On September 27, the official X account of singer Sanketsu Shojo Sayuri announced her passing on September 20.
Sayuri started her career as a singer-guitarist in Fukuoka as a teenager. She often performed in small venues and busked with her duo, LONGTAL.
Highlights
- Functional dysphonia itself is not life-threatening, but Sayuri may be related to a chronic illness that her husband mentioned.
- Fans noticed how she had an audible inhale when she sang and wondered if this was related to her illness.
- Misekai had planned a live stream for their 2nd anniversary on the 21st, but it was postponed on the 20th due to Amaarashi’s “poor health” the same day Sayuri passed.
At 19, she made her major solo debut with the single “Mikazuki,” featured as the ending theme for the anime Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace in August 2016.
Since then, she has contributed theme songs to various anime.
Some of her popular tracks are “Hana no Tō,”( Lycoris Recoil), “Heikōsen,” (Scum’s Wish), “Sore wa Chiisa na Hikari no yō an” (ERASED), and “Kōkai no Uta,” (My Hero Academia).
Sayuri’s Death Cause Is Linked To Chronic Illness, Not Functional Dysphonia
Sayuri’s husband, the musician Amaarashi, shared on his X/Twitter account that she had been battling a chronic illness.
The duo had only married six months ago, in March 2024.
Japanese musician Sayuri has passed away at 28.
Some of her works in anime include the ending songs for Scum’s Wish, Lycoris Recoil, My Hero Academia Season 4, Erased.
Her husband also made a follow-up post, saying that the young artist was passionate about music despite… pic.twitter.com/Hs5MEcCyKp
— Anime Corner (@animecorner_ac) September 27, 2024
On July 25, 2024, Sayuri announced that she would take a break due to functional dysphonia, a condition that makes the voice sound strained or unusual without any apparent medical cause.
She mentioned working with a speech therapist and vocal coach but felt frustrated about being unable to express herself and connect with others.
…My voice shakes, goes flat, and gets hoarse. My muscles move against my will and I find it difficult to sing. I need to concentrate on rehabilitation to get better, so I have decided to take a break from singing for a while…
So, functional dysphonia itself is not life-threatening, but Sayuri may be related to a chronic illness that her husband mentioned.
Fans Wonder If Sayuri’s Vocal Style Was Connected to Her Illness
One fan mentioned they weren’t a regular listener of Sayuri’s music but recognized her ending theme song for ERASED.
They found it interesting how she had an audible inhale when she sang, which made her voice unique.
The fan wondered if this was related to her illness.
Your voice has saved us all from the pain that haunted us at that time.
thank you, and rest “Sanketsu Shōjo Sayuri” 🥀🥀🥀 https://t.co/kLtT0T2LYF
— Senn (@akhirdarisenja) September 27, 2024
In response, another person said that when singers are performing, they need to breathe.
Some singers carefully move away from the microphone when they do, while others don’t pay much attention to it.
Sayuri Obituary: Family, Friends, And Fans Mourns Her Loss
Sayuri’s family and close friends held a private funeral to say their goodbyes.
This intimate gathering allowed them to mourn together and share memories of Sayuri in a personal setting, away from the public eye.
Moreover, a Reddit user said he is a big fan of Amaarashi’s group, Misekai.
So, they realized that Misekai had planned a live stream for their 2nd anniversary on the 21st, but it was postponed on the 20th due to Amaarashi’s “poor health” the same day Sayuri passed.
This realization hit them hard and emphasized how much Amaarashi loved Sayuri.
Additional Information
- In 6th grade, Sayuri was inspired by Kanjani Eight, who, despite being idols, formed a band.
- She went by the name Asuka and joined an acoustic duo called LONGTAL, based in Fukuoka.
- She took on the name Sanketsu Shōjo Sayuri, which means “Hypoxia Girl Sayuri,” to identify herself as a 2.5-dimensional parallel singer-songwriter.
