Seiko Matsuda

Seiko Matsuda is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal Idol" by the Japanese media. In 2016, however, Ian Martin of The Japan Times compared her output unfavorably with that of Utada Hikaru, describing Matsuda as "first and foremost an idol rather than an artist. Her legacy is best expressed in singles rather than albums." Seiko once held the record for number-one hits from 1983 to 2000 and for solo artist. Seiko was the overall finale performer of Kouhaku in 2014 and 2015, the prestigious NHK New Year's Eve Music show on which she has performed 21 times. She is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, winter dinner shows, high-profile TV commercials and movies, and makes frequent TV appearances and radio broadcasts.