Yasuko Agawa

is a Japanese singer, actress, and television personality. Born in Kamakura, she drew inspiration from music that she listened to while recuperating from a childhood illness. After spending a year at the Bungakuza Theatre Institute, she had a brief acting career before leaving due to creative differences. She became a jazz vocalist for clarinetist Shoji Suzuki, before releasing dozens of solo albums with Victor Entertainment. She has achieved widespread popularity in the Japanese jazz scene, and her music has attained enduring popularity among DJs and appeared in several city pop compilations. She was also a regular on the Nippon Television talk show . Biography Early life and acting career Yasuko Agawa was born . the only daughter of a Yōga painter based in the city. Initially, she aspired to become a competitive swimmer and enrolled in —a prestigious institution renowned for its swimming program. but withdrew after one year. One of her earliest jobs in jazz music was as a singer for clarinetist Shoji Suzuki, before debuting as a solo singer. Released in 1980, her fourth album Journey achieved sales of 90,000 copies—driven primarily by an audience of office workers. She also appeared on the Nippon Television talk show as a regular. She currently hosts a Crossover Night concert series in conjunction with Billboard Live.

Themes, legacy, and personal life Writing for Mikiki, Waltzanova said that Agawa's music "incorporated elements of Latin, Brazilian, and AOR styles, refusing to be confined solely within the 'jazz' category". In 2019, Victor Entertainment released Free Soul: Yasuko Agawa as part of its Free Soul series. She was one of several artists featured in the Light Mellow Deluxe compilation series released in December 2025.

Agawa is a fan of baseball player Yutaka Enatsu, as well as the Yomiuri Giants baseball team; reportedly, magazine articles centered around her would resemble game reports. She is also a fan of the Karatsu Kunchi festival in Karatsu, Saga. (stylized as Yasuko "Love-Bird")|album1-label=Victor Entertainment|album1-releasedate=25 January 1978

Filmography Karei-naru Ichizoku (1974)