mink (real name Lee Mink; 이밍크, born February 15, 1984, in Cheonghak-dong, Incheon,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

) is a female, Korean-born Japanese pop singer. Her name means "Made in Korea", and she only sings in Japanese and English. Contrary to her heritage, she has not performed or recorded any songs in Korean. mink has been inactive since the release of her best album ("BEST OF MY LOVE") on December 10, 2008. There have been no further releases or updates since, and her official site no longer exists.

Career

mink was born and raised in Korea before traveling to Japan to further her education. While in Japan, she submitted

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

tracks of "Don't know why", "

When You Believe "When You Believe" is a song from the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature ''The Prince of Egypt''. It was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe", with additional music and lyrics by writer-pr ...

", and " Namida Sousou" to Avex Trax, one of Japan's leading

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

labels. She was signed with them soon after. In August 2005, her debut album "mink" was released and received a good reception while featuring "Beautiful", a song used for the film '' Initial D: The Movie''. The album also included covers of "

I Can't Tell You Why "I Can't Tell You Why" is a song by the American rock band Eagles that appeared on their 1979 album '' The Long Run''. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song ...

", " Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing", "Suki", and "

More than Words "More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme, released as the fifth track and third single from their second album, ''Pornograffitti'' (1990), in March 1991. It is a ballad built around acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and ...

". In October, mink performed live in the "es sadaharu hoshino" Paris collection held in Paris, France. In early 2006, her song "Glory of Life" from her debut album was released and licensed to Rhythm Zone/King Street Records and remixed by Chris Cox,

John Creamer John Creamer & Stephane K are international DJs, and as a duo, a New York City-based electronic music and house music production team. They are perhaps best known for creating original dance singles as well as dance remixes for artists such as ii ...

and

Stephane K John Creamer & Stephane K are international DJs, and as a duo, a New York City-based electronic music and house music production team. They are perhaps best known for creating original dance singles as well as dance remixes for artists such as ii ...

. This song hit the #1 position on the U.S. '' Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart. This placed her alongside

Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emot ...

Trust Your Love "Trust Your Love" is a song recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi and was used as the second single from her debut album ''Affection'' (2002). It was released on May 9, 2001 via Rhythm Zone in two physical editions: a CD single and 12" ...

") and Hikaru Utada ( "Devil Inside"). as one of the first Asian Artists to have a #1 single in the USA. In March, she participated in the "Winter Music Conference" in Miami, USA. She was ranked 8th in the 2006 USEN Japanese Music Total HIT Ranking. To follow her American success, her second single "4 Love" was originally scheduled to be co-released in the USA. However, it was later canceled and only released only in Japan. mink's "Eternal Love" from that single was remixed and used for the film '' Chisaki Yusha Tachi Gamera''. In December, her "Here by my side" was used as the theme song for the 3D animated short ''Joe and Marilyn'', part of the omnibus film '' Amazing Nuts!'' produced by

Studio 4°C is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka and Koji Morimoto in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense. History Studio 4 °C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film t ...

. This song was later released on her third album, "Shalom". In January 2007, mink's "Innocent Blue -Chi Hate Umi Tsukiru Made-" was released as the theme song for the Japan-Mongol epic film, '' Aoki Ookami''. Her song "Together again" was used in "Vexil -2077 Nihon Sengoku" and released in August. In March 2008, she received the "Film Music Artist Award" during the 17th Japan Film Critics Award.

Discography

Japanese Albums

*mink (RZCD-45228, Released on August 3, 2005) *e+motion (RZCD-45314, Released on December 7, 2005) *Shalom (RZCD-45516, February 28, 2007) *mink II ～endless love～ (RZCD-45754, April 23, 2008) *BEST OF MY LOVE (RZCD-46081, December 10, 2008)

Special Album Releases

*minkREMIX (RR12-88477, released on January 20, 2006, 12' ANALOG RELEASE by Rhythm REPUBLIC)

Japanese Singles

*栄光の花 ("Glory of Life") *おまじない ("Good-luck Charm") *Rescue Me *Beautiful / One Suitcase (

Maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

) (RZCD-45267, October 5, 2005) *4 Love (RZCD-45342, April 19, 2006) *Hold on to a Dream (RZCD-45425, August 23, 2006) *Innocent Blue ~Chi Hate Umi Tsukiru Made~ (RCZD-45483/B, January 1, 2007) *Together Again (RZCD-45647, August 8, 2007) *Sense (RZCD-45680, October 31, 2007)

US Singles

*Glory of Life (Chris Cox Anthem Club Mix) (English Version, April 2006)

References

External links

Official website (in Japanese)J!-ENT article on "Amazing Nuts!" featuring mink
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mink 1984 births Living people South Korean dance musicians South Korean expatriates in Japan South Korean women singers South Korean J-pop singers Japanese women pop singers Musicians from Incheon 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century South Korean singers