (“TRIANGLE LOVE AFFAIR”). Balancing horn-powered pop alongside synthesizer-driven dance pop, the album captures the moment the early ‘80s sonic palette of Japanese music spilled over to the future, coexisting on these soaring works. It’s Kadomatsu’s approach at its most direct, and Nakayama at her most dramatic. It became her first full-length to go number one on the charts.

Nakayama the idol didn’t stop there. Right after, she leaned further into floor-focused sounds starting with the single “Mermaid,” her first song written by the artist CINDY (real name Mayumi Yamamoto), who would work closely with Nakayama in the next few years to create some of her biggest singles and shape the rumbling dance-pop of her next trio of albums: Mind Game, angel hearts and Hide ‘n’ Seek, her strongest run and one finding her branching off into new corners of funk and eventually new jack swing. During this period, she also worked with contemporary stars like Toshinobu Kubota and Anri on songs such as “In The Morning” and “Virgin Eyes,” respectively. It wasn’t just good timing — Nakayama was able to connect with creators shaping the sound of modern Japanese pop, and she helped push their work over the top to create defining works from the period.    

Cheers For You

Despite being one of the defining idols and actors of the 1980s, Nakayama only grew bigger and more respected in the 1990s. On the film side, she starred in her most critically celebrated works of her career, highlighted by 1995’s Love Letter. She kept appearing in popular TV series too, and just kept on releasing music…including some of the biggest hits of her career.

The twin triumphs in that regard were 1992’s collaboration with rock outfit WANDS “Sekaiju No Dare Yori Kitto” and 1994’s sweeping ballad “Tada Nakitaku Naru No.” Those both became million-plus sellers quickly upon their release — a first for Nakayama — and have become songs most associated with her as the years have gone by. They also remind of her continued sonic curiosity. The prior took cues from classic rock (specifically “Be My Baby”) to construct a chugging number, while the latter saw her becoming more comfortable as a ballader. 

This was the mood she embraced during the ‘90s and after, slowing down on the dance-pop in favor of more mid-tempo cuts and heart-on-sleeve ballads. The albums she put out during this decade still featured plenty of more uptempo moments — close creative partner CINDY kept contributing — along with partnerships with new names (including one single done with Joe Hisaishi, yes, the Studio Ghibli one). Despite mellowing out a bit, Nakayama continued to see where she could fit in sonically.

Starting in the 2000s, she slowed down her overall output on all levels, while still popping up every once in a while. She returned in 2019 with her first new album in 20 years, Neuf Neuf (above), which included skeletal piano versions of ‘80s singles such as “C.” Nakayama even made a floor-focused appearance on South Korean producer Night Tempo’s 2023 album Neo Standard, bouncing over a lively beat on “Ninna Nanna.” As it had always been for her, Nakayama remained curious about how she could fit into the sounds of now even late into her career.

Five Essential Songs

“C” (1985)

Nakayama’s debut is a darting ‘80s idol highlight, featuring plenty of brightness courtesy of her vocal but joined by a sense of urgency thanks to that nervous melody carrying it forward.

“Catch Me” (1987)

Nakayama and Toshiki Kadomatsu’s best work came on 1988’s CATCH THE NITE, but their first creative effort together offers a rush of what was to come, both for the two of them and Japanese pop at large. Grazed by the emerging sounds of Eurobeat, it’s a plinky-plonky dance-pop number reimagining Nakayama as a club star for the Bubble era’s final days.

“Mermaid” (1988)

The artist CINDY became one of the most important creative collaborators in Nakayama’s career, and that partnership begins with the rumbling “Mermaid.” Glossy but made tense via the percussive breakdowns and keyboard theatrics, it’s one of the best pure pop songs in her catalog.

“Witches” (1988)

What a 1988 Nakayama had. Her second album of the year, angel eyes, features no shortage of highlights, but advance single “Witches” matches glistening electronic touches with blurts of horns, capturing the synthesized jams of the day in all their herky-jerky wonder.

“Sekaiju No Dare Yori Kitto” (1992)

Nakayama’s biggest commercial hit ever also puts her vocal prowess into the spotlight, with rock trio WINDS giving her the retro-tinged boost to really make the most of the moment.