Sachiko Suzuki
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was a
Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...
duo in the late 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s composed of and . They released their first single on April 27, 1988, and their final release was on March 31, 1996. Many of their singles topped the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
charts in Japan, including their biggest hit, " Samishii Nettaigyo".


History

In 1987, Sachiko Suzuki and Shoko Aida both entered a beauty contest given by the magazine ''Up to Boy''. Suzuki won 7th place and Aida won 9th place. The following year, Suzuki and Aida were chosen to form the duo. On April 27, 1988, they debuted with the single "
Sugar Baby Love "Sugar Baby Love" is a bubblegum pop song by English musical group the Rubettes, released as their debut single. Written by Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington and produced by Bickerton, the song was recorded in late 1973 and released in Januar ...
", a cover of an English song by
The Rubettes The Rubettes are an English pop/glam rock band put together in 1974 after the release of " Sugar Baby Love", a recording assembled of studio session musicians in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, the then head of A&R at Polydor ...
. The single topped at #20 on the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
Chart, and was chosen as the theme song of the
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
drama ''Netsuppoi no!'' (熱っぽいの!, ''I'm Feverish!''), which starred
Yoko Minamino , also known as Nanno (ナンノ), is a Japanese actress and singer. She is best known for playing Saki Asamiya in the second season of the live action ''Sukeban Deka'' television series. Though currently independent, Minamino was previously unde ...
and
Shizuka Kudo , known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hit ...
. Their next single, "
Amaryllis ''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, '' Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of ...
" (アマリリス, released September 7, 1988) charted at only #30 on the Oricon chart. However, the release of their third single " Ai ga Tomaranai (Turn It into Love)" (愛が止まらない〜Turn it Into Love~; ''Love Won't Stop~...'', released November 16, 1988) was their first breakout hit, their first single to reach #1 on the Oricon, as well as their first single to make #1 on both of the major television music programs, namely TBS's ''
The Best Ten , was a Japanese music chart television program broadcast on TBS Television (Japan), TBS Television from 1978 to 1989. The weekly shows were broadcast live on Thursdays. During its broadcast history, the air time and day changed only once. Each e ...
'' and
NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televisio ...
's ''Uta no Top Ten''. The single was also used at the theme song of the
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
drama series ''Oikaketai no!'' (''I Want to Chase!''), also starring Minamino and
Rie Miyazawa is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. She is regarded as one of Japan's top actresses, and her accolades include six Japan Academy Film Prizes and three Kinema Junpo Awards. Miyazawa began her career as a child model, seeing wide ex ...
. The single was a cover of
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
's "
Turn It into Love "Turn It into Love" is a single released by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was taken from her debut studio album '' Kylie'' (1988). The single was released in December 1988 in Japan only. The B-side was a new song "Made in Heaven", which a ...
", with Japanese lyrics written by lyricist
Neko Oikawa is a Japanese lyricist who has written J-pop and anime theme songs over her career. Biography Neko Oikawa was born in Wakayama (city), Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama. She made her songwriting debut in 1985 with Kanako Wada's "Passing T ...
. Selling over 645,000 copies, it was the duo's biggest-selling single. On March 16, 1989, their third single "
Namida wo Misenaide ~Boys Don't Cry~ ''Boys Don't Cry'' is a 1988 hit single for Yugoslav Italo disco duo Moulin Rouge, led by songwriter Matjaž Kosi. Track listing Wink version "Boys Don't Cry" was covered by Japanese idol duo Wink as . Released by Polystar Records on 16 March ...
" (''涙をみせないで〜Boys Don't Cry~; Don't Show Your Tears~...)''. This single was also a cover of a European pop song, this time a cover the single Boys Don't Cry by
Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...
, and also charted at #1. Following this trend, many of Wink's early songs were covers of Western songs, but with Japanese lyrics. The duo's fifth single " Samishii Nettaigyo" (淋しい熱帯魚, ''Lonely Tropical Fish''), released on May 21, 1989 exceeded their success from the previous year. The single charted #1 on Oricon for two straight weeks, and took the #1 spot on ''The Best Ten'' and ''Uta no Top Ten''. The single also won the Grand Prix at the
31st Japan Record Awards The 31st Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda, Tokyo, December 31, 1989, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Award winners *Japan Record Award: **Wink for " Samishii N ...
and landed them their first and only performance on
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
's ''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
''. It sold over 564,000 copies and was certified Platinum by the
RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include prom ...
. Wink had a different style and image than many other J-pop idols of the era who focused on a "cute" style with sugar coated lyrics. The duo were instructed to be as emotionless as possible while performing. They also dressed in extravagant lolita fashions, and almost looked doll-like. This uniqueness in style distinguished them from their contemporaries and attributed to their success. Following "Samishii Nettaigyo", the duo released a string of #1 and #2 hits, and the duo continued to appear as mainstays on ''The Best Ten'' and ''Uta no Top Ten.''


Decline and disbandment

By the early 1990s, however, Wink's sales started to decline. Many of their later songs were original works written by Japanese composers, with a toned-down, less-European style. Many other idols were also beginning to cover European pop songs in the wave of Wink's success, thus their sound became less original. Their singles rarely hit the No. 1 spot after early 1990, although they sold respectably until 1994. In the 1990s, many people were looking for fresher-sounding music, and
Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...
music became popular thanks to
Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...
and the many artists he produced, many of them under the
avex trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...
label. In 1995, Wink tried to generate more sales by reversing course and putting out a Euro-style single, "Jive Into The Night ~Yaban na Yoru ni~", but it was a
flop Floating point operations per second (FLOPS, flops or flop/s) is a measure of computer performance in computing, useful in fields of scientific computations that require floating-point calculations. For such cases, it is a more accurate measur ...
, only reaching No. 92 on the Oricon charts. Their next single, "Angel Love Story ~Aki-iro no Tenshi~", did somewhat better, but sales were still poor. In February 1996, the duo were notified by their management that their activities were to be suspended on March 31. Suzuki and Aida had stated several times on TV that Wink had not officially disbanded, but was considered "inactive"; eventually, they admitted that Wink was in a ''de facto'' disbanded state. Suzuki and Aida have reunited as Wink on every eighth year of each decade to celebrate the duo's anniversary. Their first reunion was on the
40th Japan Record Awards The 40th Annual Japan Record Awards took place on December 31, 1998, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Award winners *Japan Record Award: **Tetsuya Komuro (producer) & globe for "Wanna Be A Dreammak ...
in 1998, followed by an appearance on TBS' New Year's Eve countdown special ''Koeru! Terebi'' on December 31, 1999. The duo celebrated their 20th anniversary on the
50th Japan Record Awards The 50th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2008, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Performers *Wink *Kome Kome Club * Aki Yashiro * ...
in 2008. In 2018, they celebrated their 30th anniversary by making appearances on
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
's ''Dai 50-kai Omoide no Melody'' special and the
60th Japan Record Awards The 60th Japan Record Awards was held on 30 December 2018. The Tokyo Broadcasting System Television network televised the show live from the New National Theatre Tokyo in Tokyo. This is the last Heisei-era Japan Record Awards. Abstract Nogiza ...
.


Solo careers

After Wink, Suzuki and Aida became TV personalities, although not often appearing together. They also continued recording music as solo singers; they released their first solo albums in 1992, and after the break-up, they released their first solo singles. Their solo music is quite different from the music they did as Wink; for example, Aida's music features a more
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
style. In 2004, Aida released a DVD and
photobook A photo book or photobook is a book in which photographs make a significant contribution to the overall content. A photo book is related to and also often used as a coffee table book. Early Early photo books are characterized by their use of ...
called with then-
Morning Musume , formerly and commonly known as and colloquially referred to as , is a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon, Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most to ...
member
Kaori Iida is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist. ...
. Aida married in 2008 and subsequently gave birth to a daughter in 2012.


Discography

;Studio albums * ''
Moonlight Serenade "Moonlight Serenade" is an American swing ballad composed by Glenn Miller with subsequent lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was an immediate phenomenon when released in May 1939 as an instrumental arrangement, though it had been adopted and perfo ...
'' (1988) * '' Especially for You: Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete'' (1989) * '' Twin Memories'' (1989) * ''
Velvet Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile (textile), pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk ...
'' (1990) * ''
Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...
'' (1990) * ''
Queen of Love is the sixth studio album by Japanese idol duo Wink, released by Polystar on July 10, 1991. It features the singles " Kitto Atsui Kuchibiru (Remain)" and " Manatsu no Tremolo". Also included in the album are Japanese-language covers of The Beach B ...
'' (1991) * ''
Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...
'' (1991) * ''
Each Side of Screen is the eighth studio album by Japanese idol duo Wink (duo), Wink, released by Polystar on April 25, 1992. It features the singles "Tsuioku no Heroine" and "Matenrō Museum". Also included in the album are Japanese-language covers of Hot Chocolate ...
'' (1992) * ''
Nocturne (Yasōkyoku) is the ninth studio album by Japanese idol duo Wink, released by Polystar on November 26, 1992. It features the singles " Furimukanaide" (a cover of The Peanuts' song) and " Real na Yume no Jōken". Also included in the album are Japanese-languag ...
'' (1992) * ''
Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...
'' (1993) * ''
Brunch Brunch is a meal, often accompanied by "signature morning cocktails" such as mimosas, bloody marys, espresso martinis, and bellinis, taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 11am-2pm, though mod ...
'' (1993) * ''
Overture! is the 12th studio album by Japanese idol duo Wink, released by Polystar on July 1, 1994. It features the singles " Itsumademo Suki de Itakute" and " Twinkle Twinkle". This is the duo's first album to not include a cover song. In addition, ''Overt ...
'' (1994) * ''
Voce Voce (Italian for ''voice'') was a premium Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) using the AT&T GSM network sold by Neiman-Marcus and created by Japanese company Faith Communications. During the month of January 2008, ownership was transferred t ...
'' (1994) * '' Flyin' High'' (1995)


Filmography


''

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
'' appearances


Bibliography

* ug 10, 1989 Double Tone (Pictorial) * pr 10, 1990 Twinkle Angels OTTEOKI NO Wink(Book) *
ep 10, 1990 An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 15 to 30 minutes. An EP is usually less cohesive t ...
WINKISSIMO (Pictorial) * ct 5, 1991 LEGEND (Pictorial)


References


External links

* * *
Wink
at
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

Wink
at Idol.ne.jp {{DEFAULTSORT:Wink Japanese pop music groups Japanese idol groups Japanese girl groups Japanese musical duos Musical groups from Tokyo Musical groups established in 1988 Musical groups disestablished in 1996