Aneka
| Aneka | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mary Sandeman |
| Born | 20 November 1954 |
| Origin | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop, Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1981–1984 |
| Labels | Hansa International |
Mary Sandeman, better known by her stage name Aneka /əˈniːkə/ (born 20 November 1954 in Edinburgh, Scotland), is a Scottish singer.
In 1981 she reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song. After her brief foray into pop, she reverted to her real name and established herself as an accomplished singer of Scottish traditional music.
Mary Sandeman recorded the song "Japanese Boy" in 1981. Impressed with the results, her record company Hansa decided to release it as a single with full promotion. Having discovered the name 'Aneka' in a telephone directory, Sandeman devised a suitable image for her performances of the song. Released in summer 1981, "Japanese Boy" climbed the charts impressively and reached no. 1 for one week in August.
Buoyed by this success, the record company commissioned an album and looked to find a follow-up single. The song "Little Lady" was chosen, but caused some concern as to what image to use, as it was felt that a Japanese look would be inappropriate for the song as well as giving the artist a limited lifespan. In the event Sandeman adopted a 19th-century 'lady' image, but retained the same high-pitched voice as used for her hit. The song failed to chart highly in the UK, reaching only no. 50 - securing her the label of 'one-hit wonder'.
Sandeman's first pop album, entitled Aneka, was released at the same time (although she had in 1979 released an album under her own name) and featured a mix of upbeat tracks in the vein of "Japanese Boy" and a selection of slow-paced numbers, sung in her 'true' singing voice. The album however failed to chart.
A third and final single was released in early 1982. This was "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang", which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she has been relegated to backing vocals; the lyrics go on to mention Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and both "Japanese Boy" and "Little Lady". The song missed the UK chart; however in Europe it gave her a third hit and was followed there by the release of another album track, "I Was Free".
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