Akiko Kobayashi (singer)
Japanese singer-songwriter (born 1958)

Akiko Kobayashi (小林明子, Kobayashi Akiko; born November 5, 1958), also known by her alias Holi, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, composer and arranger.
Kobayashi collaborated with Brian Eno and U2 on their 1995 project, the Passengers. Her smash hit debut song, "Koi ni Ochite -Fall in love-" (恋におちて -Fall in love-) from 1985s popular show "Kinyōbi no Tsumatachi e" made her famous in Japan.
She was born in Tokyo and first began singing at age 15 and writing, later, songs for other artists that became big hits at home and abroad making her famous. She received a degree in philosophy from the prestigious Gakushuin University in Tokyo. Her first proper job in the music industry was as a secretary at a music publishing company, which she got through a professor from university. She debuted as a writer in 1984, writing the song "Moon Eyes" for folk duo Bread & Butter. Then, in 1985, she released her debut single "Koi ni Ochite -Fall in love-" (恋におちて -Fall in love-). The song became an instant hit, and earned Kobayashi a nomination for best newcomer at the 27th Japan Record Awards. Staff that worked on the recording began to compare Kobayashi's voice to that of Karen Carpenter, lead singer of The Carpenters, and suggested she approach Richard Carpenter.
“Akiko Kobayashi (singer)” enters the record as japanese singer-songwriter (born 1958). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Akiko, Kobayashi and singer can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 8, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q4700971. VIAF identifies the subject as 160554170. The Library of Congress control number is no2010193157. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1958, 1995, 1984 and 1985.
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This entry incorporates text from “Akiko Kobayashi (singer)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.