Koizumi Kyoko, a renowned Japanese pop singer, was born in Kanagawa, just south of Tokyo, in 1966. She began her career by participating in and winning the television talent program "Staa Tanjo!" ('A Star Is Born') in 1981. This led to the release of her first single in March 1982.
In 1984, at the age of 17, Koizumi made a bold move by shaving her hair to create a unique image, defying her agent at Burning Production. This decision paid off, as she landed a number one hit in the Japanese charts that same year and quickly became a Japanese idol at the age of 18. She went on to appear on the annual New Year's Eve variety show "Kohaku Uta Gassen" in 1984, solidifying her status as a rising star.
Koizumi's impact on Japanese popular culture extended beyond her music. She introduced the JD Salinger novel "Catcher In The Rye" on the radio, which helped to make the novel more well-known in Japan. Although she later admitted to not having read the book at the time, her endorsement contributed to its increased popularity.
She also had her own radio show and was a staff photographer for the magazine "AnAn," where she met her future husband, character actor Nagase Masatoshi, in 1995. The couple married in 1995 and divorced in 2004.
Koizumi shifted her focus to acting, appearing in films such as "Onmyoji" in 2001, "Tokyo Tower" and "Tenten" in 2007, and "Tokyo Sonata" in 2008. She returned to television in 2012 to work with director Kurosawa Kiyoshi on the serial "Penance."
In addition to her entertainment career, Koizumi was involved in various charitable endeavors, including participating in the "Yell From Nippon" charity group to purchase soccer balls for Eritrean children in 2006. She was also romantically linked to Kazuya Kamenashi, a member of the group KAT-TUN, who was half her age, in 2006.
In 2011, Koizumi collaborated with the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra to perform a cover version of the song "Makana Tayou ('Red Sun')" by Misora Hibari. She won the award for Best Actress at the 66th Mainichi Film Awards for her role in the film "Mainichi Kaasan."
Koizumi returned to the top ten of the Japanese charts in 2013 with the single "Shiosai No Memori ('Memories By The Waterside')" from the NHK serial "Amachan," in which she also acted. She has been self-managed throughout her career and has endorsed various products, including Shiseido, Lotte, JR, Suzuki, and Kirin beer.
