Kimiko Itou

Kimiko Itou (born July 11, 1946) is a Japanese jazz singer from Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. She decided to become a singer at the age of four, after hearing Misora Hibari on the radio. After moving to Tokyo at 19, she graduated from the oil painting department of Musashino Art University. She then joined an anime production company, where she worked on subcontracted tasks including tracing and coloring for 「オバケのQ太郎」 and 「リボンの騎士」. Through a connection at that company, she joined a Hawaiian band. In 1969, she made her debut as a pop enka singer under the stage name 中原 マキ with the single 「幸わせにふるえて」. After releasing about five singles and later meeting a jazz pianist, she turned to jazz. She re-debuted as 伊藤 君子 with the 1982 album 『BIRDLAND』. From April 1984, she spent six months in New York and performed at Sutton's. In 1987, she took part in the recording of Eddie Gomez's Power Play (EPIC/SONY). In 1989, her album 『Follow Me』 was released simultaneously in Japan and the United States. It reached No. 16 on Radio & Records' contemporary jazz chart, the first such entry by a Japanese female singer. She sang "Follow Me", the ending theme of "Koukaku Kidoutai". Her official website is http://www.kimikoitoh.com/. In 2004, she performed the theme song for Mamoru Oshii's film 『イノセンス 』.