Gwinko

Gwinko
Born
Gwinko Kanagushiku (金城 吟子)

(1973-06-04) June 4, 1973 (age 51)
Okinawa, Japan
Other namesGinko Mirai (美良樹 吟呼)
OccupationSinger
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active
    • 1987–1994
    • 2020–present
LabelsCBS Sony
Media Remoras
Japanese name
Hiraganaぎんこ
Katakanaギンコ
Transcriptions
RomanizationGinko

Gwinko Kanagushiku (Okinawan: 金城 吟子, romanized: Kanagushiku Gwinko) born on June 4, 1973, in Okinawa, Japan, is a Japanese singer who is currently a member of the duo Kina & Gwinko Worldchamploo.[1]

Biography

Gwinko was one of the first batch of students from the Okinawa Actors School. In 1986, she passed an audition hosted by CBS Sony and moved to Tokyo, becoming Okinawa Actors School's first graduate. Gwinko released her debut album Yesterday Today Forever and single "Star Ship (I'm Going High)" in 1987. She became known for her style of singing R&B with digital sound in the foreground with slightly husky and relaxed vocals, as well as her dance choreography reminiscent of that of Janet Jackson.[1]

In 1988, Gwinko participated at CBS Sony's 20th anniversary event "New Blood 88–89". Later that year, she performed at Epic/Sony's 10th anniversary concert "Dance to Christmas". In the summer of 1989, Gwinko participated in the live tour "New Bloods Presents Funk a Hips Live Show" as a member of New Bloods. In October of that year, she became the co-host of the music program Hit Studio R&N alongside Ichiro Furutachi. On the October 13 episode, Gwinko and Furutachi were witnesses to an incident when rock band The Timers played an unscheduled performance of a song protesting FM Tokyo censorship policies.[2]

In 1991, Gwinko released the single "Downtown Game", which was used as the opening theme of the anime series City Hunter '91. Shortly after the release of her album Tokyo Ukiuki Girl, she moved back to Okinawa. In 1994, Gwinko signed with Media Remoras and released her sixth album Princess Moon.

In 2020, Gwinko re-emerged from retirement and joined Shoukichi Kina to form Kina & Gwinko Worldchamploo.[1]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Information Oricon weekly
peak position[3] 		Sales
 RIAJ certification[4]
1987 Yesterday Today Forever —
1988 Teenage Beat
  • Released: June 1, 1988
  • Label: CBS Sony
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
 —
1989 Every Girl
  • Released: June 21, 1989
  • Label: CBS Sony
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 —
1990 I'm In
  • Released: July 21, 1990
  • Label: CBS Sony
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 —
1991 Tokyo Ukiuki Girl
  • Released: May 22, 1991
  • Label: Sony Records
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 —
1994 Princess Moon
  • Released: September 21, 1994
  • Label: Media Remoras
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Date Peak chart positions Sales (JPN) RIAJ
certification[4] 		Album
JPN
Oricon
[3]
"Star Ship (I'm Going High)" September 2, 1987 — Non-album single
"Gwinko's Christmas Carol (Sweet Heart Version)" November 21, 1987 — Yesterday Today Forever
"Get On" April 2, 1988 — Teenage Beat
"Us" January 21, 1990 — Non-album single
"Yokubari na Weekend" August 1, 1990 — I'm In
"Downtown Game" April 25, 1991 — Tokyo Ukiuki Girl
"Bougainvillea wo Daite Waratte" July 21, 1994 — Princess Moon
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Other recordings

Release date Work Song Notes
September 29, 1994 Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture "Daisuki to iu uso o tsuita" Anime TV special ending theme.

Filmography

TV

  • Hit Studio R&N (1989–1990)

Film

  • Tanpenshū Step Out (1990)
  • Heartbreaker: Dangan yori Ai wo Komete (1992)

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kina & Gwinko Worldchamploo". Zaiko. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  2. ^ Manabe, Noriko (2015). The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Protest Music After Fukushima. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-933469-8. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  3. ^ a b "GWINKO" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  4. ^ a b "ゴールドディスク認定" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2022-02-08.