When I think of 1990s singers with a certain je ne sais quoi, distinct style and a whispery kittenish voice, my mind would usually go to Kahimi Karie（カヒミ・カリィ）and her particularly Gallic brand of Shibuya-kei.
Recently though, I came across this singer who's been around since 1991 going by the name of POiSON GiRL FRiEND, and I think she may now be joining those above thoughts as the second singer. But in her case, I get more of a British vibe from her for some reason.
Noriko Sekiguchi or nOrikO released her first album as a major act, "Melting Moment", in 1992 and one of the tracks is "Hardly Ever Smile Before You". On her Wikipedia page, she's got a lot of genres attached to her: dream pop, synth-pop, trip hop, techno, ambient, French pop and dance-pop, and so with this particular moody ballad, I can pick up on the dream pop, ambient and perhaps some synth. At the same time, my ears also detect some of the Pet Shop Boys' balladry and "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double...songs that simply allure listeners into that twilight zone of pondering the meaning of life. Perhaps it also reflects that album title of "Melting Moment"...some Dali instances. As well, with those strings in there, I couldn't but feel that this could have been a new form of Fashion Music.
YouTuber Fond/Sound was able to get an interview with POiSON GiRL FRiEND back in June 2018, so feel free to get some more insights from her about her career and music. Also, this is merely a personal observation but what made me stop on the top YouTube video for "Hardly Ever Smile Without You" was the fact that the album cover featuring her visage has her looking distinctly Akina Nakamori-like. Wowzers!
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