Kaori Asada, better known as Bonnie Pink, got her first break in the music industry when Pony Canyon scouts caught one of her gigs when she was still a college student in Kyoto. Her first album,
Blue Jam, was released in 1995 on Pony Canyon, and while the girlish, promising set only posted mediocre sales, it caught the attention of Swedish uber-producer Tore Johansson (Cardigans,
Hideki Kaji), who recorded her next two albums -
Heaven's Kitchen (1996) and
Evil and Flowers (1998) at his legendary Tambourine Studios in Malmö, Sweden. After the release of
Evil and Flowers, Pink relocated to New York City, where she became acquainted with another high-profile producer, Mitchell Froom. Producer of numerous eclectic acts including Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, and
Cibo Matto, Froom found a creative, insightful, and cooperative partner in Pink. As they were recording her 2000 album for the East West Japan imprint
Let Go, Pink's growth as both a songwriter and producer was evident, and her significant input during the recording process led Froom to share production credits with her. Boasting simple production and up-front vocals,
Let Go represented a watershed release for Pink, and a giant step in maturity as a songwriter, recalling other artists in the same vein like Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, and Jill Sobule. Pink utilized her increasingly well-honed songwriting and production chops on her 2001 release
Just a Girl, which she re...
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Kaori Asada, better known as Bonnie Pink, got her first break in the music industry when Pony Canyon scouts caught one of her gigs when she was still a college student in Kyoto. Her first album,
Blue Jam, was released in 1995 on Pony Canyon, and while the girlish, promising set only posted mediocre sales, it caught the attention of Swedish uber-producer Tore Johansson (Cardigans,
Hideki Kaji), who recorded her next two albums -
Heaven's Kitchen (1996) and
Evil and Flowers (1998) at his legendary Tambourine Studios in Malmö, Sweden. After the release of
Evil and Flowers, Pink relocated to New York City, where she became acquainted with another high-profile producer, Mitchell Froom. Producer of numerous eclectic acts including Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, and
Cibo Matto, Froom found a creative, insightful, and cooperative partner in Pink. As they were recording her 2000 album for the East West Japan imprint
Let Go, Pink's growth as both a songwriter and producer was evident, and her significant input during the recording process led Froom to share production credits with her. Boasting simple production and up-front vocals,
Let Go represented a watershed release for Pink, and a giant step in maturity as a songwriter, recalling other artists in the same vein like Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, and Jill Sobule. Pink utilized her increasingly well-honed songwriting and production chops on her 2001 release
Just a Girl, which she returned to Japan to self-produce. Pink set off for London to record her next set,
Present, with Matt Cooper (Outside). The 2003
Present, her first album of original tracks on her new label Warner, saw Pink in a holding pattern musically, mining the same girl-with-guitar vein that she had succeeded with on her previous two albums.
Even So, Pink's second Warner album, dropped in 2004. Produced by Johannson - their first full-length collaboration in six years - featured a few more upbeat, poppy numbers, likely due to Johannson's influence, but Pink still charts her own course, seemingly oblivious to what is happening in the mainstream scene in Japan. Due largely to well-written English lyrics and a singer/songwriter/vibe recalling many western artists, Pink enjoys a solid core fan base in the west, but has yet to score overseas distribution. While unfair, it could actually be that Pink's western listener friendly music is what hinders distribution in the west, in contrast with more uniquely "Japanese" bands do find distribution like
Shonen Knife,
Cornelius,
Takako Minekawa, and others.
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