Nanako Sato is a Japanese singer-songwriter and photographer who debuted on Nippon Columbia in 1977 with Funny Walkin’, an album co-written with Motoharu Sano.[1][2]
Career
While studying at Keio University she met Motoharu Sano, who taught her songwriting and poetry, and she won the best-lyric award at a university contest for female singer-songwriters with “Tsunawatari”.[1][2] Her debut, Funny Walkin’, appeared in June 1977, followed by Sweet Swingin’ (December 1977), Pillow Talk (October 1978) and Kissing Fish (July 1979); during this period she worked with Moonriders and Kazuhiko Kato.[1][2] In 1980 she formed the new wave band SPY, whose self-titled album was produced by Kato.[1][2]
Photography and return
Sato then became a professional photographer for advertising and magazines, winning a gold award in 1986 for Nissan’s international calendar, and lived in Paris for about five years from 1987.[1][2] Returning to music in 1993, often as nanaco, she released records abroad, including Luminous Love in 23 on the Cocteau Twins’ label Bella Union; her whispery vocal style has been cited as a source of Shibuya-kei.[2] Columbia remastered her four 1970s albums in 2017.[2]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Funny Walkin’ (Co-written with Motoharu Sano) | Nippon Columbia |
| 1977 | Sweet Swingin’ | Nippon Columbia |
| 1978 | Pillow Talk | Nippon Columbia |
| 1979 | Kissing Fish | Nippon Columbia |
References
- “佐藤奈々子”. Wikipedia (Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- “Nanako Sato”. Nippon Columbia (J-DIGS). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
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