TOKYO: Richard Carpenter, of the Carpenters, says he is ready to make a comeback.

All he needs is a partner.

Carpenter, who with his sister Karen was one the most successful pop acts of the 1970s, announced on his 62nd birthday on October 15 in Tokyo that he is planning to get back into the music business.

“It’s a different business. Music is a different world from when Karen and I were signed by Herb Alpert in 1969,” he said. “But I feel I have some talent.”

He said he will help to produce and perform on a tribute album of Carpenter covers due out late next year, then on a Christmas album and finally a solo collection of largely original material.

The Carpenters’ phenomenal rise to the top of the pop world, with such hits as Close To You and Yesterday Once More, came to an abrupt end in 1983, when Karen died of a heart attack at age 32 following complications from an eating disorder.

Carpenter said he will never get over his sister’s death, which he called the saddest moment of his life. He said he still prefers singing duets and is looking for a female vocalist partner for his upcoming projects.

“I’m looking for someone who has her great talent but does not — doesn’t try to — sound like Karen,” he said. “I’ve been looking for years.”

Carpenter said his work continues to be along the lines of the soft rock albums that he and his sister produced.

“There is always a market for a good song and a good melody,” he said.