Yuka Honda is a multi-instrumentalist who makes music playing programmed drums, samples, accoustic drums, percussion, orchestra bells, , and vibraphone among others.
Honda was born in Tokyo, Japan, and spent a few years of her childhood in Germany and Denmark. She went to school in Aix-en-Provence, France then moved to New York City in November 1986. She had some classical training in her childhood but never thought that she would become a musician. When she came to New York, she was writing for a Japanese food magazine.
In 1988, she hit her first stage at CBGB's as a keyboard player with Greg Cohen and Michael Blair. In 1989, she started the band "The Flaming Hoops" with boyfriend then husband Dougie Bowne, E.J. Rodriguez and Erik Sanko and recorded a self-titled album on which she plays a duet with Michael Brecker. In 1990, she joined Jazz Passengers in their musical play "Jazz Passengers in Egypt", and she appeared in their live album Live at Knitting Factory. She also joined a live hip-hop band "Rhythm Method", then a funk band Brooklyn Funk Essentials, but her main focus was the band she started with husband Dougie Bowne and Marc Anthony Thompson, Hope is a Muscle. In 1992, she played Queen Elizabeth Hall in South Bank, London, supporting Arto Lindsay along with Marc Ribot, Bernie Worrell and Brian Eno.
In 1993, Honda met Miho Hatori while working with the band Leitoh Lychee. The two formed their own band, Cibo Matto, in March 1994, by which time Honda had divorced from Bowne. The unique formation of the band in which Hatori was the singer who sang all the songs in relation to food and love, and Honda was the only instrumentalist where she played live electronics and made the sound of a full band, generated a quick sensation in the city, and they signed the record deal with Warner Brothers before the year was over. In 1995, they recorded their debut album Viva! La Woman with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. During the same year, they met Russell Simins when they opened up for Blues Explosion, and started the band Butter 08 with Mike Mills, Evan Bernard and Rick Lee. Honda produced their self-titled album with Simins. Both Cibo Matto and Butter 08 released their albums in 1996.
She was in a romantic relationship with Sean Lennon from 1996 to 2000, and produced his 1998 album Into the Sun. The two met when Honda remixed Yoko Ono's song "Talking to The Universe" (from the album Rising), along with Thurston Moore, Tricky, Beastie Boys and Ween. Cibo Matto invited Lennon and Timo Ellis to join the band as they started to tour frequently. From 1996 to 2000, Honda toured extensively with all three projects she was involved in.
Also in 1996, Cibo Matto worked with the film director Michel Gondry on their single Sugar Water, a highly artistic music video which works in palindrome.
After the dissolution of Cibo Matto in 2001, Yuka Honda began working on her own music, as well as collaborating with other artists, inlcuding Sean Lennon.
Yuka Honda's solo debut, "Memories Are My Only Witness", was issued in 2001. The album featured former Cibo Matto musicians Timo Ellis and Duma Love.
The following year, Honda returned to Japan to collaborate with the Boredoms' Yoshimi P-We, the results of which became 2003's "Flower With No Color". Honda's sophomore solo effort, "Eucademix", arrived in fall 2004.
In 2005, Honda worked for Hal Willner at Expo 2005 for the 3D animation which was directed by Robert Wilson. She also sang on the Dopo Yume album The Secret Show.
In 2006 Honda played keyboards on Sean Lennon's album Friendly Fire. She is currently supporting Lennon as a musical director while he is on tour.
In 2007, Yuka Honda co-produced Irina Lazareanu with Sean Lennon. She also wrote songs and recorded with Edie Brickell on her new album The Heavy Circles.
in 2009, Yuka Honda worked on Yoko Ono's 'Between My Head and the Sky'.
Yuka Honda is also at work on a collection of songs with Petra Haden, apparently with contributing performances by Sean Lennon and Trevor Dunn.
