Tomoko Kawase: Biography

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• Discography
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• The Brilliant Green

Born:

Feb 6, 1975 in Kyoto, Japan

Genre:

Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Tomoko Kawase first rose to prominence as the vocalist and the lyricist for the cult Japanese alternative rock act The Brilliant Green, which she was invited to join in 1995 after impressing the band members with her singling at an amateur vocal contest. After Brilliant Green was suspended in 2002, Kawase concentrated on her twin solo projects, Tommy February6 and Tommy Heavenly6, the first (dubbed after her nickname and birth date) sporting a retro ‘80s pop sound, and the second plying punk/altrock wares. In fact, Tommy February6 debuted before the Brilliant Green went on a hiatus, initially meant only as a little side experiment. However, the "cute geeky girl" image and the synthpop sound caught on, and before long the debut single Everyday At The Bus Stop (2001) was followed by three more singles and the eponymous debut album, out, naturally, on February 6 in 2002. The cover of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" found on the album was featured in a Daihatsu carmaker commercial, adding to the project's success. Tommy February6 also did a photo book, but that was meant to be the end of it, as she returned to Brilliant Green and worked on other projects in 2002, she voiced a character in the anime series Piroppo. However, soon Brilliant Green folded, and Kawase, who married the band's mastermind Shunsaku Okuda the same year, returned to solo work. She tried her hand at producing, working with Hinoi Asuka, Speed, and Tommy Angels, but still resurrected Tommy February6 as well. Je t'aime Je t'aime came out in 2003, followed by two more singles and eventually the second album Tommy Airline (2004).

However, Kawase was growing dissatisfied with the character development of Tommy February6, which, according to her, couldn't maintain its purity, and created another alter ego, Tommy Heavenly6, meant to pose as a rebelliousbutpure girl. Debuting in 2003 with the single Wait till I can dream, paired with TF6's Love is Forever, it was also supposed to be a onetime project, but stuck around. Tommy Heavenly6 did another single, Hey My Friend, in 2004, the title song and the Bside Roller Coaster Ride both featured in the movie Shimotsuma Monogatari, and in 2005 she provided the tune "Gimme All Of Your Love" for a tribute album dedicated to Nana manga series and released the eponymous debut album. Tommy February6 also returned in 2005 with the single Lonely in Gorgeous, used in the Paradise Kiss anime series, but the rock version of Kawase was overtaking at the time: even the promo video of "Lonely in Gorgeous" was inspired by Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and after its release the syntipop project was put on hold. Tommy Heavenly6 released three singles in 2006, with one, Pray, featured in the Gintama anime. The second fulllength by Tommy Heavenly6, Heavy Starry Heavenly, came in 2007, followed by an extensive tour with some guest appearances by members of Brilliant Green, which briefly reunited later that year for a tour and some singles. That didn't disrupt Kawase's solo career, as Tommy Heavenly6 released the singles Heavy Starry Chain in 2007, Papermoon in 2008 (used in Soul Eater anime) and Unlimited Sky in 2009 (featured in Gundam 00). In 2009, she also put out a pairing of bestof collections Strawberry Cream Soda Pop "Daydream" for Tommy February6 and Gothic Melting Ice Cream's Darkness "Nightmare" for Tommy Heavenly6. The Tommy Heavenly6 quasiconcept album I Kill My Heart came out in 2009 as well, charting at 9.

- Alexey Eremenko, All Music Guide