Bonnie Pink article

[nmskalmn]

In Sight / Music: Singer Bonnie Pink's neither idol nor idle

09/02/2005
By WAYNE GABEL Staff Writer

The ironic thing about pop idols is that they're seldom worth idolizing.

Take away the Svengali pulling the strings from behind the scenes and all that's left of the average idol is a pretty face.

That being the case, it's safe to say that Bonnie Pink will never be an idol. Singer-songwriter, yes. Producer, yes. Star, even.

Idol, however, isn't a term that applies to someone who writes, sings, plays and often produces her own material, which is as likely to be in English as Japanese.

Once upon a time, women like Bonnie Pink stood out in the cookie-cutter world of mainstream J-pop. Not anymore.

"It's changing," she says. "There weren't so many female singer-songwriters when I started because Japan has a big-time idol culture. They're just creations-the songs are written by other people, produced by other people. Women didn't have the power to self-produce. They didn't write their own songs because nobody asked them to. Now, there are many really talented singer-songwriters."

The Kyoto native's do-it-yourself work ethic might be traced to her taste in heroes. She grew up dreaming of following in the footsteps of such independent-minded musicians as Prince and Aimee Mann. Her ambitions are reflected in her choice of stage name.

"It's who I am when I make music," explains the 32-year-old, who's known to her family and close friends as Kaori Asada. "Ten years ago, I was thinking that in the future I wanted to do some gigs or try to get a deal outside of Japan. I wanted a name that's simple, easy to remember and written in the alphabet."

A long-term planner whose English was polished during extended visits to New York in the late 1990s, Bonnie-as we'll call her to avoid confusion with U.S. dance-pop star Pink-has achieved one of her goals.

In March, she made her North American debut, appearing at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and Canadian Music Week in Toronto. "Bonnie Pink Goes Overseas," a DVD to be released Sept. 21 by Pinxter, documents the trip.

Bonnie's also celebrating a decade in the music biz with a pair of new albums, two anniversary concerts and a nationwide tour that kicks off in October.

The first of those discs, "Reminiscence," is a collection of mostly English-language covers released June 22 by Warner Music Japan. The 10 tracks pay tribute to artists who've inspired her-and to whom she's been compared: Harriet Wheeler of the Sundays and Fairground Attraction's Eddi Reader and, of course, Aimee Mann. All but one of the songs were recorded with guest artists, including Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda, and members of Soul Flower Union and Clammbon.

The second disc, "Golden Tears," a Warner release due out Sept. 21, is a record of uptempo pop that reunites her with Tore Johansson, the Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist with whom she's worked off and on since her second album, 1997's "Heaven's Kitchen."

Unlike some of the Japanese performers who've been testing the waters overseas lately, Bonnie has plenty of foreigner-friendly tunes to draw on. Johansson is one reason why.

"When I made my debut album, I wasn't allowed to write all the songs in English," she recalls, citing concerns about the difficulty of getting radio play.

When Johansson was tapped to produce her sophomore effort, she decided to focus on English songs, figuring they'd resonate better with him.

"I was always curious about writing in English because I grew up listening to Western music," she says. "So I wrote some songs and made a demo. He really liked them. They seemed natural to his ears."

When it came time to record, Bonnie opted to err on the side of caution.

"I decided that I'd sing half the record in English, and on half I'd stick to Japanese," she says. "It was kind of a test. I was worried that people would be shocked, and that they'd listen only to the Japanese songs."

She soon learned she had nothing to fear.

"Nobody complains anymore," she says. "They think it's natural for me."

Another precedent was set when she recorded 2000's "Let Go" with producer Mitchell Froom, who's worked with Los Lobos and Elvis Costello. At Froom's suggestion, they ended up as co-producers.

"After we finished recording, he said we should share the production credit because I'd had a lot of input about the sound," she says.

Since then, Bonnie has made it a habit to co-produce her records.

"If my songs are produced by other people, then I feel I shouldn't make comments about the arrangements and such," she explains. "But I have so many ideas in my head. If I didn't produce, I'd feel like I shouldn't say too much-and I wouldn't be comfortable doing that."

Co-writing songs is another matter. It's not on the agenda.

"I have my own way of doing things. I like my chords and melody, that coordination. If people change that, then it doesn't sound the same to my ears," she says. "Maybe I've got an ego about it. Writing songs is my thing. I want to finish them by myself."

The recording of the covers on "Reminiscence" was a collaborative effort that was influenced by the choice of guests. The Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong," for example, gets a ska-flavored workout, courtesy of the Miceteeth, a 10-piece Osaka group.

After realizing that her collaborators were doing most of the playing, Bonnie took a different approach with the final track: the Sundays' "Through the Dark."

"This is my record, and if I didn't play anything, I'd feel I was just being lazy. So I decided that on one song I would play everything," she says with a laugh. "Maybe if I keep practicing, I can become a good drummer one day."

So is Bonnie Pink on track to become a one-woman band, a Japanese version of Prince?

"No, I need help," she says, laughing. "I'm not a control freak. I like sharing."

* * *

Bonnie Pink's 10th-anniversary shows at Shibuya Ax in Tokyo (Sept. 21) and Shinsaibashi Club Quattro in Osaka (Sept. 27) are sold out. Tickets for some dates on her fall tour are now on sale. Tokyo tickets go on sale Sunday. Others go on sale in the weeks ahead.

Oct. 22-23 (6:30 p.m.) at Tokyo Kosei Nenkin Kaikan. Call Disk Garage at 03-5436-9600. Nov. 4 (7 p.m.) at Momochi Palace in Fukuoka. Call Kyodo Nishinippon at 092-714-0159. Nov. 13 (6:30 p.m.) at Nagoya Shimin Kaikan. Call Jail House at 052-936-6041. Nov. 23 (6:30 p.m.) at NHK Osaka Hall. Call Kyodo Ticket Center at 06-6233-8888.

Also playing: Niigata (Oct. 27), Kanazawa (Oct. 28), Sapporo (Nov. 8), Takamatsu (Nov. 11), Hiroshima (Nov. 14) and Sendai (Nov. 20).

All shows 5,500 yen. For complete schedule, see < www.bonniepink.jp > or call Bonnie Link at 03-5428-3643.(IHT/Asahi: September 2,2005)

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...509020092.html

[sora-kara]

Thanks for that article.
^_^ It's not often you find an interview with her in English.

She's so sweet isn't she?
I was really impressed when I looked in the Reminiscence booklet and found she did everything on Through the Dark. (it's a gorgeous track, my favourite on the album)

I can't wait for the Overseas Concert DVD! I have to get it and a compatible DVD player. I could very well be on that DVD....>.>

And hey! She's playing in Hiroshima on my birthday!
*guess I'll just have to fly to Japan to see her again....*

[ImpactBreaker]

That explains why I didn't really like Reminescence *very baaaad album* (except for of course, That's Just What You Are, which wasn't a new produced song for the album). But her latest single just rocks my socks! Hopefully she'll be the one producing her upcoming album, and not let what happened to Reminescence to happen again.
Very interesting article indeed. thanks nmskalmn.

[sora-kara]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

That explains why I didn't really like Reminescence *very baaaad album* (except for of course, That's Just What You Are, which wasn't a new produced song for the album). But her latest single just rocks my socks! Hopefully she'll be the one producing her upcoming album, and not let what happened to Reminescence to happen again.
Very interesting article indeed. thanks nmskalmn.

I don't think Reminiscence was bad. Actually, I rather like it.
^_^ It's a bit different from what she usual sounds like, but that's not a bad thing.

Come on now. Manatsu no Kajitsu is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.
And other songs like The Origin of Love, Ordinary Angels, and Manic Monday are just fun!

But whatever. Too each his own, eh?
I also really like So Wonderful and all it's accompaning tracks. ^_^
Great single! Sounds like her new album is going to be awesome!

*pre-orders*

[ImpactBreaker]

Yeah So Wonderful is so awesome!

Well, i guess I was expecting too much for "Don't get me wrong" and it was totally ruined by the change of tempo. I got really deceived....

[luminaire]

Good read - thanks a lot. =)

I'm not that great a fan of "REMINISCENCE" (probably because I haven't really been listening to it yet) but I've grown to like it more ever since I saw her perform "Perfect" on "bokura no ongaku 2". And "So Wonderful" is as its name implies, so wonderful - I have high hopes for "Golden Tears". =)

[Happii]

Thanks ^^ This kind of articles are had to come across.