Zard made their debut in February 10, 1991 with a single Good-bye My Loneliness. By their third album Hold Me, it appeared that the only member left in Zard was Izumi Sakai, and from that point on, she was the only member in that group. While she was the only member left, the band's name did not change.
Sakai was also a very prolific lyricist. She wrote almost all her own lyrics. She also wrote songs for other artists, most notably, for J pop groups Field of View, Wands and Deen.
Some of her singles were used in famous cartoons, such as Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball GT and Detective Conan, which made her very popular in China.
Zard was the most successful solo female singer in the 1990s (though originally Zard is a group). And Zard is #8 for overall total in Japan. She has had 11 singles reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Singles Charts, and 9 albums reach the #1 spot on the Oricon Album Charts. Among these hit songs, I list my favorite below:
1. "Kokoro o Hiraite" (心を開いて, Open Your Heart?) 1996-05-06
2. "Unmei no Roulette Mawashite" (運命のルーレット廻して, Turn the Roulette of Destiny?) 1998-09-17 4th opening theme to Detective Conan
3. "Eien" (永遠, Eternity?) 1997-08-20
4. "Kono Namida Hoshi ni Nare" (この涙 星になれ, These Tears Become Stars?)
Almost all of the songs by ZARD is very sweet. It is not necessary to jump track when playing the CDs.
Izumi Sakai passed away on May 27, 2007 at age 40 in Keio University Hospital. She was put in the hospital in June 2006 after discovering she had cervical cancer and had the tumor removed. In April 2007 however, the cancer had spread to her lungs, resulting her re-admittance in the hospital. According to the hospital, she took daily walks every morning. During her walk on May 26, she accidentally fell from the stairs and was discovered at around 5:00 a.m. JST. She was sent to the emergency room, but unfortunately, it was too late. --wikipedia
