Mayumi Yamamoto, also known as Cindy, was a prominent Japanese R&B singer and songwriter. Throughout the 1980s, she worked with Japanese fusion musicians as well as Stevie Wonder, who produced her debut album! In previous years, we’ve talked about how late-era Jheri Curl Music morphed into New Jack Swing, but Cindy’s 1990 song “Must Be Lucky 愛の国へ〜 (Ai no Kuni e)” is a great example of the other route, veering into ’90s dance music.

Believe it or not, it’s already our final week of Jheri Curl June 2K23! We’re doing something a little different for the last four days, highlighting the lasting legacy of Jheri Curl Music with some “J.C.M. Revival” picks from the 2000s and later. In the meantime, listen to the rest of this year’s picks on the playlists below: