Rina Chinen
Encyclopedia
Rina Chinen is a female Japanese
entertainer, former singer, model and TV actress. Rina was born in Naha, Okinawa
. Although Okinawa is now part of Japan, it has evolved its unique culture and music blended from Chinese, Japanese, and Pacific influences. Rina was trained in dance and song at the Okinawa Actors School, whose graduates include Namie Amuro
and SPEED
.
The songs were hits nonetheless. Like other Okinawa Actors School alumni, she is an accomplished dancer.
Her last album "Breath" was released in 2001. This took on a more R&B flavour which Rina said on her Sony homepage was more to her interests. At this point her music career seems to have stalled. Unlike her earlier albums, this one was not well promoted. Rina made only a few media appearances.
This is telling because unlike MTV in the US, in Japan the record companies decide who appears on the TV shows. The career of most J-Pop Idols are brutally short; Idols are developed, heavily promoted and subsequently dropped in favour of new acts. At five years Rina lasted longer than most. Departing idols go when told and go quietly. The latter part of an Idol's career receives little or usually no coverage in the press. Indeed as the case of Ami Suzuki
demonstrated, idols who dare take on the industry are savaged.
Rina spent the early years of her singing career doubling as on-air talent for the Yoru mo Hippare TV show. Hippare did give Rina a chance to sing a wider range of songs, and show the public what a capable voice she actually has.
She subsequently dropped off the musical radar. Reportedly her record contract with Sony was not renewed following the "Breath" album. Although SONY
Music continues to host her home page, it has not been updated since 2001. Her Sony blog was last updated 2003.
.
. Rina announced she planned on taking maternity leave after the drama finished its season, and will continue working after becoming a mother.
Rina at age 25 gave birth to a baby boy on March 14, 2006, and got a divorce on March 15, 2007.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
entertainer, former singer, model and TV actress. Rina was born in Naha, Okinawa
Naha, Okinawa
is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
. Although Okinawa is now part of Japan, it has evolved its unique culture and music blended from Chinese, Japanese, and Pacific influences. Rina was trained in dance and song at the Okinawa Actors School, whose graduates include Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
and SPEED
Speed (band)
Speed is an Okinawan female vocal/dance group comprising Hiroko Shimabukuro, Eriko Imai, Takako Uehara and Hitoe Arakaki. All four members are former students of Okinawa Actors School which also trained popular artists Namie Amuro and MAX.Speed made their major label debut on August 5, 1996 and...
.
Music career
Debuting in 1996 with the Single "Do-Do for Me", Rina's career transitioned through bouncy pop songs and ballads to rock and then R&B. Rina had a powerful and versatile voice and could deliver powerful rock ballads such as "In Your Eyes", hard rock "Yes!" or bouncy pop-cum-dance "Baby Love". Her voice is at its best when she sings at lower, throaty pitches. Some earlier songs such as "God Bless the World" and "Wing" sung in a high-pitched voice, perhaps in an attempt to come across as cutesy, are not so pleasant to the ear. Although there are many high-pitched singers in Japan, in Rina's case this tended to polarise listeners in a way seldom seem.,The songs were hits nonetheless. Like other Okinawa Actors School alumni, she is an accomplished dancer.
Her last album "Breath" was released in 2001. This took on a more R&B flavour which Rina said on her Sony homepage was more to her interests. At this point her music career seems to have stalled. Unlike her earlier albums, this one was not well promoted. Rina made only a few media appearances.
This is telling because unlike MTV in the US, in Japan the record companies decide who appears on the TV shows. The career of most J-Pop Idols are brutally short; Idols are developed, heavily promoted and subsequently dropped in favour of new acts. At five years Rina lasted longer than most. Departing idols go when told and go quietly. The latter part of an Idol's career receives little or usually no coverage in the press. Indeed as the case of Ami Suzuki
Ami Suzuki
is a female singer, songwriter, actress and DJ from Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Having been discovered at the talent TV show Asayan, Suzuki was one of the most popular female singers as an idol in the late 1990s....
demonstrated, idols who dare take on the industry are savaged.
Rina spent the early years of her singing career doubling as on-air talent for the Yoru mo Hippare TV show. Hippare did give Rina a chance to sing a wider range of songs, and show the public what a capable voice she actually has.
She subsequently dropped off the musical radar. Reportedly her record contract with Sony was not renewed following the "Breath" album. Although SONY
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Music continues to host her home page, it has not been updated since 2001. Her Sony blog was last updated 2003.
Drama actress
In 2002 Rina appeared in the Japanese TV Drama Yume no California (夢のカリフォルニア — literally, California of the dream — also known as California Dreamin). She subsequently moved to another drama, Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho (こちら本池上署, Central Ikegami Police) and was with the successful show for its entire five season run. In 2007, she appeared in the Tokyo production of Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
.
Marriage
On August 10, 2005 Rina at age 24 registered her marriage to model Kentaro Kakamura age 22. The couple were expecting a child at the time she was cast in the December musical "Jekyll and Hyde". Her part was consequently reassigned to Ranran SuzukiRanran Suzuki
is a Japanese actress. She was an idol and singer in the 1990s. She began her career as an idol in the early 1990s, in commercials, then got her first role in a drama in 1992. In 1994, she performed in rabbit-cosplay in duet with future J-pop star Namie Amuro in the children TV show Ponkikies,...
. Rina announced she planned on taking maternity leave after the drama finished its season, and will continue working after becoming a mother.
Rina at age 25 gave birth to a baby boy on March 14, 2006, and got a divorce on March 15, 2007.
Singles
- 'DO-DO FOR ME' (21 October 1996)
- 'precious delicious' (31 March 1997)
- 'PINCH -Love Me Deeper-' (18 September 1997)
- 'Break out Emotion' (28 January 1998)
- 'Wing' (15 April 1998)
- 'Be yourself' (15 July 1998)
- 'YES' (13 January 1999)
- 'GOD BLESS THE WORLD' (31 March 1999)
- 'Be proud' (23 June 1999)
- 'IN YOUR EYES' (29 September 1999)
- 'Baby Love' (9 February 2000)
- 'Love, make together' (20 September 2000)
- 'CLUB ZIPANGU' (15 November 2000) -- adapted from Ricky Martin's "She Bangs"
- 'Just Believe' (6 December 2000)
- 'Love you close' (7 March 2001)
Albums
- Growing (10 June 1998)
- Passage -Best Collection- (23 March 2000)
- breath (4 July 2001)
Video
- Plain VIDEO CLIPS (29 July 1998)
- Rina Chinen Growing Tour 1999 (14 July 1999)
- Rina Clips 98-00 (29 March 2000)