TAIPEI — More than five decades into a remarkable music career, Japanese City Pop pioneer Taeko Onuki finally made her long-awaited Taiwan stage debut, bringing a selection of her celebrated songs to the JAM JAM ASIA Asian Music Festival in Taipei.

The 72-year-old singer performed on August 30, 2026, at the Taipei Music Center as part of the second day of JAM JAM ASIA, a major event featuring more than 80 artists across seven stages.

For longtime fans, the performance represented more than another international festival appearance. It marked Onuki’s first performance in Taiwan, an event her official website had announced ahead of the festival.

A City Pop pioneer finally meets her Taiwan audience

Onuki is widely recognized as one of the important figures associated with Japan’s City Pop movement, although her music has always stretched beyond a single genre.

Her career began in the 1970s. In 1973, she formed the influential band Sugar Babe with musicians including Tatsuro Yamashita. The group released the album SONGS in 1975, before Onuki launched her solo career the following year.

Over the decades, her music has moved across pop, electronic music and European and Brazilian influences, while also incorporating chamber and orchestral arrangements.

That wide-ranging musical identity helped make her work endure long after the original City Pop era.

Her Taipei set brought classic songs back to life

At JAM JAM ASIA, Onuki performed several of her best-known works, including “4:00 A.M.,” “Summer Connection,” “Mon doux Soleil” and “Peter Rabbit to Watashi.” CNA reported that her clear vocals created one of the festival’s memorable musical moments.

The performance also demonstrated why Onuki’s music continues to attract listeners across generations.

Rather than relying solely on nostalgia, her songs have found new audiences through the global revival of Japanese music from the 1970s and 1980s.

Taiwanese media have highlighted renewed international interest in tracks such as “都会” and “くすりをたくさん,” helping introduce Onuki’s earlier work to younger listeners far beyond Japan.

A career connected to Ryuichi Sakamoto

Onuki’s influence extends beyond City Pop.

She was a longtime friend and collaborator of legendary Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. The pair worked together on the album UTAU, while Onuki also contributed to the soundtrack for the film Tokyo Biyori, which won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Music.

Those collaborations helped establish her as an artist whose work moved comfortably between Japanese pop, experimental sounds, film music and more sophisticated orchestral arrangements.

Taiwan debut arrives after more than 50 years in music

Onuki’s Taiwan appearance comes after an unusually long career.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency and other local outlets described the performance as her first time performing on a Taiwanese stage after more than five decades in music.

Her official website confirmed the Taiwan performance as part of JAM JAM ASIA, held at the Taipei Music Center on August 29 and 30.

By the time she arrived in Taipei, Onuki was not simply revisiting her past.

She was bringing music that has continued to find new listeners decades after its original release.

A festival built around Asia’s musical connections

Onuki’s appearance was one part of a much larger JAM JAM ASIA lineup.

The festival brought together artists from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other parts of the region, with performances spread across seven stages. The Taipei Music Center said the event featured more than 80 artists.

The second day included Taiwanese acts such as Crowd Lu, Amazing Show, Mavis & 100% and HYUKOH’s collaborative performance with Kuo of Sunset Rollercoaster, alongside international artists.

That setting made Onuki’s debut particularly fitting: her music has itself crossed borders and generations.

Onuki thanks Taiwan fans

The Taipei appearance was also an emotional moment for the veteran singer.

Mirror Media reported that Onuki reflected on her 50-year musical journey during the performance and thanked Taiwanese fans, using the Chinese word “謝謝” before leaving the stage.

The moment added a personal touch to what had already been a significant milestone.

After decades of recording and performing, Onuki was finally able to experience an audience in Taiwan firsthand.

Why her music is resonating again

The renewed interest in Onuki is part of a much larger international revival of Japanese City Pop.

Music that was originally released decades ago has found new listeners through streaming platforms, online communities and renewed interest in Japanese popular culture.

Onuki’s catalog has benefited from that revival, but her appeal is not limited to nostalgia.

Her songwriting, arrangements and willingness to explore different musical styles have allowed the recordings to remain distinctive even as new generations discover them.

That may explain why a singer who began her career in the 1970s could become one of the most anticipated international names at a contemporary Asian music festival.

The bigger cultural moment

Onuki’s Taiwan debut represents something larger than a single concert.

It shows how music from one generation can cross borders and return decades later in an entirely new cultural context.

For Taiwanese fans who grew up with Japanese music—and younger listeners discovering City Pop for the first time—the performance connected two audiences separated by age and geography.

And for Onuki, the Taipei appearance finally added Taiwan to a career that has already stretched across more than half a century.

The bottom line

Taeko Onuki’s Taiwan debut wasn’t simply a long-awaited concert. It was a meeting point between Japanese musical history and a new generation of Asian listeners.

At 72, the City Pop legend demonstrated that songs created decades ago can still feel fresh when they reach an audience hearing them live for the first time.

After more than 50 years in music, Onuki finally took the Taiwan stage.

And judging from the response, the wait was worth it.

WWC ONE MEDIA G.A