Osaka Idols That Are Cute Yet Spicy - PinkySpice (ピンキースパイス) - New Age Idols Spotlight
There are sometimes when you find a group where you have everything you look for.
Cuteness, coolness, talented and so much more all wrapped into one.
They may look tame, but can you handle the heat?
Come join me as I shine a light on one of my favorite groups, PinkySpice.
Group Introduction
PinkySpice (ピンキースパイス and also stylized as ピンスパ ) was formed in October 2018 under CDC PRODUCTION and held their stage debut in November 2018.
The group is from Osaka, Japan and performs at their agencies own venue, CDCBOX weekly.
Once a month, they do come up to Tokyo to perform and do some various PR activities as well. If you live in the Kanto region, make sure to come to one of their performances.
PinkySpice currently consists of six members: Eririn got promoted to regular member on March 24th, 2021.
They have released 4 singles and 1 album since debut.
Back in June 2021, it was announced that their music will be available on streaming platforms. It is a very nice direction they went after shying away from it.
Anyways, let's move on to introducing the members!
Member Introduction
In this section, I will also add each members SNS account for you to follow them. They also have an individual SHOWROOM for you to check out. I highly suggest that you do that.
Fun fact: Otsuka Rena and former member Sato Erika were part of a CDC PRODUCTION group named AMER+ before PinkySpice activities were started.
Every member is also color coded which as I have mentioned in previous articles, is my favorite thing.
Name: Otosaki Ayane (音咲 あやね)
Birthdate: January 7th
Color: Honey Yellow
Name: Miruka Aoi (蒼以みるか )
Birthdate: April 10th
Color: Olympia Green
Name: Yuki Kamiki (神木 祐希)
Birthdate: July 22nd
Color: Ocean Blue
Name: Hanamura Karen (花村かれん)
Birthdate: August 11th
Color: Chiffon Blue
Name: Otsuka Rena (大塚 れな)
Birthdate: May 19th
Color: Strawberry Red
Name: Watagumi Eri (綿雲えり)
Birthdate: August 30th
Color: Cotton White
Former Members
Kanda Yuki - Left January 21st, 2019
Shibata Sora - Graduated January 30th, 2019
Sato Erika (佐藤えりか ) - Graduated January 11th, 2021
Discography Information
As I mentioned earlier, PinkySpice has released 3 singles and 1 album.
1st Single - Sweet Pinky Chocolate - Released June 23rd, 2019
2nd Single - Steal Heart - Released June 23rd, 2019
3rd Single - EXIT - Released June 23rd, 2019
1st Album - Checkmate - Released November 29th, 2020
4th Single - 落陽に惑う (Rakuyo ni madou) - Released July 21st, 2021
You can now purchase the physical versions of their CD (at least the latest one). I use this site mostly.
You can stream their music on your favorite music platforms, or the ones I personally use.
Music Video Information
In this topic, I will showcase some of my favorite videos of the group. There are a few live performances in here as well.
The reviews in this category are my own opinion.
The first video I want to showcase is from their third single, EXIT. The video title is the same as the song title...
If you want to start with a hard hitting song, this is where to find it. To me, this is a song that would get all the fans jamming in the venue. It has the rock electronic vibe that will get you amped. The vocals at the start with Yuki and Erika get the song going strong. Throughout the entire song, you can feel the emotions from their voices. In this video, you may have noticed that Ayane and Aoi did not get any lines in this song and only got screen time during the group choreo and a little during the bridge towards the end of the song. This definitely changes in their next video. The stage outfits are nice as well. Very modest which is really nice to see. The members themselves look both cute, pretty and cool all at the same time.
The choreography is nice enough to be able to copy in your home or at work, if you felt like it. If I were at the venue I would think there would be a really good fan chant that goes along with this song. I need my light stick to do some of the dance as well. You might bump into somebody while performing in a crowd though.
I did Google Translate the lyrics (maybe not 100% accurate of course) and they are very telling of what this song is about. "Don't listen to what others have to say and stand out among the crowd. Make yourself be scene among a crowd of people." The song can get stuck in your head pretty easily if you allow it to. I personally like this song due to its catchiness and the all around talents that the members showcase.
The second video I want to share is their latest music video, Masquerade. It is from their first album released back in November 2020, CHECKMATE.
I'm not going to lie. I really enjoy the overall vibe of this song. The song starting off with the classical music is a very nice touch followed by the rock/electronic music make it pop. I must say that wherever they filmed this, I want to go to that ballroom because it looks so pretty. All of those chandeliers are like a chef's kiss.... Sorry, I got distracted. The individual shots of a few of the members in the glow of the light is a nice aesthetic. The song really starts to pick up from there. All of the members have their own lines and even individual shots that make the video shine. Whomever did the camera editing trick, I give you props. At first, I was confused but then it slowly grew on me to the point where I enjoy it. It also matches with the tones of the song at those moments, great job.
The vocals are really top notch from everyone, to be honest.
The members look really pretty in their stage outfits for this era and it matches the theme of classical attire.
The choreography is on point in this video. It is really lovely to follow along with their moves. The dance break toward the end of the song is nice, especially the spins by Karen and Erika. It is not so easy to replicate this choreo and that might be for the better.
Overall, I could continue to listen to this song for a long time to come. In the process of writing this, I, no joke, watched the video another five times just to enjoy it.
For the third video, it is from one of their livestreams on SHOWROOM-Live. I found a YouTube channel where these were uploaded so I took a peek at some of the songs they don't have MV's for.
If you want the classic and cute idol song, this one is for you. It is from their first single titled, Sweet Pinky Chocolate. This particular event was on June 27th, 2020 in preparation for the Tokyo Idol Festival 2020.
This song is all around cute. This is the kind of music you would listen to if you need something sweet to brighten up your day. I always need some sort of sugar when I am feeling down. I really enjoy the choreography of this as well. It is simple and I am going to say this multiple times, but cute as well. There is a strong chance that I would absolutely do the dance moves while at work.
I have heard the fan chant for this song and you could easily make one up on your on if you felt like it.
In other words, I super love this song.
Last but not least, I want to share a video of one of their tracks that reminds me of a certain 1980s song. The title is called, DREAMER. It is also from the same live as the previous video.
Did you guess it? The intro to this song reminds me of the Kenny Loggin's classic, Danger Zone. The more you listen to it, the more you notice it. DREAMER is a classic idol style tune. It has all the key features you like to here. The rock vibes mixed with nice vocals. The choreography is all around good, especially in the dance breaks. Give this one a listen if you have the chance to.
Since the last update. they have released two new music videos. One of them being この指とまれ！(Kono yubi to mare) and 落陽に惑う (Rakuyo ni madou) . I did a review for first music video already which you can find here
I do want to share their latest music video that from their new single, 落陽に惑う.
If you want a cool rock song that is a nice middle ground between metal and alternative, this is the song for you. It gets you jamming from the beginning and it doesn't stop, even with a bit of hip-hop in the middle. Speaking of the hip-hop, it is a nice break and it looks like they enjoy that part before it goes back to the rock. The songs plays very well to the members' vocal strengths. Each one of them has their own powerful voices and it shows. All the members shine throughout the whole video to be honest. If you didn't know they were great singers, now you know. Of course, all of them are the nice mix between cute, pretty and cool. Quite a triple threat, indeed. I like the video as it doesn't need to be too much to make it good. The choreography is really nice. This one is hard to replicate but it doesn't hurt to try. I enjoy listening to this song and music video a lot. Not only because they are one of my favorite groups but if I were to pick a favorite song of theirs, it would be this. I thoroughly love it.
Overall Review
While researching for this article, I realized that I might be the only updated all English information portal for PinkySpice. It honestly shocked me.
Anyways, here is a little backstory on how I came across their group.
This story is a little different from most others. I didn't discover this group through Twitter or YouTube / Spotify etc.
In the summer of 2019, I went on SHOWROOM-Live toward the end of the night, just scrolling through the variety of idols on there. I stumbled across a room of a member of PinkySpice, Ayane. From the preview window, she looked cute so I joined the room and just chatted for a little bit and left with a really good impression. Of course, I went to her Twitter and discovered her group from there.
To be honest, I only knew Ayane for the longest time. Just recently was when I started to become familiar with the other members. I apologize to them for that. I'm sorry for not chit-chatting with you all when I could've got to know each of you better.
I looked them up on YouTube and watched EXIT, but I wasn't terribly keen on it. After a few listens, it really grew on me in a big way. In my assessment of the song above, I made it look like I enjoyed it from first listen. I apologize. I watched some fan videos of their other music and I became an even bigger fan, especially with Sweet Pinky Chocolate and Steal Heart.
I knew then, they were a group I could get firmly behind.
I was super excited for their album release because I knew they worked their tails off producing it and making a MV after a year and a half.
Thanks to PinkySpice, I have gotten to make a friendship over the past couple of years with a fellow Ayane and group fan from Japan. He translates her tweets into English...Twitter
I always look forward to more content from them in the future as they continue to grow and perform on bigger stages. Maybe Budokan? Zepp Namba?
I have not gotten to see them in person yet, sadly. Maybe someday in the near future...
By the way, they also accept fan mail. On their official Showroom profile, they have an address where to send things. Of course, there are some restrictions to keep in mind.
Below I will leave a message to the members, when they read this (hopefully).
To the members of PinkySpice:
Thank you so much for everything that you do! You are all talented vocalists, dancers and can do anything you set your mind to. As a foreign fan, I am so happy to be in your lives if only just for a sliver while you are an idol. You all work so hard to perform weekly and go on countless expeditions. I think that is must take a toll on your health a little bit. I hope that you can remain healthy through these times! If you ever feel down, keep your head up and always look on the bright side. I look forward to more and more success as time goes along. You have a very strong fanbase in a variety of regions across Japan and it continues to grow by the day. I wish you all nothing but the best! You all have a bright future not only as a group but individually as well.
I look forward to the day that we can finally meet but as of now, I look forward to talking to you through SHOWROOM and maybe even Talkport.
Much Love and Continuous Support from Oklahoma USA! 💖
Official Links
I hope you enjoyed reading about this group. If you wish, please leave a comment or if you would like, you can follow me on Twitter.
As always, wherever you are and no matter what situation you may be in, Have A Great Day!
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