Fronted by vocalist Izumi Sakai, ZARD is one of the best-selling acts in
Japanese history. Before launching the project in 1991, Sakai worked as a
professional model under her birth name, Sachiko Kamachi. Encouraged by music
industry executive Daikō Nagato to mount a career as a pop artist, she released
the debut single "The Good-bye My Loneliness," which debuted at Number 9 on the
Oricon charts and doubled as the title track of ZARD's 1991 debut album. In the
wake of the album's success, ZARD became a five-piece band featuring Fumihito
Machida, Hiroyasu Hoshi, Kōsuke Michikura, ...