Nēnēs is an Okinawan folk music group formed in 1990 by China Sadao (知名定男). The group name means "sisters" in Okinawan

Okinawan language

Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...

. Nēnēs is composed of four female singers who perform traditional Okinawan shima uta

Shima uta

is a 1992 song by the Japanese band The Boom. It was written by the lead singer, Kazufumi Miyazawa, based on his impressions from visiting Okinawa for a photo shoot. It is the band's best selling song, well-known throughout Japan and Argentina, and one of the most widely known songs associated with...

 songs in traditional costume with sanshin

Sanshin

The sanshin is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings....

 accompaniment; they have also performed with a backing band, Sadao China Gakudan. They toured Europe and played New York City in 1994. An independent release, IKAWŪ, landed them a recording contract with Sony Records and a collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto

After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...

. They hold a resident gig at the Live House Shima-Uta club in Naha, Okinawa

Naha, Okinawa

is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...

.

Members

Nēnēs Members
Original Members 1990-1997	Misako Koja Yasuko Yoshida Namiko Miyazato Yukino Hiyane	古謝 美佐子 吉田 康子 宮里 奈美子 比屋根 幸乃
1997-1999	Yasuko Yoshida Namiko Miyazato Yukino Hiyane Eriko Touma	吉田 康子 宮里 奈美子 比屋根 幸乃 當眞 江里子
1999-2003	Ryōko Koyama Erina Miyagi Kiyoka Ikei Keiko Hirata	小山 良子 宮城 江利奈 伊計 季代花 平田 桂子
2004-present	Ayumi Yonaha Ayano Higa Nagisa Uehara Izumi Kinjō	與那覇 歩 比嘉 綾乃 上原 渚 金城 泉

Discography

Year	Title	Japanese	Label	Notes
1991	IKAWŪ	IKAWŪ (行かうー)	Disc Akabana
1992	Yunta	ユンタ	Sony Records
1993	Ashibi	あしび	Sony Records
1994	Koza Dabasa	コザdabasa	Sony Records
1995	Nārabi	なーらび	Sony Records	selections featuring Bali Bali Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east... nese jegog Gamelan jegog Jegog is a form of gamelan music indigenous to Bali, Indonesia played on instruments made of bamboo. The tradition of jegog is centered in Jembrana, a region in Western Bali. In recent years jegog has started to become popular in other regions of Bali with a few groups being established in...   ensemble "Suar Agung"
1995	Natsu – Urizun	夏 ～ うりずん	Sony Records
1996	Koza – Nēnēs Best Collection	コザ ～ ネーネーズ・ベスト・コレクション	Sony Records
1997	Akemodoro – Unai	明けもどろ ～ うない	Antinos Records
2000	Okinawa – Memorial Nēnēs	オキナワ ～ メモリアル・ネーネーズ	Antinos Records
2002	Chura Uta	美らうた	Dig Records
2002	Saudade Okinawa – Healing Selection	サウダージ・オキナワ ～ ヒーリングセレクション	Epic Records Japan
2002	Saudade Uchinā – Nēnēs & Friends Collection	サウダージ・ウチナー ～ ネーネーズ&フレンズ・セレクション	Ki/oon Records
2004	Nēnēs Golden Best	ネーネーズ GOLDEN☆BEST	Sony Records
2004	Shū	愁	Dig Records
2008	Sai	彩	Dig Records

Nēnēs also sang in the title track

Title track

Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...

 of Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh Matharoo , is a producer and composer and tabla player, known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass...

's Ok

Ok (album)

Ok is the debut release of tabla player and music producer Talvin Singh, and it was nine months in the making. The title was chosen because of the universality of the word OK, which can be understood almost anywhere in the world...

album.

External links

• Nēnēs Discography (in Japanese)
• Nēnēs Profile (in Japanese)
• Live House Shima-Uta Nenes news and performance schedule (in Japanese)