Yuka Kamebuchi (亀渕友香, 1944 to 2017) was a Japanese singer regarded as a pioneer and the leading figure of gospel music in Japan. After starting out in rhythm and blues in 1968, she founded the gospel choir The Voices of Japan (VOJA) in 1993 and, through it, helped spread gospel across Japan until her death in 2017.
Born on November 3, 1944 in Sapporo and raised in Tokyo, Yuka Kamebuchi grew up with jazz and American music, and was deeply influenced by the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, whom she discovered in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. She made her debut in 1968 as the vocalist of the rhythm and blues group Ricky & 960 lbs., then recorded as a soloist, notably the album Touch Me, Yuka (1974), before building a career in jazz, musical theater, film music, and vocal coaching.
In 1993, she founded the gospel choir The Voices of Japan (VOJA), then a singing academy that became the VOJA Voice Art College in 2007, where she served as principal. Nicknamed "Big Mama," she also trained many Japanese pop singers as a vocal coach, and performed at concerts and events. She died on October 22, 2017, at age 72, after nearly fifty years in music.
- Origin
- Sapporo (Hokkaido), raised in Tokyo, Japan
- Style
- Gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz
- Active since
- 1968 (rhythm and blues), 1993 (VOJA)
- Good to know
- First person inducted into the gospel music hall of fame of the Japan Gospel Music Association; nicknamed "Big Mama"
How did Yuka Kamebuchi get started?
Her love of music came from her aunt, a jazz singer, and from the American repertoire she listened to from childhood. She studied opera singing at the Tokyo Voice Academy (now Showa Academy of Musical Arts), performed in musicals, and turned professional, before joining the group Ricky & 960 lbs. in 1968.
She then released her first solo albums, Touch Me, Yuka (1974) and BACK STAGE (1978). From 1980 to 1987, she lived in the United States. Back in Japan, she pursued a career of jazz concerts, musicals, film music, television, and singing lessons.
What makes Yuka Kamebuchi unique?
Yuka Kamebuchi established gospel in the Japanese music landscape. With VOJA, rooted in gospel but known for its original choir arrangements, she performed in concerts, on television, in schools, and at events, and in December 2004 completed a collaboration track with the J-pop group DEEN that became a hit. She served as president of the Japan Gospel Music Association, which inducted her as the first member of its gospel hall of fame.
Where should you start with Yuka Kamebuchi?
Start with Amazing Grace and Thank You, from the album Dedication (2002), then listen to きずな, on the album 神さまがくれた愛のみち (2009). To see VOJA on stage, the This Little Light of Mine flash mob, posted by King Records, gives a sense of the choir's energy.
songs
Amazing Grace
From the album Dedication (2002), posted by the automatic "Yuka Kamebuchi - Topic" channel.
Thank You
Performed with The Voices of Japan, on the album Dedication (2002).
きずな
A track from the album 神さまがくれた愛のみち (2009), released on Japan Acoustic Records and posted by the automatic "Kamebuchi Yuka - Topic" channel.
This Little Light of Mine
A flash mob by the choir The Voices of Japan on this gospel standard, filmed at the Tamaplaza Terrace shopping center and posted by King Records.
Discography
- 2018亀渕友香ベスト 思想のはなびら〜私の心の指針〜· Posthumous compilation, King Records
- 2014古稀 -modernism- (Koki -modernism-)
- 2012みちしるべ (Michishirube)
- 2009神さまがくれた愛のみち (Kamisama ga Kureta Ai no Michi)· With The Voices of Japan
- 2007THE BEST OF GOSPEL· With The Voices of Japan
- 2005きずな (Kizuna)· With The Voices of Japan
- 2002DEDICATION· With The Voices of Japan
- 2001JOY· Credited "JOY with 亀渕友香"
- 1974Touch Me, Yuka· First solo album, on Polydor
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Yuka Kamebuchi?
Yuka Kamebuchi (亀渕友香) was a Japanese singer born in Sapporo in 1944 who died in 2017. Starting out in rhythm and blues, she became one of the leading figures of gospel in Japan, above all through the choir The Voices of Japan.
What is The Voices of Japan (VOJA)?
It is a gospel choir founded in 1993 around Yuka Kamebuchi. It performs in concerts, on television, and at events, and its name is also that of a singing school, the VOJA Voice Art College.
Which album should you start with to discover Yuka Kamebuchi?
Dedication (2002) is a good starting point, with Amazing Grace and Thank You among others. The album 神さまがくれた愛のみち (2009) is another way in.
Is Yuka Kamebuchi still alive?
No. She died on October 22, 2017, at age 72. A farewell gathering was held in Tokyo in January 2018 with about 500 people, and the VOJA choir continues its activities.
Was Yuka Kamebuchi a Christian?
Yes. According to Christian Today, she had been baptized by a pastor of Karuizawa Kogen Church, and she devoted a large part of her career to gospel music.
Where can you listen to Yuka Kamebuchi?
Her music is available on streaming platforms and on YouTube, notably through the "Topic" channels of her albums and the official VOJA channel.