Yōsui Inoue (井上陽水, Inoue Yōsui?) (born August 30, 1948 - ) is an influential Japanese singer-songwriter, and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music.[1]
He first began performing in 1969, and quickly gained recognition as a folk-rock singer, and released his first album Danzetsu (断絶, Danzetsu?) in 1972. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he always wears. As a recording artist, Inoue has had a commercially successful career, having sold more than 20 million records.[2] His first million-selling album was Kōri no Sekai (氷の世界, Kōri no Sekai?) released in 1973. He often performs live with several other musicians, particularly with his friends Koji Tamaki, and Takuro Yoshida. In 1994 he took a break from recording to collaborate with Tamio Okuda, and together they produced the music duo Puffy AmiYumi. His daughter Ifu Sarasa (依布サラサ, Ifu Sarasa?) has also become a singer-songwriter and is signed to Sony Music.
