Miki Matsubara

Since 2020, "Mayonaka no Door" has become widely known overseas due to its use on TikTok and the resurgence of the city pop genre.

Miki Matsubara studied at Poole Gakuin Junior and Senior High Schools and Bunka Gakuen University Suginami Junior and Senior High School. The recorded working language is Japanese. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are city pop, J-pop and jazz. Works named in the authority record are Mayonaka no Door〜Stay With Me.

• Name — Miki Matsubara • Other Names — Suzie Matsubara • Born — 28 November 1959 • Birthplace — Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan • Died — 7 October 2004 • Place of death — Sakai, Osaka, Japan • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • Spouse — Masaki Honjo 28 November 1959 – 7 October 2004 was a Japanese singer and songwriter. She contributed to the opening and ending theme songs of the anime Gu-Gu Ganmo under the name Suzie Matsubara. Her 1979 debut song "Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me)" became a hit, reaching No. 28 on the Oricon chart. Believing that her cancer diagnosis was the result of the lifestyle she lived during her career, Matsubara retired and severed all connections to the music world in 2000, dying from cervical cancer four years later at the age of 44. Since 2020, "Mayonaka no Door" has become widely known overseas due to its use on TikTok and the resurgence of the city pop genre.

Miki Matsubara was born 28 November 1959 in Kishiwada, Osaka. She spent her childhood in Hiraoka Town, an area of Nishi-ku in Sakai, Osaka. She grew up with her mother, father, and younger sister. Her mother was a jazz singer who sang with the jazz band and comedy group Crazy Cats, while her father was a board member of a hospital. Matsubara started learning the piano at the age of three and later became familiar with jazz. As a child, she went to Sakai's Hiraoka Elementary School. In 1972, she entered Poole Gakuin Junior High School. Around this time, she became interested in rock music and joined the rock band Kurei. In 1975, Matsubara started at Poole Gakuin High School and became active as a keyboard player of the band Yoshinoya Band. They would play songs at a live house called Takutaku in Kyoto. Matsubara was described as an excellent student and was expected by many around her to attend college, but had already made plans to become a singer. In 1977, when she was still in high school, she went to Tokyo alone at the age of 17 to make her debut as a singer. The Japanese pianist Yuzuru Sera found her playing music and singing in various places across the Kantō region, such as in the live music venue Birdland in Roppongi.

Matsubara started her career in 1979 and is known from hit songs such as her debut and immediate breakthrough "Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)" which has been covered by numerous artists, including Akina Nakamori. The song was ranked 28th on the Oricon Chart, and according to that chart sold 104,000 copies and 300,000 copies announced by Canyon records. Some of her other known songs were "Neat na gogo san-ji" and "The Winner" among others. Matsubara became a well-known singer after her song Neat na Gogo San-ji was released, performing at college festivals, concerts and so on. The song gained a feature in a commercial of the Japanese multinational personal care company Shiseido. Miki Matsubara received a number of artist awards. She formed her own band, Dr. Woo. Matsubara also had some international work with Motown jazz fusion group Dr. Strut in Los Angeles (becoming a backing band in the album recordings for "Cupid" and "Myself"), Tokyo and Osaka (Hall concerts), later releasing a jazz cover album titled Blue Eyes. On that album she covered some famous jazz songs like "Love for Sale" and the soft rock song "You've Got a Friend", originally written and sung by Carole King. Her vocal range was that of a mezzo-soprano. During her music career she released 8 singles and 12 albums. While Matsubara was a star in Japan, she was known internationally for her work as an anime singer and songwriter, singing the opening and ending songs to anime such as Dirty Pair: Project Eden. The popularization of city pop has attracted new audiences outside of Japan. While singing theme songs for the anime Gu Gu Ganmo, she performed under the name Suzie Matsubara (スージー・松原). Matsubara's song "The Winner" was used as the opening for the Gundam OVA-series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. From the 1990s on she especially worked on anime soundtracks and music for commercials. Matsubara wrote songs for anime and some of her most known musical compositions were for the anime series Gundam. Matsubara wrote songs for several singers, including Hitomi Mieno, but her most notable works were likely with the singer and actress Mariko Kouda. Kouda's song "Ame no Chi Special" (雨のちスペシャル), which Matsubara composed, was featured in the five-minute music television and radio series Minna no Uta as a music video in 1997. It attracted a lot of attention and ranked 28th place on the Oricon chart. The song was repeatedly rebroadcast until 2004. On 12 November 2024, producer Tetsuji Hayashi re‐arranged Matsubara's debut hit "Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)" and released it digitally as "2024”. Matsubara's unreleased cover of Hi-Fi Set's song "Sky Restaurant" was issued as a digital single on 5 December 2024. The Pony Canyon press release explains that Yumi Arai (Yuming) wrote the lyrics and Kunihiko Murai composed the music (this was a hit for Hi-Fi Set), and Matsubara's vocals from a stored tape were given a new city‑pop arrangement by Tetsuji Hayashi. (The same source also notes a new music video: directed by her nephew Tsuyoshi Matsubara and featuring her grand-niece Moka.)

Little is known about Matsubara's private life. Her husband, Masaki Honjo (1953–2007), was the drummer for her backing band. During her years as a student, her eyesight reportedly deteriorated due to fatigue from a part-time job, and was fixed with surgery.

In late 2000, Matsubara sent an email to people including her company and the members of Dr. Woo, which read: "I can no longer continue with my music for a certain reason. I am canceling my phone, cell phone, and email. So please do not reply. Please live your life without regrets." She stopped all music activities and disappeared from the spotlight altogether. She burned all her cherished sheet music and records. In an email sent to her cousin, she wrote: "Please forget all the times in the past when I was singing and composing." In 2001, it was revealed that Matsubara's actions were prompted by a late-stage cancer diagnosis, after which she began treatment. Matsubara returned to her parents' home and spent her final years battling her illness. According to a Japanese documentary, further emails were sent to various people, including her cousin and husband. The next email sent to her cousin read: "I think my lifestyle in this era brought me this disease. So I reset everything that prevents me from going forward. It reminds me of my weak point." In the same documentary, her father reported that Matsubara told him: "I want to do many things. I'm still thinking of them. So I don't want to die." Despite the fact that she cut off all connections with music, her father said that she mumbled about music while losing consciousness under anesthesia. Despite being told by her doctor that she only had three months to live, Matsubara died in Sakai nearly four years later on 7 October 2004, at age 44, from complications of cervical cancer. Her death was announced to the public two months later. Her final email, written two months before her death, was read out at her funeral and said: "I realized many things for the first time after I was diagnosed. If possible, I want to be healthy [and] restart my life."

• Year — Title — Label • 1980 — Pocket Park — See･Saw • Who Are You? • |1981 — Cupid • 1982 — Myself • 彩 • |1983 — Revue • 1984 — Blue Eyes (cover album) • Cool Cut • |1985 — Lady Bounce • |1987 — Dirty Pair (Original Soundtrack) — Victor • |1988 — Wink

• Year — Title — Label • |1983 — Paradise Beach — See･Saw • |1986 — Super Best — Pony • |2002 — Best — Pony Canyon • |2011 — Golden☆Best • |2013 — The Premium Best • |2014 — Light Mellow • |2015 — Aya • |2017 — Platinum Best

• Date of issue — Magazine name — Issuer — Page — Type — Title • 1979-12-09 — Weekly Myojo — Shueisha — End of book — Gravure — Debuted with "Midnight Door", a rich feeling cultivated through jazz and rock. • 1980-01-01 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — End of book — Gravure — The other side of midnight: contemporary music • 1980-01-10 — GORO — Shogakukan — End of book — Gravure — A love sounds singer aiming to be Japan's Diana Ross is born! • 1980-01-22 — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — End of book — Gravure — 50 people who were popular in the 1980s • 1980-04-20 — Weekly Myojo — Shueisha — p.92 — Dialogue — Haruo Chikada's "In-depth Conversation" (22): My first love was in the third grade of elementary school, and she was 28 years old! • 1980-04-22 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — p.71 — – — Miki Matsubara's braless incident has a cute face but likes music • 1980-04-29 — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — p.42 — – — A heated battle between the 7 favorites that color the post-Momoe era! • 1980-05-06 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — p.53 — – — Miki Matsubara's carefree and simple life: "When it comes to a boyfriend, that's what I want" • 1980-05-20 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — Opening page — Gravure — MISS Fresh BEST 5: If she wants a sepia-colored love, her mood is "Manhattan" • 1980-05-29 — Weekly Sankei — Sankei Shimbun — End of book — Gravure — Girl time • 1980-06 — Playboy — Shueisha — p.27 — – — MUSIC PLAY OFF: Miki Matsubara • 1980-07 — Lovely Lady — Fujin Seikatsusha — p.224 — – — Woman's Heart / Singing Heart (Noboru Hayakawa) • 1980-07-01 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — p.73 — – — Miki Matsubara's new professional spirit leads a RICH singer life • 1980-08-19/26 (merged) — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — p.93 — – — Great fashion survey – list of 70 stars released! My fashion, hair, and makeup tips • 1980-08-19/26 (merged) — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — Mid-volume — Gravure — Secret Revealed! Star Fashion BOOK: Wearing New Autumn Fashion! Me Wearing Autumn... • 1980-11-04 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — p.46 — Interview — Date in movie with Miki Matsubara who watched the movie Chapter 2 and had a deep ohanashi between a man and a woman • 1980-12-23 / 1981-01-01 (merged) — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — Opening page — Gravure — The last concert of '80 feels like Hollywood! • 1981-01-01 — Weekly Playboy — Shueisha — p.84 — – — The Music Miki, known as the Space Cat, has a message for those who hate cats! • 1981-01-15 — Women Themselves — Kobunsha — p.67 — – — Butamagamation! Something that surprised me recently • 1981-02-03 — Weekly Women's — Shufu to Seikatsusha — p.144 — – — Spring cosmetics campaign: Miki Matsubara vs. Akiko Yano face-off! • 1981-03-26 — Women Themselves — Kobunsha — p.87 — – — First release, a little MY privacy: Miki Matsubara's memo diary • 1981-04-14 — Young Lady — Kodansha — p.76 — – — 20-year-old woman confesses "my way of love": Miki Matsubara • 1981-04-16 — Women Themselves — Kobunsha — p.58 — – — Worst Dressed Announcement: 19th place • 1981-05-08 — Weekly Post — Shogakukan — Opening page — Gravure — A NEET gal who dreams of becoming the No. 1 showgirl • 1981-05-28 — Women Themselves — Kobunsha — p.159 — – — Young Star: 50 questions, 50 answers • 1981-06-09 — Young Lady — Kodansha — p.113 — – — BOYS & GIRLS topic zoom-up: Miki Matsubara is the topic • 1981-06-18 — Women Themselves — Kobunsha — Opening page — Gravure — 9 stars wearing their favorite summer formal wear • 1981-09-27 — Sunday Every Day — Mainichi Shimbun — p.43 — – — Even the promoters were put to shame at the school festival, which was full of entertainment • 1982-10-02 — Weekly Jewels — Kobunsha — p.67 — – — Wonderful Time Now: I want to approach you mysteriously! • 1983-01-09 — Sunday Every Day — Mainichi Shimbun — – — Gravure — Walking – (Early New Year '83: Would you like to run with a wild boar?) • 1988-09-10 — Smile — Shodensha — p.36 — – — A kiss from my heart! Miki Matsubara: I long for a kiss, but there are also "contacts" so exciting that kisses fade • 1989-07-20 — Asahi Entertainment — Tokuma Shoten — p.12 — Gravure — The enthusiastic "good woman" has returned as a mature woman! Miki Matsubara (29) • 1989-07-20 — Asahi Entertainment — Tokuma Shoten — pp.35–36 — Interview — A complete look at the current status of 20 of those "good women"! (6) Miki Matsubara completes 4 years of "recharging" – "I started hanging out with strange archaeologists..." • Sources:

• Year — Title — Label • 1979 — "Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)" (真夜中のドア〜Stay With Me) — See･Saw • "愛はエネルギー" • 1980 — "ハロー・トゥデイ〜Hello Today" • "あいつのブラウンシューズ" • 1981 — "ニートな午後3時" • "倖せにボンソワール" • |1982 — "予言" • |1983 — "パラダイス ビーチ (ソフィーのテーマ)"" • |1984 — "Knock, Knock, My Heart" • |1985 — "恋するセゾン 〜色恋来い〜" • 1987 — "サファリ アイズ" — Victor • "Pas De Deux" • |1988 — "In the Room" • 2020 — "The Winner" — Sunrise Music • "Back to Paradise" • 2021 — "Miki Matsubara Night Tempo Presents the Showa Groove" — Pony Canyon

She also worked under the name スージー・松原. The authorities additionally record the heading Matsubara Miki. Her recorded language was Japanese.

Miki Matsubara is recorded as singer, composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and television personality.