BONNIE PINK

Originating from Kyoto, Japan, Bonnie Pink stands out as one of that nation's most compelling female rock singer/songwriters in a cultural landscape where such artists remain rare. Her sharp melodic instincts and distinctive voice, which suggests echoes of Suzanne Vega, Chrissy Hynde, and Alanis Morissette without losing its individuality, have drawn global attention and drawn in producers such as Tore Johhanson of the Cardigans alongside Mitchell Froom, the longtime collaborator of Suzanne Vega.

While still a college student she landed her first recording contract. She chose the stage name Bonnie Pink both to complement her bright pink hairstyle styled after the Beatles and to salute the Western influences that shaped her sound; under that name she issued her initial mini-album, Blue Jam, via Pony Canyon in 1995, an eight-track collection steeped in 1970s-tinged soulful rock. Tore Johhanson responded by bringing her to Sweden, where she recorded her breakthrough full-length debut, Heaven's Kitchen, released in 1997 and spawning three singles that climbed high on the charts.

That momentum secured her a place on the Japanese edition of George Martin's ill-fated In My Life project, performing "Blackbird." Evil and Flowers followed in 1998 as her final release for Pony Canyon, after which two best-of compilations, Bonnie's Kitchen number one and number two, appeared in quick succession.

She then moved to East West, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, issuing the single "Sleeping Child" first, complete with remixes by Stereolab and the High Llamas, before delivering the album Let Go in 2000. Western distribution has yet to materialize, though her accumulated work clearly merits it.