Tommy february6/heavenly6: The Many Sides of Tomoko Kawase

Design by Diego Gonzalez

BY Lily Suckow Ziemer

Tomoko Kawase has gone by many names. Her music career started in 1995 when she was asked to join The Brilliant Green, a pop rock band, as lead vocalist. In 1998, the group got their big break with the single, “There Will Be Love There.” Tomoko’s strong voice leads the light strumming guitar through a compelling song, which went number one after being featured in a TV show. The Brilliant Green continued to rise for a few years. After the release of The Winter Album, the group decided to pursue solo projects. And so there was Tommy february6.

Tommy february6 was a character created by Tomoko in the 2000s. She wanted to make synthpop, a far cry from the songs of The Brilliant Green, and combined her nickname, “Tommy,” with her birthday to create a pop alter-ego. Her music and appearance were the epitome of cute. The title of her debut album, Strawberry Cream Soda Pop Daydream, paints a good picture of the impression Tommy february6 initially made. Her songs focused on love and candy, and she wore bows, preppy skirts, and glasses. But Tommy february6 had core, fictional traits outside of just aesthetics.

The character of Tommy february6 suffers from alcoholism. In her music videos, she takes swigs from a flask and drunkenly stumbles around a fuzzy pink carpet. Harsh words are wrapped in love songs. The lyrics of “ChOOSe mE or Die” cheer, “If you don’t say you love me / I’ll kill you / Tell me your answer choose me / Or die.” 

Tomoko explained in interviews that Tommy february6 was all about making her imagination come to life. She wanted to play a part unlike herself: a teenage perpetually drunk J-Pop idol. While watching a cheerleading competition on TV, Tomoko found herself crying at how sad she was in comparison. As Tommy february6, she surrounded herself with cheerleaders and danced with a smile. Tomoko said this would hopefully offset her “personality complex.”

At the same time she thought of Tommy february6, Tomoko had an idea for another character. Tommy heavenly6 was february6’s “dark side.” They would be mirror images, sisters, so similar yet with such different personalities. 

A couple of years into Tommy february6’s career, Tomoko became unhappy with the perception of the character. People seemed focused on the surface level and ignoring  the character’s complexity. The point of playing Tommy february6 was to be dancing with Sanrio characters and shooting the head off of a cheerleader. In a rebellion against this, Tommy heavenly6 made her debut, and the dark side took over.

After taking a swig of her pink, faux fur flask in the music video for “Love Is Forever,” Tommy february6 passes out on the floor. Tommy heavenly6’s debut song and music video, “Wait Till I Can Dream,” released the same day. As the video begins, a hand picks up february6’s flask, and the song begins.

Tommy heavenly6 is a pop punk artist with heavy eye makeup and dark, slouchy clothes. Her music heavily uses electric guitar and Tomoko’s deeper vocals. The song titles similarly paint an image; “stay away from me,” “my bloody knee-high-socks,” and “+gothic Pink+” evoke the rock look of Tommy heavenly6. She retains a sort of romance from february6, but tells us clearly this is a different take on it. In “+gothic Pink+” she sings, “Hello, welcome to my dark side / Why don’t you have a picnic there?” 

The lyrics of Tommy heavenly6 are not much different from february6’s. Both write about love and stray into darker themes. The difference is all about aesthetics and sound. Tommy february6 is the squeal before the crash that is heavenly6. They are polar opposites, but equally enjoyable. Tomoko navigates both genres with ease, and released music under both names for years. The only way for one to exist, she realized, was for the other to as well. 

It has been over 10 years since Tomoko has released new music under any name. While it is unlikely that she will revive either Tommy february6 or heavenly6, she left them both with a robust discography. The songs, so entrenched in their “side” of a music genre, are universal nonetheless. It’s easy to admire the dueling sounds and aesthetics in equal amounts. Individually, the two Tommy’s have made so much good music. I count myself lucky to live in a world where we have both; the perfect balance, february6 and heavenly6.