Japanese ballad-led singer-songwriter Mariko Takahashi (高橋 真梨子, Takahashi Mariko) was born on 6 March 1949 in Hiroshima Prefecture and began her musical trajectory in the early 1970s, starting out with cover songs before graduating to her own creations with her solo debut single of 1978, "Anata no Sora wo Tobitai." She had suffered a series of childhood tragedies prior to becoming a songwriter; her father was a jazz musician who worked in Hiroshima City but died at 37 from the effects of radiation exposure following the atomic bombing. She was inspired by her father to pursue a career in jazz and started working as a solo singer in the 1970s, releasing her first album ひとりあるき in 1979 and becoming the only Japanese female solo singer who has continued to perform more than 25 performances a year for 41 years to a 2000-person audience. She has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, earning a gold medal at the 11th Tokyo music festival for her 1982 single "for you...", contained on her third album Monologue, and going on to pen a string of hit songs including 1992's "Hagayui Kuchibiru," 1994 single "Harukana Hito e" and 1996's "Gomenne...," which was used as the theme tune for Nippon TV series Tuesday Suspense Theater and became her signature hit. She is one of the artists to have performed most frequently on NHK's late-night music program SONGS and has released several best-of compilations including 2013's Takahashi 40 years and 2020's Takahashi Senshuuraku. 2023 saw the release of the anniversary LP "TAKAHASHI" Kaiten 50th Anniversary.
