Like many people, when I first heard Hitomi Yaida's music, I immediately thought: Aha, Ringo Sheena Lite. With her high-pitched, keening voice and energetic, guitar-based pop-rock style, Yaida certainly has a lot in common with Sheena, that twisted pixie.
But the resemblance is superficial. As any true Yaida fan can tell you, the woman they call "Yaiko" (her childhood nickname) has her own very distinct musical style and personality.
Closer study of the Sheena and Yaida oeuvres reveals that while Sheena revels in an almost nihilistic sense of decadence, both in her lyrics and her visuals, Yaida exudes an upbeat, positive vibe. With her melodramatic, guitar-strumming performance style and hippie-chick dress sense, Yaida comes across as a sort of nonthreatening eccentric, with charm and energy to spare.