Marlene captures the peak of Japan's 'Bubble Era' sophistication, where jazz wasn't just a genre but a lifestyle of luxury and international flair. Her sound is a shimmering bridge between traditional vocal jazz and the high-fidelity production of 1980s pop. It feels like a penthouse party in Tokyo: expensive, meticulously arranged, and effortlessly cool.
What sets her apart is the sheer technical precision of her delivery combined with a 'West Coast' fusion backing. Unlike the more melancholic city pop of her contemporaries, Marlene’s music often carries a triumphant, cosmopolitan energy. Her collaborations with American fusion heavyweights like Seawind brought a muscular, brassy punch to her records that few other vocalists could match.
Start with 'Magic' or 'Déjà Vu' to hear the definitive sound of 1983. These albums are essential for anyone who loves the intersection of smooth jazz, funk-inflected pop, and the kind of vocal power that can command a full orchestra without breaking a sweat.
Marlene (マリーン, Marīn; born 4 January 1960) is a Filipina jazz vocalist from Manila, Philippines mainly active in Japan. Her real name has been cited as Marlene dela Peña or Marlene Pena Lim. Marlene moved to Japan in the late 1970s and released her first single through EMI Japan in 1979 before signing a contract with CBS Sony in 1981, recording albums twice a year. In 1983 two of her albums appeared on the Oricon charts. Deja Vu reached #8, while Magic (sometimes listed as It's Magic in English) reached #5, each enjoying sales of over 150,000 records. In the United States, Marlene is known for her work with Seawind, with whom she recorded her second album Summer Nights in Los Angeles in 1982. and her album Stay With Me which reached No. 28 in the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart in the 90’s. Her sixth album, Looking for Love, was also recorded in Los Angeles in 1984. With the Mal Waldron/Billy Holiday composition Left alone recorded on the soundtrack of the Haruki Kadokawa movie Kyabare (Cabaret) she scored a hit in Japan in 1986. She has recorded 31 albums in total so far and is the highest paid Pinay jazz artist in Japan. In 2016 she teamed up with Jiro Yoshida, Makoto Kuriya and released the album Cubic Magic under the group name Threesome, followed by the album Whatever! in 2017. Marlene was the subject of Mundo ni Juan sa Japan, a television film documentary in 2015. She has appeared in two Japanese films — Nantonaku (2007) and Karanukan (2017), where she played the character "Yukie".
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