Sonoko Kawai

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Sonoko Kawai
Birth nameSonoko Kawai (河合その子)
Born (1965-06-20) June 20, 1965 (age 58)
Chita, Aichi, Japan
GenresJ-pop, Kayōkyoku
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1985–1990, 2010
LabelsCBS Sony

Sonoko Kawai (河合その子, Kawai Sonoko, born June 20, 1965), married name Sonoko Gotō (後藤その子, Gotō Sonoko) is a former Japanese singer. She was originally member number 12 of Onyanko Club.[1]

History[edit]

Biography[edit]

Kawai was born and raised in Chita, Aichi.[1] She attended high school at Nihon Fukushi University Affiliated High School (日本福祉大学付属高等学校, Nihon Fukushi Daigaku Fuzoku Kōtō Gakkō). [1] She first entered the entertainment business in 1983 after winning second place in CBS Sony's Teens Pop Contest. However, her activities with the label were few, and after graduating high school, she continued her studies at a computer-oriented vocational school.[1]

In 1985, she auditioned for Onyanko Club in their show Yūyake Nyan Nyan("Sunset Meow Meow") (夕やけニャンニャン), and was chosen to be a part of the group. Nicknamed the "eternally young girl" (永遠の少女, eien no shōjo), she immediately gained great popularity which led to her participation in various dramas such as Sukeban Deka.[1] She made her solo debut the same year, with the single "Namida no Jasmine LOVE", making her the first Onyanko Club member to launch a solo career. [1] Her first album followed a few months later.[1] In 1986, she released "Aoi Stasion", which stayed at the No. 1 place on the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks, making it Kawai's signature song.[2] In April, she graduated from Onyanko Club at the Nippon Budōkan venue of their first concert tour and officially became a solo artist.[2] She would later become one of the hosts of Yūyake Nyan Nyan's sister show, Yūshoku Nyan Nyan("Dinner Meow Meow") (夕食ニャンニャン).[2]

In 1988, she decided to stop making television appearances, opting to promote her newest material on the radio or live events instead. She also started to work with a varied lineup of producers, showing more maturity in her work, which culminated in her composing four songs on her album Dancin' In The Light, released the following year. In 1990, she released what would be her final album, Replica, in which all the tracks were composed by Kawai herself. After the promotional tour for the album, she announced the dissolution of her fanclub and her temporary retirement from music. After a long absence from the media after her marriage, in the year 2000 she appeared on a single scene of an episode of the television drama Tajū Jinkaku Tantei Psycho (多重人格探偵サイコ). Ten years later, in 2010, she teamed up with fellow 80s idols Yōko Oginome, Hidemi Ishikawa (石川秀美, ishikawa Hidemi) and Tsukasa Itō (伊藤つかさ, Itō Tsukasa) for a promotional campaign for the cosmetics brand Shiseido.[3][4]

Personal life[edit]

In 1994, she married Tsugutoshi Gotō, who had composed a big part of her songs. She adopted his surname, though she still uses Kawai as her artist name. In a press conference in 2010, it was revealed that she and Gotō have a child.[3][4]

Discography[edit]

Singles[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Single Peak chart positions Formats
JPN
Physical
[5]
1985 "Namida no Jasmine LOVE"
（涙の茉莉花LOVE） 		1 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
"Ochiba no Crescendo"
（落葉のクレッシェンド） 		2 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
1986 "Aoi Stasion"
（青いスタスィオン） 		1 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
"Saikai no Labyrinth"
（再会のラビリンス） 		1 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
"Kanashii Yoru wo Tomete"
（悲しい夜を止めて） 		1 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
1987 "Aishū no Carnaval"
（哀愁のカルナバル） 		3 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
"Jessy"
 3 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
"Yume kara Sameta Tenshi"
(夢から醒めた天使) 		11 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming
1988 "Ame no Memorandum"
（雨のメモランダム） 		29 CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming

Studio albums[edit]

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
Oricon
[5]
Sonoko 4
Siesta 1
Mode de Sonoko 1
Rouge et Bleu 6
Colors 19
Dancin' In The Light 38
Replica 50

Compilation albums[edit]

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
Oricon
[5]
Dedication 15
Ame no Ki -
Sonnet 83
Kawai Sonoko Best Collection -
Golden Best Kawai Sonoko -
"—" denotes items which did not chart

Video releases[edit]

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
Oricon
[5]
Sonoko Genki desu. Kawai Sonoko First Concert
  • Released: March 21, 1986
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: VHS, LD, DVD
 -
Aphrodite no Yume
  • Released: March 5, 1987
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: VHS, LD
 -
Sonoko no Natsu
  • Released: November 21, 1987
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: VHS, LD, DVD
 -
Jessy
  • Released: March 5, 1988
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: CDV
 -
Sweet Contrast
  • Released: July 21, 1989
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: VHS, LD
 -
"—" denotes items which did not chart

Box-set[edit]

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak positions
JPN
Oricon
[5]
Kawai Sonoko Complete DVD-Box
  • Released: February 21, 2007
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: 5DVD
 -
Kawai Sonoko Premium
  • Released: September 30, 2009
  • Label: CBS-Sony
  • Formats: 10CD
 138
"—" denotes items which did not chart

Television appearances[edit]

Dramas[edit]

Variety shows[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Komukai, Shoji, ed. (March 1, 1986). "巻頭特集 河合その子" [Cover Story Sonoko Kawai]. BOMB (BOMB) (in Japanese). No. March 1986. Tokyo, Japan: Gakken. p. 24-28.
  2. ^ a b c Komukai, Shoji, ed. (December 1, 1986). "巻頭保存版" [Preservation Edition]. BOMB (BOMB) (in Japanese). No. December 1986. Tokyo, Japan: Gakken. p. 27-28.
  3. ^ a b 「よみがえれ、私」荻野目洋子ら４人が共演. Sankei Sports (in Japanese). March 30, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  4. ^ a b 元アイドル４人、ＣＭ共演 薬丸秀美、河合その子ら. 47NEWS (47NEWS) (in Japanese). April 2, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e "河合その子のCD・DVDリリース一覧". Oricon. Retrieved July 28, 2018.

External links[edit]

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