Maki Ohguro was one of Japan's most commercially-successful pop singers during the 1990s, regularly topping the Oricon charts with singles like "Eien no Yume ni Mukatte," "La.La.La," and "Atsuku Nare." She was born on December 31, 1969, in Sapporo, Japan, and debuted with the single "Stop Motion" in 1992. A moderate hit in Japan, "Stop Motion" was followed by "Da.Ka.Ra," a Number 2 hit that earned double-platinum status and appeared on her hit album Da Da Da in 1993. "Da.Ka.Ra" marked the beginning of a long streak of successful singles for Maki Ohguro, whose next 17 singles all enjoyed gold, platinum, or multi-platinum sales. Her albums were similarly popular, with 1994's Eien no Yume ni Mukatte, 1995's La La La, 1997's Power of Dreams, and 1998's Mother Earth all reaching Number 1 in Japan. Although Ohguro rarely reached the Top 10 again following the turn of the millennium, she remained a perennial force in Japanese pop music, reaching Number 30 with 2018's Music Muscle and Number 51 with 2020's Phoenix. She also released a number of successful compilations, returning to the Top 40 with BACK BEAT's #30th Anniversary ～SPARKLE ~ in 2022.
