Wink (duo)
Wink (ウィンク, Uinku) was a J-pop female duo in the late 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s composed of Sachiko Suzuki (鈴木早智子, Suzuki Sachiko, b. February 22, 1969) and Shoko Aida (相田翔子, Aida Shōko, b. February 23, 1970). 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 charts in Japan, including their biggest hit, "Samishii Nettaigyo".
Wink ウィンク | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Years active | 1988–1996 |
| Labels | PolyStar |
| Past members |
|
History
In 1987, Suzuki and Aida both entered a beauty contest given by the magazine "Up to boy". Suzuki won the grand prize, while Aida was one of the runners-up. As a result, Wink was formed the next year, and in April they debuted with the single "Sugar Baby Love", a cover of an English song by The Rubettes. Indeed, many Wink songs were covers of Western songs, but with different lyrics in Japanese.
"Sugar Baby Love" and their next single, "Amaryllis", did decently, but it wasn't until the release of their third single "Ai ga Tomaranai (Turn It Into Love)" (a cover of Kylie Minogue's "Turn It Into Love") the next year that they became popular. It quickly became No. 1 on the Oricon charts, along with many of the singles that followed it.
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. Wink had emotionless facial expressions while they sang, and almost never smiled. They also dressed in extravagant lolita fashions, and almost looked doll-like. This uniqueness helped make them popular.
Decline and disbandment
By the early 1990s, however, Wink's sales started to decline. 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 music became popular thanks to Tetsuya Komuro and the many artists he produced, many of them under the avex trax label. In 1995, Wink tried to generate more sales by putting out a Euro-style single, "Jive Into The Night ~Yaban na Yoru ni~", but it was a flop, 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. Faced with this, Wink officially disbanded in 1996.
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 style.
In 2004, Aida released a DVD and photobook called The Aegean Sea (エーゲ海, Eegekai) with then-Morning Musume member Kaori Iida.
Aida married in 2008 and subsequently gave birth to a daughter in 2012.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
Sales [1] |
RIAJ certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Moonlight Serenade
|
52 | ||
| 1989 | Especially For You ~Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete~
|
1 | 501,520 |
|
Twin Memories
|
2 | 454,450 |
| |
| 1990 | Velvet
|
4 | 197,630 |
|
Crescent
|
6 | |||
| 1991 | Queen of Love
|
6 | ||
Sapphire
|
7 | |||
| 1992 | Each side of screen
|
11 | ||
Nocturne ~Yasoukyoku~
|
19 | |||
| 1993 | Aphrodite
|
19 | ||
BRUNCH
|
31 | |||
| 1994 | overture!
|
34 | ||
voce
|
68 | |||
| 1995 | Flyin' High
|
63 | ||
Extended plays
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
Sales [1] |
RIAJ certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | At Heel Diamonds
|
3 | 345,390 |
|
Greatest hits albums
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Wink Hot Singles
|
5 |
| 1992 | Raisonné
|
19 |
| 1994 | Diary
|
26 |
Back to front
|
93 | |
| 1995 | Reminiscence
|
— |
| 1996 | WINK MEMORIES 1988-1996
|
35 |
| 1999 | TREASURE COLLECTION WINK BEST
|
— |
| 2004 | Wink Best & Best Deluxe
|
— |
| 2007 | Wink Single Collection ~1988 - 1996 Singles Zenkyoku~
|
— |
| 2008 | Wink Album Collection ~1988 - 2000 Album Zenkyoku~
|
— |
| 2013 | Selection ~25th Anniversary Self Selection~
|
— |
Remix albums
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Diamond Box
|
14 |
| 1995 | WINK REMIXES
|
91 |
| 1996 | JAM THE WINK
|
— |
| 2000 | para para WINK!
|
— |
Live albums
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Wink First Live Shining Star
|
1 |
| 2019 | Especially For You Ⅱ
|
Karaoke albums
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Fairy Tone
|
— |
| 1991 | Fairy Tone 2
|
— |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales (JPN)[1] | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Singles Charts [1] | |||||
| "Sugar Baby Love" | 1988 | 20 | 61,000 | Moonlight Serenade | |
| "Amaryllis" | 30 | 14,000 | Hot Singles | ||
| "Turn It into Love" | 1 | 645,000 |
|
At Heel Diamonds | |
| "Boys Don't Cry" | 1989 | 1 | 523,000 |
|
Especially for You ~Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete~ |
| "Samishii Nettaigyo" | 1 | 564,000 |
|
Twin Memories | |
| "One Night in Heaven" | 1 | 423,000 |
| ||
| "Sexy Music" | 1990 | 1 | 329,000 |
|
Velvet |
| "Where Were You Last Night" | 2 | 291,000 |
|
Crescent | |
| "New Moon ni Aimashō" | 2 | 249,000 |
| ||
| "Remain" | 1991 | 2 | 175,000 |
|
Queen of Love |
| "Manatsu no Tremolo" | 2 | 225,000 |
| ||
| "Haitoku no Scenario" | 3 | 196,000 |
|
Sapphire | |
| "Tsuioku no Heroine" | 5 | 136,000 |
|
Each Side of Screen | |
| "Matenrou Museum" | 1992 | 4 | 142,000 |
| |
| "Furimukanaide" | 7 | 132,000 |
|
Nocturne ~Yasoukyoku~ | |
| "Real na Yume no Jouken" | 10 | 90,000 |
| ||
| "Voyage, Voyage" | 1993 | 19 | 69,000 | Reminiscence | |
| "Kekkon Shiyou ne" | 14 | 75,000 |
|
Aphrodite | |
| "Sakihokore Itoshisa yo" | 9 | 334,000 |
|
BRUNCH | |
| "Itsumade mo Suki de Itakute" | 1994 | 19 | 79,000 |
|
overture! |
| "Twinkle Twinkle" | 28 | 74,000 |
| ||
| "Cherie Mon Cherie" | 28 | 25,000 | voce | ||
| "Watashi-tachi Rashii Rule" | 1995 | 46 | 16,000 | Flyin' High | |
| "Jive Into The Night" | 92 | 6,000 | |||
| "Angel Love Story" | 62 | 8,000 | WINK MEMORIES 1988-1996 | ||
Videography
| Year | Information | Oricon weekly peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Heart On Wave | — |
| 1990 | Wink First Live Shining Star
-Dreamy Concert Tour On 1990-
|
— |
Winkissimo -Hawaii And L.A. Days, 1990-
|
— | |
Heart On Wave Ⅱ
|
— | |
| 2004 | WINK VISUAL MEMORIES 1988-1996 [M.V.集] | — |
WINK PERFORMANCE MEMORIES+ [Live映像]
|
— | |
| 2008 | Wink Visual Collection -1988-1996
ヴィジュアル全集-[BOX] |
— |
| 2019 | Wink Visual Memories 1988-1996
～30th Limited Edition～ |
— |
| Wink Performance Memories
～30th Limited Edition～
|
— | |
Bibliography
References
- "Wink Discography on ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
- Wink 30th Anniversary Special - Polystar: New Releases
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink Discography - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink 30th Anniversary - Polystar.co.jp
- Wink 30th Anniversary - Polystar.co.jp
External links
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