Scottish singer Mary Sandeman, known professionally as Aneka, was born on November 20, 1954, in Edinburgh. She began her career performing traditional Scottish folk music under her real name. In 1979, she released her debut album Introducing Mary Sandeman, which featured traditional folk songs sung in both English and Scots language. Her breakthrough moment came in 1981 when she adopted the stage name Aneka and released "Japanese Boy", a song that reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The success of "Japanese Boy" led to the release of her self-titled pop album Aneka later that year, which included follow-up singles such as "Little Lady" and "Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang". Despite the initial chart success, Aneka's subsequent singles did not achieve the same level of popularity. In 1983, she released two more singles, "Heart to Beat" and "Rose, Rose I Love You", but neither made it to the charts. After her brief foray into pop music, Aneka reverted to her real name and continued her career as a traditional Scottish folk singer. She released the album Reflections on Scotland in 1991 and made several appearances on Scottish television shows.
