BIG IN JAPAN
Hiromi Go
 |
Courtesy of Wowow |
Before SMAP, V6 and Johnny'
Jnr, Hiromi Go was the original boy-idol dressed in hot pants and sports socks, shaking
his booty on TV. One of J-pops stalwarts, Go has survived the decades with only one fellow
pop star matching his enduring popularity-rival and one-time sweetheart, Seiko Matsuda.
Born Hiromi Haratake on October 18, 1955 in Kasuya, Fukuoka, he was scouted by Johnny's
Jimusho at the age of 15 and made his professional debut under his newly acquired stage
name of Go the next year. Things were hectic as he made the first of four appearances in
an NHK Taiga Drama, "Shin-Hiraya Monogatari," as well as releasing his first
single, "Otoko no ko, Onna no ko." In his debut year he also went on to win
several awards, including the highly coveted Japan Records Newcomer Award.
The Seventies were a time of tremendous career growth-in addition to his music career, Go
began acting and hosting TV and radio shows. In 1979 Go, still a mere 23 at the time,
earned the honor of being named Japan's Top Idol for Five Years on TV's
"Ongakusai." That, in addition to his first Budokan concert, several more
industry awards, appearing in eight films, headlining his first musical,
"Tomorrow," and acting in an astounding 20 television shows, was just the first
decade of his career.
Go's penchant for wild costumes, disrobing and touching himself on stage led the media and
fans to wonder about his sexuality. But the rumors were quashed when his romance with top
female idol Seiko Matsuda became public. Even three decades later the media are still
fascinated by their affair, which ended when Go married Yurie Nitani-they had two
daughters, Yukiko and Wakako-and Matsuda got hitched to Masaki Kanda in two of the '80s
glitziest weddings. Not surprisingly, they both ended up in divorce and Go subsequently
trod the aisle with Nami Haratake.
The day after his divorce Go released a tell-all book, Daddy, which instantly
shot to the top of the bestseller lists. Giving fans an intimate peek into Go's romances,
failings and private life, the book gave his version of events in gory detail. At the same
time, he attacked his music career with such renewed energy that it prompted several
critics to ponder why he hadn't divorced earlier.
Not one to do things by halves, Go originally took up running to keep in shape, but ended
up competing in full marathons. His perfectionism led him to the Honolulu Marathon, where
he finished with the respectable time of 3hrs, 38mins and 37secs. When he ran the New York
marathon, hordes of cameramen and reporters tagged along to capture the event and try to
get the scoop on his rumored romance with a 28-year-old Japanese lady living in New York.
Applying the same kind of dedication to his career produced a major overhaul of his image,
planting Go back in the spotlight. The July 1999 release "Goldfinger '99," a
cunning Japanization of Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca," remained in the Top Ten
for over seven months, and the album, The GoldSinger brought Go's career total to
58 albums, making him the number one selling solo male J-pop artist of all time.
Alex Jordan |
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