After graduating from Musashino Art University with a degree in oil painting, she studied under Yasushi Sawada.
In 1989, she released the album "フォロー・ミー(FOLLOW ME)" simultaneously in Japan and the United States.
It ranked 16th in the Radio & Records Contemporary Jazz charts.
Swing Journal (スイングジャーナル) voted Kimiko Number 1 female vocalist in 1988–1996.
In 2004, her cover of the song "River of Crystals" from her album "Follow Me" was featured in the Mamoru Oshii-directed film Ghost in the Shell: Innocence.