BONNIE PINK

Fender frontline Japan ( Winter 2000)

If youÕre strained to Òstudy,Ó youÕll probably be deprived of your freedom in music.

Sing-a-song-writer BONNIE PINK, who made her debut in 1995, let the world aware of her talent as a sing-a-song-writer in her second album, ÒHeavenÕs Kitchen.Ó Her latest album ÒLet goÓ is work that provides yet a larger world from the artist. The key to the album produced by Mitchell Froom, producer of Los Lobos and Suzanne Vega, is the guitar sound. The album is sure to be a new departure for Bonnie. We asked Bonnie about her feelings toward the guitar and her favorite Fender USA Jaguar (her favorite guitar as in the photo).

Q: Compared to your previous works, ÒLet GoÓ consisted of a lot of guitar sounds.
Bonnie: I started composing on my guitar. I think thatÕs the big difference. It was three years ago that I held a guitar in my hands for the first time. I always thought you couldnÕt play the guitar unless you mastered the chords. I couldnÕt play other peopleÕs music scores because I didnÕt know the chords. I started composing on the guitar because I simply wanted to play some music.

Q: So you didnÕt practice by covering other songs?
Bonnie: No. I just held the strings with my fingers as I went along. Played as I liked and memorized if it sounded like a chord. I discovered a couple of chords that way. And when I combined a few of the chords I found I ended up with a song, as simple as that. I realized youÕre able to make songs even if you donÕt know the chords. Since then, itÕs fun for me to compose songs on the guitar.

Q: WhatÕs different now that you are able to compose songs on the guitar?
Bonnie: IÕve been composing on the piano up until now so I had tendencies for creating songs with intermediate or slower rhythms. I thought there wasnÕt enough groove in me. On the other hand, with the guitar you can naturally make rhythm while playing the chords, which gave me the feeling that I can come up with something brisk. And thatÕs how this album ÒLet goÓ was made.

Q: ThereÕs change in rhythm and the tunes have become much lighter.
Bonnie: Because I couldnÕt play the guitar before, I think I wasnÕt able to wholly express the music that was ringing in my head to the guitarist. But now I can say what kind of sound I want or what sort of cutting I prefer. ItÕs become concrete.

Q: You surprised the audience with your energetic stage last summer. Is it correct to understand that thereÕs a connection between your change in performance style and you becoming more intimate with the guitar?
Bonnie: Yes, I think so. My theme last year was Ògrace,Ó but in reaction to that I began to feel like jumping and dancing. That side of me was probably there from before, but it was the energy of the guitar that helped draw that out. I think thereÕll be a lot of these kinds of songs coming out from me in the future.

Q: I see. By the way, the photo here shows your favorite is the Fender guitar. Was it the first electronic guitar you bought?
Bonnie: Yes. I bought the Jaguar in Los Angeles where I visited for recording ÒLet go.Ó I played the guitar during recording.

Q: Is that the mint-green Jaguar in this picture?
Bonnie: It was Òsonic blue,Ó more of a color close to light blue. But itÕs faded a little now and become a nicer color.

Q: What year is the Jaguar?
Bonnie: 1963. ThereÕs this guitar shop, which my guitarist who took part in the album regularly visits. It has a relatively rich collection of vintage guitars, and you canÕt help but buy something when you go there. I wanted a Jaguar for some time when one day I gained information that a mint-green Jaguar had arrived in the shop. I prefer cold colors to warm colors, so I had it rented out immediately. It was cooler that I thought when I got to see it! And when I gave it a stroke, the sound was great (laugh). I needed to buy it. I just had to own it!

Q: What do you like about it now that youÕre using it?
Bonnie: The quality of the sound is great, of course. And the neck is a little small. I have small hands, so itÕs perfect for me. I also value its look (laugh). I like the color and the shape. The look is very important for me, maybe too important, for IÕm often taken with things that are cute.

Q: In addition to the quality in sound and function, it may be the coolness of Fender guitars that make them so appealing. Finally, in what way would you like to associate with guitars from now on?
Bonnie: ThereÕs tons of things left that I need to discover regarding guitars. IÕd like to try what I feel interesting little by little while having fun. Study with fun. No, I guess ÒstudyÓ is the wrong word. You get tired when you think youÕre studying.

Q: Your open-minded attitude to creating music seems to be what constitutes your world.
Bonnie: Yes. You donÕt want to get tired of doing it do you? ItÕs not healthy if you feel youÕre obliged to do something. If youÕre strained to Òstudy,Ó youÕll probably be deprived of your freedom in music. Even though youÕre making every effort not to make music in that way, itÕs often the case that you unconsciously create certain theories to music making. If you start studying on top of that youÕll start creating walls around you and your world will turn smaller. IÕve come this far without studying since my debut five years ago, so IÕm not going to start studying now. WhatÕs important is how you can have fun with it all.

- Fender Japan

ORIGINAL CONFIDENCE?@( May24, 2004 )

ARTIST & MUSIC
HIT FOCUS

Her new album is number five on the music chart on its first arrival
BonnieÕs independent mind to create is now highly acclaimed

On May 24, BONNIE PINKÕs album ÒEven SoÓ released on May 12, reached number five on the music chart on its first arrival. The album is the 6th to enter the top ten, two in a row. Considering the average amount of sales the artist has achieved over the last couple of years, the hit might be reasonable. But while nearly a decade has passed since her debut, and many artists who debuted at the same time as Bonnie are not so active anymore, her sales, her determined approach to creating and her wonderful music deserves a mention.
Regarding the albumÕs hit, Makoto Nakamura of ORGANON/Warner Music Japan said, ÒAt any rate, itÕs rich in production.Ó With help from Tore Johansson who made a full engagement in producing Bonnie after six long years, BonnieÕs sensuality in melody makingÑwhich wasnÕt typically Japanese from the startÑwas guided into a bringing together a mellow and easygoing pop sound. The main reason behind the hit lies in the success of bringing BonnieÕs talent to another level. The album received standard but very good reactions during various promotion activities from the press, not to mention radio on-airs and PV on-airs. As well as the music, there were also a lot of positive responses for the CD jacket and the artistÕs portraits. Expectations for Bonnie PinkÕs new album were high from the media and record shops. Also, effective for new audiences was her single ÒLast KissÓ which was selected as the ending theme for Fuji TV related animation ÒGANTS,Ó and ÒIÕm in the Mood for Dancing,Ó which was used in a commercial.
The year Bonnie made her debut in 1995 was when J-POP was in boom. It was a time when the Shibuya movement emerged, and artists who were into Western music slowly started to create the scene. In such times, BonnieÕs non-Japanese sensitivity in creating original melodies and her English lyrics seemed a little early for those consuming the Japanese pop scene. It was only a few years after her debut that female vocalists with Western music tendencies emerged from various genres including rock, pops and R&B.
Although she appointed Tore, she is not an artist whose style in music has particularly strong influence from the West. But when we look at her sales and her raking of top five, thereÕs no denying that the Japanese market has at last caught up with her music.
- ORICON ENTERTAINMENT

("SMART = The Populier Journal of Fasion in Japan )

SMART?@( May24, 2004 )

BonnieÕs complex face as a woman is enclosed in the passion and mellowness that show alternatively in her completed new album.

BONNIE PINKÕs seventh album is produced by Tore Johansson, the producer whom Bonnie has been building a perfect combination again over the year with her single song. He is the man behind ÒHeavenÕs Kitchen,Ó the album which Bonnie made a name for herself. The man who is literally the key person to BonnieÕs success is back after six long years to participate in BonnieÕs album again. The arrange consisting of vintage sound very like ToreÑa maniac of BeatleÕs musicÑand a toughness of rock together with a tension of hip-hop, is clearly a 2004 version of Bonnie Pink. Listeners wonÕt be able to get enough of the eroticism derived from the gap between the hardcore sound and the lyrics filled with femininity.

Bonnie said : ÒMy taste in music changed while I was away from Tore. I wanted to show that, so I stressed my opinions strongly during production. We discussed a lot and there were times when we both wouldnÕt compromise (laugh). The albumÕs keyword is ÔAmerican rock.Õ We had the image of late 1980s and early 1990 sound.Ó

Bonnie, who was in her early 20s when she made her debut, is reaching 31 this year. Up until now, she has always been attempting to build a new frame in her music while breaking routines. Most of the female vocalists who debuted at the same time as her have disappeared. Today, her seventh album has no doubt the weight of glory it deserves.

Bonnie said : ÒUp until now, IÕve been making albums at an interval of a year to year and a half. ItÕs been quite a pace for me. IÕve tried not to get bored of myself, by changing environment and musicians and trying to create with fun, really. I had the intention of creating change with this album too, from the composing stage. For example, I took on a new challenge by making a song with a political message like ÒThe Answer.Ó I also concentrated on creating a gap between the lyrics and the music. But it was very hard to do it within the tight schedule of two and a half months of recording in Sweden.Ó

The profound and poignant love songs seem to expose her karma as a woman. SheÕs normally the tomboy type, but thereÕs no measuring how deep her femininity lies at the core.

Bonnie said : ÒI hate losing so I try to overcome my weaknesses. Deep down, I maybe feminine, but I deliberately create masculine sounds. For love affairs, the more trouble is the more exciting. I like to know my partner through arguments. A love that makes you grow is my ideal.Ó

- Takarajima Co., ltd

(Sound & Recording = The Journal of sound and recording , This Journal introduce the musicians and the engineers and tools for recording , etcÉ)

INTERVIEW: Tore Johansson

Bonnie Pink has her own world to her music. She never lets the trend take over her.

Tore Johansson is the man who brought The Cardigans and Eggstone to the scene, and thereby formed the basis for Swedish pop music. He was living in London temporarily, undergoing mainly mixing down and remixing jobs, but last year he returned to Sweden and started working at GULA as a base. Ever since then, he has been producing Scottish band Franz Ferdinand, whose single ÒTake Me OutÓ reached number two in the U.K. music chart. We asked the very busy Tore via e-mail about teaming up with Bonnie again, and his present working environment.

It was an offer that came at the perfect timing for me to work like when I first started out.

Q: ItÕs a while since you produced Bonnie PinkÕs album. What were you feelings when the offer came?
Tore: This offer came at the most perfect timing for me. Recently, IÕve been doing mostly mixing down jobs. I havenÕt been producing for a while, so I felt the need to go back to the basics of where I started out. Bonnie Pink is one of the artists whom I produced when I started out as a producer, so the timing of the offer came at an ideal moment.

Q: You produce numerous artists among them a lot of Japanese, but what do you think Bonnie Pink excels at?
Tore: I think sheÕs a sing-a-song-writer with the most genuine heart. She has her own world to her music and she never lets the trend take over her.

Q: Did you find her music different from before?
Tore: Impressions of her music has modified due to her change in the way she composes her music. IÕm sure itÕs clear to everyoneÕs ears that she now composes with the guitar. A lot of her new music consists of chords that smoothly flow, because she basically sticks to open chords and strings. Before, there were tunes that made sudden inversions, perhaps because she composed on the piano.

Recently IÕm fascinated with the MD421. It makes the hi-pass filter incredibly powerful.

Q: After you returned to Sweden, youÕve been making GULA your base instead of Tambourine Studios.
Tore: Tambourine is still a studio that is in full operation, but IÕm no longer a co-owner. GULA is a studio that has the same style as Tambourine, but itÕs far larger in scale.

Q: Recently, you seem to be using mainly DIGIDESIGN Pro Tools as your system.
Tore: Yes. I have my DIGIDESIGN Pro Tools | 24 Mix Plus transportable so I can use it at home and at every studio I go to. I also have MarathonÕs Rack Mount Scsi in my Macintosh.

Q: You donÕt use analogue anymore?
Tore: For recording I use machines of the 1970s, especially Outboards. Also, I didnÕt do it this time round, but I occasionally use Analogue 16 Track / 2 inch MTR and MCI JH-16 to record the basic sound. But all the materials I record are put into Pro Tools. I also achieve all the post recording procedures from over-dub, mixing down, to editing with Pro Tools.

Q: If you have a favorite Outboard, please name one.
Tore: For Outboards, I often use NEVEÕs EQ and Compressor. I have different kinds of modules. I also like AmekÕs Compressor, System 9098 CL designed by Rupert Neve.

Q: What about Pro ToolÕs plug-in?
Tore: My favorite is WAVES Renaissance Equalizer, which I use often. For two mix, I have T.C. ELECTRONIC MasterX for mastering work.

Q: What do you use for your monitor speaker?
Tore: For mixing, I have few sets of American HiFi Speaker EPI 100 of the 1970s. With it, I use AKG K1000 headphones.

Q: Which microphones did you use to record BonnieÕs voice?
Tore: I used a variety, but mainly SENNHEISER MD421. The key is to set the built-in high-pass filter at the highest of the five levels. Recently IÕm attached to the MD421 again, so I use it for everything, not just vocals. I arrange in the order of BBC or NEVEÕs EQ, BBC again or NEVEÕs Compressor, followed by UREI 1176LN, before I send it all to Pro Tools.

Q: Listening to this work, your sound seems to have changed compared to when you were using Analogue Recorders at Tambourine Studios. Do you think this is largely due to your switching of recording tools?
Tore: To be honest, I prefer the former method of recording live in the studios. But times have changed, and I think thereÕs need to pursue modern, innovative sounds that match the era. I hope I can keep on seeking such sounds by using the two different methodsÑone that puts emphasis on live sound, and the other programming and editingÑappropriately.

Japanese music fans donÕt care for old and new styles in music.

Q: What do you consider important when you produce artists?
Tore: To make the best package possible out of the song (note: to heighten the appeal and the value of the song as a product)

Q: There are many Japanese fans devoted to the music you make. Why do you think you have so many Japanese supporters?
Tore: I think a lot of Japanese music fans donÕt care for old and new styles in music. Whether it is a modern song or a nostalgic song, they take it in quite naturally. That comes to me as very fresh. When I make music for those kinds of music fans, I donÕt have to worry about making music that goes with the trend or making it cheap by deliberately incorporating old styles. I can give the music the approach that best suits it. Therefore, I can accomplish producing work thatÕs devoted to the work itself.
- Ritto Music Co., Ltd