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 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.
Read more about this topic: Rina Chinen
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