Sonoko Kawai

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.

History

Biography

Kawai was born and raised in Chita, Aichi. 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). 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.

In 1985, she auditioned for Onyanko Club in their show Yūyake Nyan Nyan, 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. 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. Her first album followed a few months later. In 1986, she released "Aoi Stasion", which stayed at the #1 place on the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks, making it Kawai's signature song. In April, she graduated from Onyanko Club at the Nippon Budōkan venue of their first concert tour and officially became a solo artist. She would later become one of the hosts of Yūyake Nyan Nyan's sister show, Yūshoku Nyan Nyan.

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. Ten years later, in 2010, she teamed up with fellow 80s idols Yōko Oginome, Hidemi Ishikawa and Tsukasa Itō for a promotional campaign for the cosmetics brand Shiseido.^[1][2]

Personal life

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.^[1][2]

Discography

Singles

Studio albums

• Sonoko (1985)
• Siesta (1986)
• Mode de Sonoko (1986)
• Rouge et Bleu (1987)
• Colors (1988)
• Dancin' In The Light (1989)
• Replica (1990)

Compilation albums

• Dedication (1988)
• sonnet (1990)
• Kawai Sonoko Best Collection (河合その子 ベスト・コレクション) (1997)
• Golden Best Kawai Sonoko (ゴールデン☆ベスト 河合その子) (2002)
• Kawai Sonoko Premium (河合その子プレミアム) (2009)

Video releases

• Sonoko Genki desu. Kawai Sonoko First Concert (その子元気です。 河合その子ファーストコンサート) (1985, VHS) (2004, DVD)
• Aphrodite no Yume -Aphrodite- (アフロディーテの夢 -Aphrodite-) (1987, VHS)
• Sonoko no Natsu (その子の夏) (1987, VHS) (2004, DVD)
• JESSY (1988, CD video)
• Sweet Contrast (1989, VHS)
• Kawai Sonoko Complete DVD-BOX (河合その子 コンプリートDVD-BOX) (2007, DVD)

Television appearances

Dramas

• Sukeban Deka (1985)
• Janus no Kagami (1985-1986)
• Getsuyō Drama Land: "Tōmei Shōjo" (1986)
• Hatachi no Matsuri (1986)
• Getsuyō Drama Land: "Miyuki" (1986)
• Ore no Musuko wa Genkijirushi (1987)

Variety shows

• Yūyake Nyan Nyan (1985-1986)
• Yūshoku Nyan Nyan (1986)

References

External links

• (in Japanese) Sony Music Japan page