Aneka

[admin]

 [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ]

Mary Sandeman, better known by her stage name Aneka /əˈniːkə/ (born 20 November 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland), is a Scottish singer.

In 1981 she reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song. After her brief foray into pop, she reverted to her real name and re-established herself as an accomplished singer of Scottish traditional music. This music career having begun in Scotland as a teenager and continued up until her first hit, as Mary Sandeman. It was only at the time of the 1981 hit that she changed her name.

Mary Sandeman recorded the song "Japanese Boy" in 1981. Impressed with the results, her record company Hansa decided to release it as a single with full promotion. Having discovered the name 'Aneka' in a telephone directory, Sandeman devised a suitable image for her performances of the song. Released in summer 1981, "Japanese Boy" climbed the charts impressively and reached no. 1 for one week in August.

Buoyed by this success, the record company commissioned an album and looked to find a follow-up single. The song "Little Lady" was chosen, but caused some concern as to what image to use, as it was felt that a Japanese look would be inappropriate for the song as well as giving the artist a limited lifespan. In the event Sandeman adopted a 19th-century 'lady' image, but retained the same high-pitched voice as used for her hit. The song failed to chart highly in the UK, reaching only no. 50 - securing her the label of 'one-hit wonder'.

Sandeman's first pop album, entitled Aneka, was released at the same time (although she had in 1979 released an album under her own name) and featured a mix of upbeat tracks in the vein of "Japanese Boy" and a selection of slow-paced numbers, sung in her 'true' singing voice. The album however failed to chart.

A third and final single was released in early 1982. This was "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang", which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she has been relegated to backing vocals; the lyrics go on to mention Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and both "Japanese Boy" and "Little Lady". The song missed the UK chart; however in Europe it gave her a third hit and was followed there by the release of another album track, "I Was Free".

Two further singles were released over the next two years, "Heart to Beat" in 1983 and "Rose, Rose, I Love You" in 1984, but neither of them found success.[5] Sandeman then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame.

Aneka has had a modest revival in recent years, when "Japanese Boy" was featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on Flash FM.

Sandeman featured in a 2006 Channel 4 documentary titled 'Bring Back The One Hit Wonders'. Justin Lee Collins attempted to organise a one-off performance of as many 'one hit wonders' as possible but despite getting in touch with Sandeman, she declined to take part as she did not want to travel to London from her home in Scotland, and had no desire to perform the hit that made her place in pop history. She revealed though that "Japanese Boy" sold five million copies around the world.

She has since confirmed her retirement from music, and was last known to be working as a part-time tour guide for the Scottish city of Stirling. This article appeared in 2011, 30 years after the big hit of "Japanese Boy" and when she was aged 64, according to the report. This confirms her 1947 birth date.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIFWXXaEEjY

Written by Bob Heatlie and produced by Neil Ross, the song was recorded by Scottish folk singer Mary Sandeman. Realising that the name didn't fit the song, they decided to come up with a name to put to the single. Leafing through the telephone directory, they came upon the name of Aneka.  This was then released as a single and Sandeman came up with a Japanese image under which to perform the song. To their surprise, the song became a major hit when it eventually reached No. 1 in August 1981.  The song went on to become a hit all over Europe and beyond, although according to Sandeman, it failed to chart in Japan itself because "they thought it sounded too Chinese."[according to whom?]

The success of the single proved to be a problem however, as Sandeman was left with a dilemma of what to do as a follow-up, now that her image was so firmly associated with one song. She modified her image and kept the Aneka name, but future single releases failed to chart highly in the UK, although she did score two follow-up hits in many countries in Europe.

The song was released on 7" and as an extended 12" version and featured on Aneka's debut — and only — album, released later in 1981. "Japanese Boy" sold almost half a million copies in the UK, making it one of the best-selling singles of 1981, and the second-best seller by a solo female artist (behind Kim Wilde's "Kids in America").

Sandeman featured in a 2006 Channel 4 documentary titled 'Bring Back The One Hit Wonders'. Justin Lee Collins attempted to organise a one-off performance of as many 'one hit wonders' as possible but despite getting in touch with Sandeman, she declined to take part as she didn't want to travel to London from her home in Scotland and had 'no desire' to perform the hit that made her place in pop history. She revealed though that "Japanese Boy" sold 5 million copies around the world.

In 2002, "Japanese Boy" had a revival when it was featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on Flash FM, bringing it to a new generation of listeners.

[admin]

Int - ANEKA - JAPANESE BOY