Double | Profile Despite the name, the act known as Double comprises just one person, female vocalist Takako. Double used to be a duo, as the name implies, until the untimely death of Takako’s sister, Sachiko, in 1999. Since then Takako has continued to perform and record under the name Double, and is now recognized as one of Japan’s best R&B-influenced singers. Takako and Sachiko Hirasawa were two of three sisters born to a Niigata Prefecture family. Their older sister went to live in the U.S. for a while, and when she returned to Japan, she brought back lots of R&B CDs. That had a crucial impact on the musical tastes of her two younger sisters, who'd had relatively little exposure to black music in provincial Niigata. Takako and Sachiko, who had studied classical piano for several years, then joined forces as a duo they decided to call Double and started performing R&B covers in local Niigata night clubs. Their big break came when they auditioned for Tokyo label For Life Records, which brought them to the capital and got them a regular gig at a club on the USAF's Yokota Air Base – the first time in 27 years that Japanese artists had performed at the base. The gig started in October 1997 and lasted through February 1998. Although the sisters were possessed of undoubtedly great musical gifts, it certainly didn't hurt that they were both stunningly attractive! Double then made their debut as a recording act with the release in February 1998 of the single "For Me,” which was included in the soundtrack of the television mini-series, Tsumetai Tsuki, or “The Cold Moon.” Double were quickly establishing themselves as major performing artists, and they started to draw the attention of leading members of the Japanese R&B and hip-hop scenes such as Maestro T and Kiyoshi Matsuo. But tragedy struck when Sachiko suddenly died of blood disease at 25 in May 1999, just as Double were becoming really big. Takako withdrew from everyday life and refused to listen to any music at all for the rest of 1999. But she bounced back in 2000 and in tribute to her deceased sister, decided to keep using the name Double. Takako started working with artists such as Zeebra and Ken Hirai and went to New York to record her first album as a solo singer, which was released in November 2000. Simply called Double it showed that Takako had what it takes to make it on her own. Double’s most recent album, Life Is Beautiful, was released in November 2004 and saw Takako showing off her technically accomplished, seductively smooth vocals on show tunes like “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” jazz-tinged numbers such as “Lullaby of Birdland” and hip-hop-flavored R&B on tracks like “Bed – Part 2.” Billed as the “Queen of Japanese R&B,” Takako/Double adds a welcome dose of glamor and sophistication to the J-pop scene. |
