Hikaru Utada

Hikaru Utada (宇多田 ヒカル, Utada Hikaru?, born January 19, 1983), also known by her fans as Hikki (ヒッキー, Hikkī?), is a singer-songwriter, arranger and record producer in Japan. She is well-known internationally for her two theme song contributions to Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts video game series: "Simple and Clean" and "Sanctuary",

Utada's debut album First Love became the Japan's biggest selling album of all time with over 7.65 million copies sold in Japan alone to date. The release of her later works only help her reign as one of Japan's top artist, with 3 of her Japanese studio albums being ranked in Top 10 best-selling albums ever in Japan (#1, #4, #8).he has had 12 #1 hits to date on the Oricon Singles chart, with two notable record achievements for a female solo or group artist: 5 of them being million-sellers and 4 placing in the Top 100 All-Time Best-selling Singles.

In addition, Utada has won the Nihon Golden Disk "Song of the Year" award for 14 of her singles since 2000 and has won the Golden Disc "Pop/Rock Album of the Year" award for all her 4 Japanese studio albums.In 2003, Utada was ranked the #24 Japanese pop artist in its survey of "Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists of All Time" by HMV, and #10 in HMV's "Top 30 Best Japanese Singers of All Time" in 2006.

In 2007, her single "Flavor of Life" reached #2 in worldwide digital download yearly single chart with over 7.2 million downloads, and she sold a total of 12 million digital ringtones and songs in that same year, making her the first artist ever to have that many digital sales in a year's time.

Biography

Early life and musical career beginnings

Hikaru Utada was born in New York City to Japanese parents with roots in the Japanese music industry. Her father, Teruzane Utada, was a record producer while her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer, performing under the stage name "Keiko Fuji." Junko Utada’s mother, and Hikaru’s grandmother, was a blind shamisen player (ごぜ, or goze). Utada made her first professional recording at the age of twelve. She did her recordings with her mother, releasing songs under a band named “U3” (also known as Utada 3) until 1996 when she started her first solo project, "I'll be Stronger." The "Cookin' With Moses Vocal" from this project was called the "Cookin' With Gas Vocal" on the promotional release. "I’ll Be Stronger" was the first song Utada wrote. It was released under the artist name "Cubic U," a mathematical reference to her being the third Utada 'power,' which was Hikaru’s pseudonym before becoming a superstar in Japan. The song failed to release in the United States, and in 1997, she started her next project, though at first she was hesitant.

"Watching my parents, doing crazy things to continue working on music, um, I always thought 'I never want to be musician', it's crazy, and it's unstable... Just, it looked like a very hectic life, and I didn't really understand the passion for music that they had back then. But I ended up following my parents' footsteps and carry on the family business and I am a musician now as well and, now I understand the driving passion behind it, and that's okay," she said in an interview.

Cubic U released her debut single "Close to You," which was a cover of The Carpenters' song. She then released her debut album Precious, but it failed to be released in the United States due to restructuring issues at her then record label Capitol Records. In an MTV interview (on MTV's You Hear It First, October 2004), Utada explained: "Someone in Japan heard it—at a Japanese record company—and he said, 'Oh, can't you write in Japanese? You speak Japanese… And I said ok, why not? I'll try. Then I gave it a shot, and the Japanese album just really blew up in Japan."[1] She released Precious in Japan on January 28, 1998, and then later re-released it on March 31, 1999 to much better success. It has sold 702,060 copies to date in Japan, making it a significant hit for an all-English album in that market.

Hikaru Utada's name

Hikaru's name variations have been a source of some minor confusion in the past. Her legal name at birth is Utada Hikaru (宇多田光, Utada Hikaru). For her original U.S. debut album, she used the name Cubic U. However, she gained very little fame at this stage in her career. For her Japanese recordings, she has used the name Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル, Utada Hikaru), with her given name in katakana. Unlike most Japanese artists, she became well known in the English-speaking world under this surname-first name ordering, since her name has been romanized only in that order for the Japanese domestic market. In Japan, it was known that her nickname growing up in the U.S. was "Hikki." However, due to her immense popularity in Japan, she became better known under this nickname in Japan than in the United States. After her successes in Japan, she re-entered the U.S. market simply as Utada (sometimes Iwashita). On a few rare occasions, she has been credited in full on U.S. domestic albums as either "Hikaru Utada" or "Utada Hikaru." Her legal name in Japan was Hikaru Iwashita (岩下光, Iwashita Hikaru) due to her marriage to Kiriya Kazuaki (whose real name is Kazuhiro Iwashita). However, she does not use this name for most public purposes. Her legal name in the United States has not been clear, especially since the announcement of her divorce on March 2, 2007.

Personal life

On September 7, 2002 Utada married Kazuaki Kiriya, a photographer and film director who was fifteen years her senior. Kiriya had directed several of her music videos, including "Final Distance," "Traveling," "Hikari," "Sakura Drops," "Deep River," "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro," "Be My Last," "Passion," and "Keep Tryin." Also, "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro" is the theme song of Kiriya's directorial debut, Casshern.

On March 2, 2007, Hikaru Utada and her husband Kazuaki Kiriya were officially divorced, thus ending their four and a half year marriage. They announced the divorce on Utada's blog the following day. Both stated that many factors contributed to the divorce, including personal changes, different viewpoints on the future of their marriage, and, more importantly, lack of communication due to the nature of their jobs. Kiriya hoped that Utada's fans would continue to support her and that the divorce would not affect her reputation and sales. He stated that they could not "emotionally depend on each other" and wished for everybody to support Utada.

On March 9, 2008, roughly a year after her divorce, for an interview for SSTV V.I.P., Utada was asked another question regarding it. Utada stated that they were headed towards a direction in which she felt that she needed to be validated by her husband's opinion. She came to realize the only type of assurance she needed was herself and as a result of the divorce, she gained confidence. Also, Utada stated that she wishes to have children, giving her a brighter outlook on the future.

Orange Range

Orange Range (オレンジレンジ, Orenji Renji) is a 5-member Japanese alternative rock band, based in Okinawa.^[1] Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003.

History

Indies

The band has roots in Okinawa. The area is famous for being the home of many well-known acts. Before they were signed by a major label, Orange Range played mostly in small art houses and clubs until they were found by a record agent. The band is mix of pop- and rock-style music as can be heard by the vocals and the instrumentals. Their style is also made up of many different cultures and musical styles from around the world. This is attributed to their hometown being Okinawa, a well-known station for American military bases and, thus, cultures and different styles often blend. Due to high sales of their works, Orange Range's singles are often attached to various movies, shows or Japanese products. This is usually seen as a sign of a band or singer having hit "the big time" in the Japanese media.

Originally, Orange Range was a cover band, doing mostly covers of songs by other artists. The band was started by childhood friends Kitao "Kat-chan" Kazuhito and Hiroyama Naoto, but Naoto has professed that Kazuhito was the one to come up with the idea of forming a band. Soon a longtime friend of Naoto, Miyamori Yoh, would join the band as a bassist. Unlike the current band members, the next band member to join, Hokama Hiroki, was relatively an "outsider" in the group of friends that made up the original band. Hiroki was also the first vocalist of the band. Next Miyamori Yoh invited his younger brother, Miyamori Ryo, to join the band as a low vocalist and the second overall vocalist. The band stayed like this for a few months before scouting high range vocalist, Yamato Geneko to the band.

Between the time that Yamato joined and the band being signed to Spice Music's Japanese division, Orange Range mainly did covers of already famous singers and bands, like Glay and Mr. Children, for school concerts and for small art houses. In early 2002, the band was signed to Spice Music and released their first official commercial work, the mini-album Orange Ball, which contained the single Michishirube. The single peaked at #250 on the Oricon charts.It was around this time that the band finally left their home of Okinawa and began touring across the country and opening for various Japanese acts such as Do As Infinity.

2003

In June 2003, the band signed with Sony Music and released their first wide release single, Kirikirimai. The single only had a moderate amount of sales and peaked at #50 on the mainstream Oricon charts.The very next month though, any doubts of Orange Range being able to make it to the "big time" in the Japanese music scene were dashed when they released their second single, Shanghai Honey—the single peaked at #5 on the Oricon charts. This was seen as a large feat for the band as the single had almost no promotion due to the low sales of Kirikirimai.

The band then released two more singles, Viva★Rock, in which the title song was used as the third ending to the anime NARUTO, and Rakuyō which was used as commercial song for Daiichi Kosho Mero Dam. 1st Contact, the band's first full album, was then released in late 2003. It entered the charts at #2 and was only able to stay there for a single week. The album's sales dropped by nearly double in the time frame of a month. Even with the low sales, the album became the 15th highest selling album of 2004.

2004

In the time following their first album, the band re-released Michishirube and Kiririmai. During the same year, the band also performed Kirikirimai (Fantastic Four Remix) for the superhero film Fantastic Four and its soundtrack.

Michishirube was used as the ending theme to the popular J-Drama, Fire Boys ~Megumi no Daigo~, this version of the single went straight to #1 on the Oricon charts. It marked the first single from the band that was able to reach the coveted spot on the charts. The band's next single was Locolotion, which rocked the group with plagiarism controversy and accusations. Even with what was seen as "bad media light" for the band, the single still reached the #1 spot, as would their next seven singles, making Orange Range the band with the longest streak of consecutive number one singles since the start of the new millennium.

The band's 8th single, Hana, went on to become the highest selling single from the band; to date, the single has sold nearly 800,000 copies. This single also went on to become the number four highest selling single of 2004 and was able to stay on the Oricon charts for nearly 50 weeks. Their second album, MusiQ, debuted at the #2 spot on the Oricon charts. It only stayed at the spot for one week, as its second week saw the album climb to the number one spot. This would go on to become Orange Range's best selling album, claiming the number one spot for 2005.

2005

The band's next single, *~Asterisk~, was used as the first opening theme to the anime BLEACH and went straight to #1 on the charts and was able to stay in the top 20 for 22 weeks. Because it was released in late 2005, it was counted as a 2005 album; often album sales for albums released late in the year are counted for next year's charts. Asterisk, however, was counted in both 2005 and 2006. The album's chart run ended with over 900,000 sales and was the 11th highest selling album of 2005.

The band then somewhat slowed down as they had what many fans called a "face change". This was because founding member, Kitao Kazuhito, left the band in the middle of 2005. At first it was reported by the Japanese media that he left the band due to tendinitis that had increased in severity. It was later revealed that he left the band due to "creative differences", it was said that Kazuhito did not like that the band was moving more and more to hip-hop and away from rock. As of December 2006, the band has yet to find a replacement member.

2006

The band finally returned to the studio and release their first single of 2006, Champione, in mid-2006. The single became the official song of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Un Rock Star, the band's next single, would break the string of consecutive number one singles. The single debuted at #3 and never rose higher. However, it should be noted that this single had a limited release, as only 100,000 copies were made.

The band's 16th single is titled Sayonara, contrary to rumors of this being the band's final single, this is supposed to mark the second phase of the band's life, thus they are saying goodbye to the first phase. Sayonara was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Teppan Shōjo Akane!!. In addition, the band has also created new songs with commercial tie-ins, one titled Dance Dance to be used in a Pocky advertisement and the other called Hello, which will be used by the Disney Channel.

Their fourth album, the self-titled Orange Range was released on December 6, 2006; it contained 17 tracks; three were re-releases and 14 were new tracks. Even with a #2 peak, this was the band's lowest charting album in four years, as well as their lowest selling album to date.

Orange Range performed at Music Station Super Live 2006 on December 22. Music Station is a long-running Japanese music television program that holds a "Super Live" extended edition to celebrate Christmas and the end of the year every December. This was the second year in a row that Orange Range was invited.

2007

Their 17th single, Ika Summer, was released in April and had a weekly peak of #3 on Oricon. This was the band's lowest selling and charting single in years, only staying in the top five for one week.

July saw three major releases from Orange Range. To celebrate their 5th anniversary, the band released two separate best albums entitled Orange and Range, each containing a different selection of their hit singles and popular album tracks. On the first day of their release, Orange and Range would obtain the top two spots on the Oricon charts and the same spots on the weekly charts. Two weeks later, the albums would go on to obtain the top two spots in the United World Music charts. Their next single, Ikenai Taiyō, was used as the opening theme to the J-Drama adaptation of the popular manga series Hana-Kimi. Ikenai Taiyō would go on to have to obtain the #3 spot on Oricon in its first week, obtaining the band's highest sales in a year.

2008

The band's first single of the year, Kimi Station, was released on March 5, 2008. The band also performed the opening and ending themes to the Sunrise anime series, CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2. They are titled O2 (02~ｵｰ･ﾂｰ~, Ō Tsū) and Shiawase Neiro (シアワセネイロ, Shiawase Neiro). The song "O2" was released as a single late May. "Shiawase Neiro" was included on Orange Range's fifth studio album, PANIC FANCY, which was released on July 9, 2008 and immediately topped the Oricon Album Charts on its launch date. The DVD version of the album also included an Orange Range Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 commercial, along with the music videos for its single releases.

Members

Current

• Naoto Hiroyama - guitar
• Ryo Miyamori - low vocals
• Yamato Ganeko - high vocals
• Yoh Miyamori - bass
• Hiroki Hokama - mid-range vocals

Past

• Kitao Kazuhito "Katchan" - drums (Left the band due to tendinitis on his left little finger around the end of July 2005, though his illness was apparently not the direct cause of his decision to leave.)

Discography

Independent releases

• Orange Ball (オレンジボール) (April 21, 2002, Okinawa-only released album)
• Orange Ball (オレンジボール) (February 22, 2002, nation-wide release album)
• Michishirube (ミチシルベ Guidepost) (August 25, 2002) (single)

Singles

1. "Kirikirimai" (キリキリマイ) (June 4, 2003)
2. "Shanghai Honey" (上海ハニー) (July 16, 2003, 222,385 copies sold)
3. "Viva Rock" (ビバ★ロック) (October 22, 2003)
4. "Rakuyō" (落陽) (November 27, 2003)
5. "Michishirube ~A Road Home~" (ミチシルベ～a road home～) (February 25, 2004, 278,193 copies sold)
6. "Locolotion" (ロコローション) (June 9, 2004, 487,267 copies sold)
7. "Chest" (チェスト) (August 25, 2004, 116,206 copies sold)
8. "Hana" (花) (October 20, 2004, 999,322 copies sold)
9. "*~Asterisk~" (＊~アスタリスク~) (February 23, 2005, 628,329 copies sold)
10. "Love Parade" (ラヴ・パレード) (May 25, 2005, 447,393 copies sold)
11. "Onegai! Señorita" (お願い！セニョリータ) (June 8, 2005, 417,464 copies sold)
12. "Kizuna" (キズナ) (August 24, 2005, 410,924 copies sold)
13. "Champione" (チャンピオーネ) (May 10, 2006, 220,955 copies sold)
14. "Un Rock Star" (August 30, 2006, 79,683 copies sold)
15. "Sayonara" (October 25, 2006, 102,737 copies sold)
16. "Ika Summer" (イカSUMMER) (April 25, 2007)
17. "Ikenai Taiyō" (イケナイ太陽) (July 18, 2007)
18. "Kimi Station" (君station) (March 3, 2008)
19. "O2" (02~オー･ツー~) (May 28, 2008)

Albums

Studio albums

1. 1st Contact (December 17, 2003, Oricon #2, 690,282 copies sold)
2. musiQ (December 1, 2004, Oricon #1, 2,630,763 copies sold)
3. Иatural (October 12, 2005, Oricon #1, 919,650 copies sold)
4. Orange Range (December 6, 2006, Oricon #2, 347,832 copies sold)
5. PANIC FANCY (July 9, 2008)

Other albums

• Squeezed (April 12, 2006, remix)
• Orange (July 25, 2007, Oricon #2, 210,804 copies sold, compilation)
• Range (July 25, 2007, Oricon #1, 214,149, compilation)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Asian Kung-Fu Generation (AJIアジアンカンフージェネレーションKanfū Jenerēshon?) is a Japanese rock banda signed by Ki / Oon Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The band was created in 1996 by Kensuke Kita, Takahiro Yamada, Masafumi Gotō and met in a circle of music Kanto Gakuin University, with Kiyoshi Ijichi join banda shortly thereafter. They played in many small places, until the date on which he launched his first indie EP in 2000, a six-song EP of songs sung in English. The following year, the banda has tried to get its first Japanese, "Kona Yuki" (粉雪?), In indie radio. The song was taken from a popular radio DJ and put into rotation because of strong demand from listeners. La banda launched its second indie CD containing songs with Japanese lyrics later in 2001. In 2003, the banda version would be his first mini-album Hōkai amplifier (崩壊アンプリファー?), Who has received enormous critical acclaim album with sales reaching 35 in the Oricon charts.

In 2003, the banda has published The Singles "Mirai no Kakera" (未来の破片?) "For Kimi Hana IU" (君という花?) What catapult to fame. Her first album, Tsunagi Five Kimi M (君繋ファイブエム?), A sold more than 250000 copies and landed on the site number 5 in the Oricon charts in its first week. As his fame grew, fans began to call simply Ajike (アジカン?) O AKFG, abridged version of his full name.

When they arrived around 2004, la banda won the award for best new artist, his video "Hana Kimi IU" won the award for best music video. During the year, the bandwidth would release four other people: "Siren" (サイレン?), "Loop & Loop" (ループ&ループ?), "Reescritura" (リライト?), Is the fourth song L Opening of souls Fullmetal Alchemist and "Kimi no Machi Made" (君の街まで?). His song "Haruka Kanata" is the second opening of Naruto souls. The band has also released their second album, Sol-fa (ソルファ?), In 2004. The album has sold more than 600000 copies and reach a number in the Oricon charts for two weeks straight.

In 2005, they launched a DVD which has remained number one in the Oricon charts DVD for a whole month, and has played in places exhausted during its Re: tour. The band also took into Nano-Mugen Festival 2005, where eight different groups played a sold-out crowd. Later that year, the banda has released another single "Blue Train" (ブルートレイン?) (Success for # 5 spot in the rankings), and held a brief visit in winter.

The band has released two albums in 2006: Fanclub (ファンクラブ?) And a B-side collection of files known voice. Fanclub Oricon suspended in the top five for nearly two months, while classified archives voice is entered at number two. In July, banda held Nano-Mugen Festival 2006, which included 12 different artists and sold all their shares. The band moves to release two singles in 2006, "World Apart" and "Aru Machi not Gunjō" which appeared in the film Amer Concrete souls. In addition to the World banda became the first number one.

In February 2008, la banda published a single Korogaru IWA, Kimi ga nor Asa Furuya (転がる岩,君に朝が降る?), Seguita quickly his sixth album, World International. The album has debuted at No. 1 on Oricon charts, ultimately, a relapse in # 6 and # 9 week after. " His song "After Dark" is the seventh opening souls Bleach. Asia Kung-Fu Generation and kits solo albums were designed and created by Yusuke Nakamura.

Profiles of members

Masafumi Goto (后藤正文Gotō Masafumi?)
• Date of birth: December 12, 1976
• Birthplace: Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture
• Status: Married
• Lead singer and rhythm guitarist
• Equipment:
Gibson or 75 Marauder
Gibson Les Paul faded double-edged sword (faded yellow)
Gibson Les Paul Junior faded double-edged sword (increased Cherry)
Custom or Roland JC-160 amps
• Major: Economics
• The band: Oasis, Radiohead, Weezer, Number Girl, Teenage Fanclub, Youth and East Howard Jones

Kensuke Kita (喜多建介Kensuke Kita?)
• Date of birth: January 24, 1977
• Birthplace: Kanagawa prefecture
• The main guitarist and voice of funds
• Equipment:
Gibson Les Paul Standard (Cherry solar)
Gibson Les Paul Standard or Premium Plus (Cherry solar)
Custom Shop 1954 Gibson Les Paul Standard reissue (Ice Tea)
Marshall JCM 900 or 4100 Chief of Staff (half-stack).
Bogner ecstasy or 4x12 cabinet with 1 and 2 in the studio live (seen in "Aru Machi Ganjou not" and "Korogaru IWA, Kimi ga nor Asa Furuya" PV)
• Major: Economics
• The group favorite: Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass and XTC

Takahiro Yamada (山田贵洋Takahiro Yamada?)
• Date of birth: August 19, 1977
• Birthplace: Shizuoka Prefecture
• bass and choirs
• Equipment:
"62 or Fender Jazz Bass (Blue Lake Placid, 3-Tone Solar)
bass amp head Ampeg 300 AH
• Grand: Literature
• The favorite bands: The Beatles, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, and Pet Shop Boys

Kiyoshi Ijichi (伊地知洁Ijichi Kiyoshi?)
• Date of birth: September 25, 1977
• Birthplace: Kanagawa prefecture
• Drummer
Pearl Batteries (custom set)
O dishes Sabian
• Major: Engineering
• The group favorite: Brian Setzer and Hi-Standard

Malice Mizer

Malice Mizer (マリスミゼル; Marisu Mizeru) is a rock band movement and the Japanese Visual Kei. Fires in August 1992 to December 2001. Created by Mana and Közi, banda name means "malice and misery," Excerpts from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" - its answer to the question "What is man ". Before his music and voices are characterized by their strong influence classical french and, later, the transition from romantic french deliberate and integration of Victorian Gothic, after several aspects tragedies befell the band. Despite archetypes, Malice Mizer is better recognized as an original.
Malice Mizer is so famous for its music as for their live shows with splendid historical costumes and scenery, a short silence preluding plays various songs, dance routines fantasy, and also a particularly striking example of the singer descends on Earth (Phase) as a fallen angel, but then increased again at the end of the concert. Throughout its history, banda has seen three different files and change the image.
On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer pause indefinitely.

History
Tetsu age; Indies The era of Malice Mizer (1992-1994)
Mana and Közi Malice Mizer founded in 1992, with the voice of Tetsu, Mana and Közi the guitar / synthesizer, Yu ~ ki on bass and drums Gaz. From the outset, banda has created its trademark "double guitar" sound, two guitars to play different melodies create polyphony. Malice Mizer sound during an era of Tetsu is a mixture of rock, Gothic early 1980, and a strong classical influence. His first official launch was the song "Speed of despair" in the compilation 1993 Brain Trash. Before that, freed a band demonstration called Without logic that has no voice. Shortly after the launch of Brain Trash, Gaz left to join the banda Kneuklid Romance, Romance Kneuklid while drummer Kami, in turn, joined Malice Mizer. In 1994, the banda has released its first album, memory, Mana new independent label founded Lunch: Nette, and shortly after the re-issuance of a Bonus Track, "baroque" with the title MEMORY DX. A few days later, de la banda singer Tetsu left. Although the exact causes are unknown, Tetsu went to take another direction in their work and some say it is because not that the flamboyant image band. La banda continue to use his words in songs that continue to play a second time with the voice suggest a distribution agreement.

Gackt era; Travel and wonders (1995-1999)

Malice Mizer at the time of Gackt (left to right: Mana, Gackt, Kami, Yu and Közi ~ KI).
In 1995, after a year of inactivity, Malice Mizer Gackt hired as the new singer. With a new concept created by Mana, banda music has become more complex and progressive rock, integrating more traditional and electronic elements. Visually, the banda has left its goth 1980 to see the colorful costumes with a gothic feel historic. In 1996, Malice Mizer released their second album, Voyage of no return ~ ~. The banda has become increasingly popular, and in 1997 signed with Columbia Records, which issued a series of successes, a short film (Bel Air Kuuhaku not Shunk ~ ~ No Naka of the image) and in 1998 Her third album, Wonders. The band also has its radio at that time and has played two days to live Nippon Budokan which involved a large building as a stage prop and theatrical incredible; individual members perform a skit with another member of his. It is a huge success and was released on video wonders of space. In January 1999, at the height of success Malice Mizer, Gackt suddenly left the band, and after only four months released his first solo album. There are many voices circulating about why he left, but none has yet been confirmed. Malice Mizer Columbia and left shortly after his return to Lunch: Net.
A few months after the departure of Gackt, drummer Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on June 21, 1999, leaving behind a handful of songs that banda finally released as part of JV / video boxset Shinwa, consisting of 2 songs composed by Kami and short-track "Saikai" which was drafted by the banda. Kami has never been replaced since then, Malice Mizer use only batteries support (ie Shue, who does not appear as a result of Banda music and video, or credited) and Kami east credited as "eternal report" In all his future releases.Because Kami of premature death and other factors, the band decided to change his image and music.

Klaha era; Bara not Seidou (2000-2001)

In the second half of 1999 and early 2000, Malice Mizer - even without singer official - delivered a series of singles and began working on a new album. Finally, they recruited Klaha (real name Masaki Haruna), the singer banda darkwave Pride of Mind. Since then, the banda has abandoned the pop music sound of a minimum of Gackt a spectacular mixture of classical music, gothic / heavy metal and gothic music, and adopted a Goth look funeral. During the summer of 2000, launched what would be his last album, Bara not Seidou, followed by a very dramatic and theatrical live with fireworks, a chorus of veiled nuns and a reduction in the Cathedral as a stage prop. In 2001, Malice Mizer star in a film of vampires (Bara not Konrei ~ ~ Mayonaka nor Kawashita Yakusoku), and released three more singles: "Gardenia", "Beast of Blood" and "kinder and Granato ~ ~ I am not" "Gardenia" and "Granato" be a much lighter tone on his previous album, which means the beginning of a new era for the banda. Unfortunately, these few were single the world would be reborn again Malice Mizer, as band members decided to split ways in 2001, leaving dissolve messages on his official website, Mirror, which can still be seen today by day. The division has been talk of a "vacuum" However, in order not exclude the possibility of a future reform.

Post projects

After his departure in 1994, Tetsu took part in a series of groups like Zigzo and 8 Mega Ball and launched a solo album, his most recent was published banda independent Nile.
After his departure in early 1999, Gackt began a solo career after nearly a year has been a huge success, is now one of the best artists from Japan and television personalities.
Klaha launched a solo career and in December 2002 but in mid-2004, it was announced that his fanclub off, and after that there were long periods of silence, broken only by rare updates on your site. Because of health problems which took a break to create music, but last year said on its website that it would resume musical activities in 2007. More details were not announced.
Mana has formed his solo project, Moi ten month, will perform live concerts throughout Europe. In addition to the success of the project alone, Mana at the same time pursue a career as a designer for his label, myself-half, which focuses on Gothic elegant aristocrat (EGA) and elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL). GIS also operates its independent label, Noon: Nette, and is looking for bands to sign and produce.
Közi joined Haruhiko Ash's Eve industrial banda spell and also has a solo project.

Round Table feat Nino

Round Table (officially: ROUND TABLE) is a J-pop (Japanese pop) band known mostly for their anime soundtracks. The band was formed in 1997 with Katsutoshi Kitagawa (vocals, guitar, and bass guitar) and Rieko Ito (vocals and keyboard) as band members. In 2002, Nino joined as a guest vocalist. Since then their songs have often been credited as "Round Table featuring Nino". The name of the album April comes from Nino's birth-month.

Discography (Round Table)

Singles

* 29 June 1998: Big Wave '71 - EP

1. Ride on the Big Wave
2. Get on the Bicycle!
3. Exotic Ooh-Room
4. In the Season
5. Wild Chocolate Brothers

* 30 September 1998: Do The Afro!

1. Chocolate
2. Glass Green Polka
3. Do the Afro
4. One Day in the September
5. Little Brownie's Theme

* 27 January 1999: Cool Club Rule

1. Cool Club Rule
2. Domino Time Rag
3. Viva!Brownie

* 27 October 1999: Perfect World

1. Perfect World
2. Glad To Be Unhappy
3. Do It Again

* 6 December 2000: Every Every Every

1. Every Every Every
2. Radio Burnin'
3. All The Way Down

Albums

* 27 August 1997: World's End

1. Repeat after me
2. Windy
3. World's End
4. So Little Time
5. Mexican Drag Race
6. Arifureta１日 (ありふれた１日)
7. One more time!!

* 5 December 1997: Something in the Snow

1. Light a Candle
2. Tiny Adventure
3. Everyboody's Talkin'
4. Radio Time a GO-GO!!
5. Up to Wednesday, 3p.m.
6. Revenge of the Radio Time
7. Picnic
8. Make a Wish, Blow Out a Candle

* 1 April 1998: Feelin' Groovy

1. How do You Feel?
2. Feelin' Groovy
3. Don't Ask Me Why
4. Stillness
5. Highway 69
6. Mad Engine joe
7. Beat de jump
8. Doo-Wop Feelin'

* 27 January 1999: Domino

1. Domino
2. Brownie
3. Cool Club Rule
4. Holiday
5. Play The March
6. Summer Rain
7. Battle Cop B.B.
8. Desert Side of The Moon
9. Ring A Bell
10. Christmas Time
11. Domino Again
12. Everything You Know

* 7 July 1999: Big Wave '72

1. Here Comes The Big Wave
2. Holiday（Mix '72）
3. One Little Cowboy
4. Let's Go To The Beach!
5. Jazz On a Holiday
6. Ukulele To The Beach
7. You Baby
8. Sunset Holiday
9. End Theme
10. Big Wave '71（Reprise）

* 8 December 1999: Cannon Ball

1. Mr.Cannonballer
2. Perfect World
3. Moon Light
4. Everlasting Daydream
5. It's O.K.? Mr. No.1
6. Bamallama Baby
7. Mr.Cannonballer Strikes Back
8. FLY
9. Timeless
10. So Many Colors
11. Brand New Car
12. Say Goodbye

* 29 March 2000: Look Around

1. Introduction
2. Chocolate
3. Cool Club Rule
4. Holiday（Mix '72）
5. World's End
6. Back on My Feet Again
7. Theme from Look Around
8. Radio Time a Go-Go!!
9. Brownie
10. Get on the Bicycle!
11. Windy
12. Beat de Jump
13. Picnic
14. It's a Sunshine Day
15. Feelin' Groovy
16. Look Around Bossa

* 12 July 2000: Big Wave 2000 - EP

1. Viva! Samba Parade
2. Big Wave
3. Let's Go To The Beach!（Copacabana Mix）
4. Big Wave 2・0・0・0
5. Tiny Adventure（Cool Summer Mix）
6. Find Your Step!
7. Boys Don't Cry
8. Corcovado
9. Viva! Samba Carnival

* 31 January 2001: RADIO BURNIN'

1. Come On! Come On!
2. Every Every Every（Radio Radio Radio Mix）
3. Goin' To the Radio Show
4. Radio Time #1
5. Hello! It's You
6. No No - Yeah yeah
7. Baby Baby
8. Radio Is Burning
9. Radio Time #2
10. Everyday
11. Across The Highway
12. 1,2,3 for Jump
13. No Reaction
14. You Are No.1
15. Good Night Rosie
16. Come On! Come On!（Reprise）

* 25 August 2003: Big Wave Sunset

1. Opening
2. Big Wave Sunset
3. Let Me
4. Bossa Rie
5. Youngmen Blues
6. Life
7. In the Rain
8. Tell Me Why

Discography (Round Table featuring Nino)

Singles

* 24 April 2002: Let Me Be With You - Chobits

1. Let Me Be With You
2. Book End Bossa
3. Let Me Be With You（Instrumental）

* 22 January 2003: New World - .hack//Legend of the Twilight

1. New World
2. Beautiful
3. New World（Instrumental）

* 22 October 2003: Sunny Side Hill - Uninhabited Planet Survive!

1. Sunny Side Hill
2. Message
3. Sunny Side Hill（Instrumental）
4. Message（Instrumental）

* 23 February 2005: Groovin' Magic - Gunbuster 2

1. Groovin' Magic
2. Stay With Me
3. Groovin' Magic（Instrumental）

* 21 October 2005: Rainbow - ARIA The ANIMATION

1. Rainbow
2. Just For You
3. Rainbow（Instrumental）
4. Just For You（Instrumental）

* 26 April 2006: Natsu Machi (夏待ち) - ARIA The NATURAL

1. Natsu Machi (夏待ち)
2. Shiosai (潮騒)
3. 夏待ち（Instrumental）
4. 潮騒（Instrumental）

* 20 July 2006: Puzzle (パズル) - Welcome to the N.H.K.

1. Puzzle (パズル)
2. Atashi Datte Onaji Koto Omotteruyo(あたしだって同じこと思ってるよ)
3. パズル（Instrumental）
4. あたしだって同じこと思ってるよ（Instrumental）

Albums

* 23 April 2003: April

1. Let Me Be With You
2. Dancin' All Night
3. Beautiful
4. New World
5. Day By Day
6. Birthday
7. Book End Bossa
8. Where Is Love
9. Today
10. In April
11. Love Me Baby
12. Let Me Be With You（New Step Mix）

* 30 August 2006: Nino

1. Be Your Girl
2. Groovin' Magic
3. Puzzle ~Extra Hot Mix~ (パズル ~Extra Hot Mix~）
4. Natsu Machi (夏待ち)
5. Message
6. Just For You
7. Shiosai (潮騒)
8. Hello Goodbye (ハローグッバイ)
9. Sunny Side Hill
10. Stay With Me
11. Rainbow
12. Just a Little


Official website

L'Arc-en-Ciel

L'Arc-en-Ciel (ラルク アン シエル, raruku an shieru?, "the arc in the sky" or "the rainbow" in French) is a popular Japanese rock band, formed in 1991. The group has sold over 15 million albums, 30 million singles, and millions of other units, such as videos. They were ranked at number 58, in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians, provided by HMV.

Members

* Hyde – vocals, guitar

* Tetsu – bass, backing vocals

* Ken – guitar, backing vocals

* Yukihiro – drums

History

Formation
In February of 1991, bassist Tetsuya Ogawa (Tetsu), later band leader, recruited vocalist Hyde along with guitarist Hiro and drummer Pero, and formed a band under the name of L'Arc-en-Ciel. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro left the band on June 12, 1992. Pero soon followed on December 30 of the same year, supposedly to join up with his friend Hiro again.[citation needed] To replace the two, Tetsu convinced his friend Ken Kitamura to quit his university studies (he was an architecture major at The Nagoya Institute of Technology) and join the band as the guitarist. Later, a new drummer, Yasunori Sakurazawa, was recruited after Tetsu saw him perform in a few shows.[citation needed]

Debut album and subsequent albums
On April 1, 1993, the band released their debut album Dune under the indie label Danger Crue. The album was a success and rose to number one on the Oricon indies charts, catching the attention of some major labels. In 1994, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed on with Sony's Ki/oon division, releasing their second album, Tierra that same year. Heavenly followed in 1995, and True, their first million seller,[citation needed] was released in 1996.

Sakura's departure
In February 1997, drummer Sakura was arrested for illegal drug possession,[citation needed] and officially quit the band on October 4, 1997. This proved to be the lowest point in the band's history. When news of Sakura's arrest became public, there was an immediate official response. CDs were removed from the shelves and any of their songs that were used as theme songs were quickly replaced, such as "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" for Rurouni Kenshin which was immediately replaced with former theme "Heart of the Sword" after only six episodes of running time. Although L'Arc-en-Ciel's latest album True remained on the charts for two years, their next single "The Fourth Avenue Cafe" was postponed.[citation needed] It was eventually released in 2006.

Break and comeback
Over the next few months the group continued to be featured in magazines, but only as a trio. They created their own cover band, The Zombies, and poked fun at their own songs.[citation needed] They also covered artists such as Marilyn Manson and Nirvana. The return from the break was marked by the appropriately named Reincarnation 97 Live in Tokyo Dome, with their new drummer, Yukihiro (former drummer with Zi:Kill and Die in Cries). The first concert had an attendance of 56,000, which sold out in a still-standing Tokyo Dome record of four minutes.[citation needed]

In 1997, "Niji", the first single after Sakura's departure, was released with Yukihiro listed as a supporting member. Not long after the release of the single, Yukihiro was signed on as the official drummer for L'Arc-en-Ciel. In 1998, L'Arc-en-Ciel released the album Heart.

1999–2000 projects
L'Arc-en-Ciel released three more albums of new material during the next few years. Ark and Ray were released simultaneously on July 1, 1999, and became the first Japanese albums to be released simultaneously in many other Asian countries. Both topped the Oricon music charts, with Ark occupying number one and Ray at number two. The release of ark and ray marked the high point of the band's career, with each selling over two million copies.[citation needed] Real followed in 2000, which was the last CD of new material for some time, although many more compilation and remix albums would follow.

"Stay Away" from the album Real was featured in Drummania 4th Mix, making the song playable on the machine.

L'Arc-en-Ciel's last new song before their hiatus, "Spirit Dreams Inside", was the closing theme song to the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Solo projects
After "Spirit Dreams Inside", the band went on a hiatus as the members began working on various solo projects. Hyde released two solo albums (Roentgen and 666) and starred in the movie Moon Child with the popular Japanese soloist Gackt. Hyde also played the part of Adam in the movie Kagen no Tsuki, based on the manga by the same title. Ken founded Sons of All Pussys with L'Arc-en-Ciel's former drummer Sakura. Tetsu started Tetsu69 and Yukihiro sang with Acid Android. The compilation Clicked Singles Best 13 was released in 2001, with twelve songs chosen by fans online[citation needed] and an additional thirteenth song, "Anemone", the band's only new material during this span of years.

Second comeback
In June 2003, L'Arc-en-Ciel performed a series of seven concerts in Tokyo called the Shibuya Seven Days, during which they announced a new album for release the following year. The band released "Ready Steady Go" in February 2004, its first single in more than three years. It topped Oricon charts[citation needed] and was used as an opening for a popular anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist. The single was followed by "Hitomi no Juunin", in early March. The album, Smile, was released on March 31. Shortly afterwards, on June 2, 2004, the single "Jiyuu e no Shoutai" introduced P'unk-en-Ciel, a partial change, for the first time on CD with "Milky Way". In the past, the band also played a punk version of "Round and Round" live called Round and Round 2005.

U.S. concert debut
On July 31, 2004, L'Arc-en-Ciel made their North American concert debut at the anime convention Otakon, held annually in Baltimore, Maryland. Approximately 12.000 people attended the concert,[citation needed] which was held at an outside venue for the first time in Otakon's musical guest history, at 1st Mariner Arena located near the Baltimore Convention Center where the convention is held. They were also the first Japanese act (and to date, the only) to perform at the Arena. On May 31, 2005, Tofu Records, Sony Music Japan's U.S. label, released the much-anticipated DVD of the Otakon 2004 concert Live in U.S.A. On June 25, 2007, L'Arc-en-Ciel signed a deal with HMV America.

2005: Awake
In 2005, the band released various singles, including "Killing Me", "New World", and "Jojoushi". These were later featured on their latest album, Awake, which was released on June 22 with twelve tracks, including "Lost Heaven", the closing theme of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie. The band's single, "Link", released on July 20, 2005, was also featured in the movie as the opening theme, it wasn't until recently the song appeared in the album Kiss.

In August of 2005, the band went on their Awake tour, which was limited to Japan. The tour featured displays of anti-war sentiment, reflecting similar lyrics of the songs of the album. A particularly memorable moment was the unfurling of a giant white flag during "Neo Universe". The flag was decorated with the universal symbol for peace.[citation needed] Other memorable moments included a suspended woman and acrobatics during the performance of "Ophelia"

Hyde's costuming for the concerts raised controversy among fans, and proved to be much removed from L'Arc-en-Ciel's earlier days. The Nazi uniform and the papal robes during the performance of "Revelation" were blatant social commentaries not seen before in the band's concerts.[citation needed]

The Japanese Awake tour was followed by the Asia Live 2005 tour, with performances in SeoulShanghai, closing with concerts in Japan. Japan's two concerts took place at the Tokyo Dome. and

Late 2005–2008
Following the Awake and Asia Live tours, L'Arc-en-Ciel's members turned their attention back to their solo projects. Tetsu began recording with a new band called Creature Creature. Yukihiro rejoined Acid Android, which released its newest single, "Let's Dance", on April 5, 2006. Acid Android joined Mucc, another Japanese rock band, to perform two concerts in Shanghai, China in April of 2006.[citation needed]

Hyde composed "Glamorous Sky", the theme song to the film adaption of the manga Nana starring pop singer Mika Nakashima. It was the first time Hyde composed music for another vocalist. Hyde's most recent solo singles are "Countdown", the ending song for the Japanese release of the American movie Stealth (released on October 5, 2005), and "Season's Call", the opening song of the anime Blood+ (released February 22, 2006). Both singles topped the Oricon charts.[citation needed] Hyde's latest solo album, Faith, was released in Japan on April 26, 2006, accompanied by a five month tour throughout Japan between April and August of 2006. After signing on with Tofu Records, four small concerts were scheduled in San Francisco and Anaheim, California in the United States. Hyde made his U.S. debut in July of 2006, the first of L'Arc-en-Ciel's solo projects to extend internationally. On August 23, Ken released a solo single entitled "Speed".

On November 25th and 26th, 2006, L'Arc-en-Ciel played two shows at the Tokyo Dome to celebrate their 15th anniversary, entitled L'Anniversary. A poll was created on the official website during the weeks before the concert which allowed fans to pick which songs they would like to hear at the event.[citation needed] The concert was later shown on the WOWOW channel on December 23, 2006. It was also broadcast on February 8, 2007 on Korea MTV.

L'Arc-en-Ciel later recorded the song "Shine" to be used as the opening song for the NHK-BS Anime, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit, however it has yet to be released in either single form or on the Kiss album. They have kicked-off their Mata Heart Ni Hi Wo Tsukero 2007 tour in Japan. L'Arc-en-Ciel released their first single "Seventh Heaven" on May 30, 2007, which topped the Oricon charts for 2 consecutive weeks.[citation needed] The song "My Heart Draws a Dream", used in a recent Subaru commercial, was released as a single on August 29, 2007 and it made the #1 spot in the Oricon Weekly charts.[citation needed] The track "Daybreak's Bell" was used as the first opening for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and it was released on October 10th, topping the Oricon weekly charts as well. From November 14 to December 25 there was a limited edition single titled "Hurry Xmas", along with two new DVDs coming out in September and December, titled L'Anniversary Live and Chronicle 3 respectively. The single Drink It Down, which was released on April 2, 2008, topped the oricon charts and was recorded for use in the PS3/Xbox360 game Devil May Cry 4.

Following the release of the album Kiss on November 21, L'Arc-en-Ciel announced a tour called Theater of Kiss, which was held from December 22, 2007 to February 17. Currently there are also plans for an Asia Tour and side trip to Paris, France starting in Late Spring-Early Summer 2008.

P'unk-en-ciel
P'unk-en-Ciel is an alter ego of L'Arc-en-Ciel. Introduced in 2004, Hyde takes over guitar, Ken the drums, Yukihiro plays the bass, while Tetsu performs the vocals. P'unk-en-Ciel's songs have a more punk sound and their music is usually heavier and faster with a different tone due to Tetsu's vocals. Hyde often wears a pirate patch over his left eye in P'unk-en-Ciel performances, and Yukihiro is known to wear a gas mask. The P'unk-en-ciel covers are usually released as B-sides on singles, and they can be seen live on DVDs.

L'Arc-en-Ciel's official website

Remioromen

Remioromen (レミオロメン) is a J-Rock group on SPEEDSTAR RECORDS that debuted in 2003. They rose in popularity in 2005 when their songs Sangatsu Kokonoka and Konayuki were featured in the dorama 1 Litre no Namida. Though Remioromen has never had a single rank at #1, their recent releases have stayed on the charts for long periods of time and their overall sales have been quite high. Remioromen generally sticks to laid back pop/rock with catchy hooks.

Members
* Fujimaki Ryota (藤巻亮太) (vocals, guitar)
* Maeda Keisuke (前田啓介) (bass)
* Jinguji Osamu (神宮司治) (drums)

Information
Fujimaki Ryota, Maeda Keisuke, and Jinguji Osamu grew up in the Yamanashi Prefecture and attended the same schools together from elementary to high school. In December of 2000, they formed their band Remioromen. "Remioromen" is not an actual Japanese word, but the result of wordplay. The three played janken to determine the number of Japanese characters that each chose to form a band name. Fujimaki was the first winner and picked "re" (レ) because it was the first character in his favorite band, Radiohead (レディオヘッド). Jinguji was the second winner and picked "mi" (ミ) because it was the first character of his current girlfriend, and "o" (オ) because it was the first character of his first name. Maeda was the third winner and picked "romen" (ロメン), derived from "romendensha" (路面電車; tram) because he likes trams. Remioromen released their first mini-album Festa on March 12, 2003, and their first single Ameagari on May 21, 2003, under the Indie label UK PROJECT. Ameagari received heavy rotation on radio stations and was later featured on 802 HEAVY ROTATIONS ~J-HITS COMPLETE '01~'03 in 2004. On August 20, 2003, Remioromen released their second single Denwa under SPEEDSTAR RECORDS. On November 25, 2003, they did their first one-man live at SHIBUYA-AX. Since their inception the band has been steadily climbing to the top of the Oricon charts. For the release of Sangatsu Kokonoka, Remioromen returned to their home town in the Yamanashi Prefecture to perform a live in their old junior high school's gymnasium. In 2005 Sangatsu Kokonoka was used in a choral arrangement for the dorama 1 Litre no Namida and Konayuki was used as the insert song. For the release of the single Sangatsu Kokonoka was included in an arrangement with a string quartet. This gained the band a great deal of popularity and Konayuki became one of the best selling singles of 2006. Their third album HORIZON has had high sales, making it #1 on the Oricon Album charts for three straight weeks and #16 album of 2006.

Discography
Albums
* [2003.11.19] Asagao (朝顔; Morning Glory) #15
* [2005.03.09] ether (エーテル) #2
* [2006.05.17] HORIZON #1
* [2007.12.19] Asagao (朝顔; Morning Glory) (Re-release)

Other Albums
* [2003.03.12] Festa (フェスタ) (Indie mini-album) #89
* [2006.11.01] Flash and Gleam (live album) #4

Singles
* [2003.05.21] Ameagari (雨上がり; After the Rain) (Indie) #43
* [2003.08.20] Denwa (電話; Telephone) #29
* [2004.03.09] Sangatsu Kokonoka (3月9日; March 9th) #11
* [2004.05.19] Acacia (アカシア) #17
* [2005.01.12] Moratorium (モラトリアム) #8
* [2005.02.09] Minami Kaze (南風; South Wind) #9
* [2005.10.12] Ao no Sekai (蒼の世界; World of Blue) #2
* [2005.11.16] Konayuki (粉雪; Powder Snow) #2
* [2006.03.01] Taiyou no Shita (太陽の下; Under the Sun) #2
* [2007.03.14] Akanezora (茜空; Glowing Sky) #3
* [2007.05.09] Hotaru / RUN (蛍 / RUN; Firefly) #4
* [2007.12.12] Wonderful & Beautiful #3

Official Japanese Website

Depapepe

Depapepe is the transliteration of the Japanese name for the acoustic guitar musical duo of Takuya Miura and Yoshinari Takuoka. Contrary to a popular rumor circulating among their fans, the two guitarists are not brothers. They are signed onto Sony Music Japan.

Members
* Tokunoka Oshinari (徳岡慶也)
* Miura Takuya (三浦拓也)

Discography
* 「Let's Go!!!」 - released May 18, 2005
* 「Hi！Mode！！」 - released October 19, 2005
* 「Ciao! Bravo!!」 - released April 19, 2006
* 「BEGINNING OF THE ROAD ～collection of early songs～」 - released May 1, 2007
* 「DEPACLA ～depapepe plays the classics～」 - released November 28, 2007
* 「HOP! SKIP! JUMP!」 - released April 2, 2008

Singles
* Sakura Kaze
* Night & Day
* Lahaina
* Spur - Winter Version 05 / Swingin Happy X Mas
* Summer Parade