List of Famous Bands from Japan
List of Japan bands, listed by their level of fame. This Japan musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Japan bands are included, as well as many Japan musicians of underground status. This list of Japan musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Japan bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.
The list you're viewing has a variety of bands in it, like LOUDNESS and Boredoms.
If you're wondering, "What bands are from Japan?" or "What is a list of Japan bands?" then this list will answer your questions. {#nodes}- Loudness is a Japanese metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing twenty-six studio albums and nine live albums by 2014 and reaching the Billboard Top 100 in their moment of maximum international popularity, as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in their roster, the band continued their activities throughout the 90s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2001. On November 30, 2008 original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with Masayuki Suzuki.
- Albums: Terror, Disillusion, Thunder in the East, On the Prowl, Hurricane Eyes
- Boredoms (ボアダムス (Boadamusu)) (later known as V∞redoms) is a rock band from Osaka, Japan. The band was officially formed in 1986. The band's output is usually referred to as noise rock or sometimes Japanoise, though their more recent records have mostly featured repetitive minimalism, ambient music, and tribal drumming. The band has a vast and sometimes confusing discography. Many band members have rotated through the group over the years, often using a number of various stage names. Singer Yamantaka Eye is the closest the band has to a frontman; his style includes a range of baffling screams, babbling, electronic effects, and very heavy post-production. Drummer/keyboard player/vocalist Yoshimi P-We is featured on most Boredoms recordings.
- Albums: Vision Creation Newsun, Super æ, Super Roots 6, Onanie Bomb Meets the Sex Pistols, Super Roots
- Hideto Takarai (寶井 秀人, Takarai Hideto, born January 29, 1969 in Wakayama, Japan), known exclusively by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known as lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. He is also lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career. In 1991, he joined L'Arc-en-Ciel after leaving the band Jerusalem's Rod for which he was the guitarist. In addition to being the lead singer and main lyricist of L'Arc-en-Ciel, Hyde has released 4 solo albums and 8 singles. In 2008, he formed Vamps with K.A.Z, and started his own independent record label called Vamprose.
- Albums: Roentgen, Faith, 666, Season's Call, Shallow Sleep
- Akira Takasaki (高崎 晃, Takasaki Akira, born February 22, 1961, in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s.
- Albums: Geneshaft Original Sound Track, Gene Shaft Ost Extended Score, Tusk of Jaguar, Nenriki, SHAFT DRIVE
- L'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. The group has sold over 15 million records and were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, they were ranked 58 on a list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, they have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994.
- Albums: Dune, Ark, Ray, True, Awake
- Malice Mizer was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "Nothing but a being of malice and misery." — their reply to the question "What is human?" Their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical influences, later moving away from deliberate French romanticism and incorporating Gothic aspects after several difficulties befell the band. Malice Mizer was as famous for their music as for their live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, short silent theater pieces preluding various songs, and even a particularly notable instance of the vocalist descending to Earth as a fallen angel, only to ascend again at the end of the concert. Throughout their history, the band has gone through several different lineups and three drastic image changes. On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer would go on an indefinite hiatus. Seven years later, Közi played on stage with Mana's Moi dix Mois for a session gig on December 27, 2008.
- Albums: La Collection des Singles, Beast of Blood, Merveilles, Bara No Seidou, Gardenia
- Ghost was an experimental rock group formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 1984.
- Albums: Ghost, In Stormy Nights, Lama Rabi Rabi, Snuffbox Immanence, Hypnotic Underworld
- Ikimono-gakari is a Japanese pop rock band from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The group started in February 1999 with Hotaka Yamashita and Yoshiki Mizuno, and was joined by vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka in November of the same year. The group's name is a reference to ikimono-gakari, a group of children who are responsible for looking after plants and animals in Japanese elementary schools. In 2006, the group released its first single on Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Epic Records label. Several of its albums have reached number one on the Oricon weekly rankings, and their songs have been featured on various media: from TV commercials, anime shows such as Naruto Shippuuden, Japanese TV Dramas such as Women Won't Allow This, live action movies such as Time Traveler: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the 2012 Olympic broadcast theme song for NHK, and the set piece for a national junior high music competition. Their official fan club is named Ikimonogakari Fan Class 1-2
- Albums: Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari, My Song Your Song, Barādon, Hajimari no Uta, Life Album
- Bleach was an all girl thrashcore trio from Okinawa, Japan. On June 10, 2009, Bleach announced on their website that they have disbanded. Their final album, Bleach Stone, was released on July 7, 2009. A "Best of" album was released in Japan on February 22, 2010, and came with a DVD video of their last show.
- Albums: Three Girls From Okinawa, Kibakuzai, Bleach, Bleach 03, Hadaka No Jyuu (Queen Of Nudity)
- The Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed in 1989. As of 2014, the group has released 19 original studio albums, several EPs and compilations, and over 30 singles. Outside Japan, they are best known as the group responsible for the soundtrack to the FLCL OVA series.
- Albums: LITTLE BUSTERS: float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Ame ni utaeba, Pied Piper, Smile
- Sigh is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, when the majority of black metal in early 1990s came from Scandinavia. They gradually shifted from a more traditional black/thrash metal sound, to a more experimental, avant-garde style.
- Albums: Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien, Gallows Gallery, Imaginary Sonicscape, Scorn Defeat, Infidel Art
- The Gazette, originally known as Gazette, is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Kanagawa formed in early 2002. The band is currently signed to Sony Music Japan's VVV Records.
- Albums: Hankou Seimeibun, Nil, Cockayne Soup, Stacked Rubbish, Regret
- Hideto Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本 秀人, Hepburn: Matsumoto Hideto, December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998), better known by his stage name hide, was a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the rock band X Japan. He was also a successful solo artist and a co-founder of the United States-based rock band Zilch. Hide sold millions of records, both solo and as a member of X Japan. X Japan rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement. When they disbanded in 1997, he focused on his solo career which started four years prior and went on to enjoy significant popularity. At the height of his fame, while recording his third studio album and about to launch an international career with the newly formed Zilch, he died in 1998 of what was ruled a suicide by hanging. He was seen as an icon for Japanese youth rebelling against their country's conformist society, and his death was labeled "the end of an era".
- Albums: Psyence, Ja, Zoo, TELL ME, Hide Your Face
- Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1989. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successful and influential bands in the visual kei movement. Throughout the mid-1990s they used significantly less make-up, and after a one-year break in 1998, came back with a more mainstream alternative rock style and toned down their on-stage attire. When they disbanded in 2000, they left a big mark on the Japanese rock scene. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Luna Sea at number 90 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.Initially founded in 1986, by bassist J and rhythm guitarist Inoran while in high school, the band was originally called Lunacy. In 1989 they recruited lead guitarist Sugizo, drummer Shinya and vocalist Ryuichi, a lineup that has remained the same. They released a few demo tapes prior to renaming themselves Luna Sea and releasing their self-titled debut album in 1991. The band achieved their breakthrough success with a sold-out tour in 1991, which helped them get a contract with MCA Victor, and with the release of their second album Image (1992), which reached number nine on the Oricon music chart. Following the critically acclaimed albums Eden (1993), Mother (1994) and Style (1996), the band switched to Universal in 1998 and released their best-selling studio album, Shine. In late 2000, after their seventh studio album Lunacy, Luna Sea disbanded. Luna Sea reunited for a one-off reunion concert in 2007 at the Tokyo Dome, and again in 2008 for the hide memorial summit. In 2010 the group officially reunited and held a world tour, and three years later they released their first new album in thirteen years, A Will. Their ninth album, Luv, followed four years later in 2017.
- Albums: LUNACY, SHINE, STYLE, Eden, Mother
- Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto (松本 孝弘, Matsumoto Takahiro, born on March 27, 1961 in Toyonaka, Osaka) is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to being the guitarist and lead composer for the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan, he has also had a successful solo career. He is only the fifth guitarist in the world to have his own Gibson signature model guitar. The instrumental album Take Your Pick (2010) made in collaboration with Larry Carlton won an award for the Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
- Albums: Hana, Thousand Wave, Take Your Pick, Ultraman Original Soundtrack, House of Strings
- Maximum the Hormone is a Japanese rock band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup has consisted of Daisuke-han, Nao, Maximum the Ryo-kun, and Ue-chan since 1999. Each member alternates singing lead vocals, often within the same song, with the exception of Ue-chan, who provides backup vocals almost exclusively. The group is best known for their unconventional and experimental style of alternative metal music. Over their career, they have found success incorporating elements of heavy metal, hardcore punk, pop, funk, hip hop and ska into their sound. Stylistically, their music runs the gamut from being dark and serious, to ironic or humorous, often with drastic shifts in tempo and mood over the course of a song. Their music videos often have a tongue-in-cheek aspect as well, such as "Rolling1000t00n", which features an underdog facing up to a bully, or "Koi no Mega Lover", which features an awkward young man whose clumsy amorous advances are rejected by a beautiful girl at a party.
- Albums: Kusoban, Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma, Hō, A.S.A. Crew, Bu-ikikaesu
- Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋 寅泰, Hotei Tomoyasu, born on February 1, 1962, in Takasaki, Gunma), also known simply as Hotei ( HOH-tay) is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and actor. With a career spanning more than 35 years, Hotei claims record sales of over 40 million copies and has collaborated with acclaimed artists from around the world. Hotei first rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for Boøwy, one of Japan's most popular rock bands, before starting a solo career. In 2003, he was ranked number 70 on HMV Japan's list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. He ranked second in a 2011 poll on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan. An iconic artist in his native Japan, he moved to London in 2012 and continues to perform and release music globally. Internationally Hotei is best known for his song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity," which has been featured in numerous films, commercials, video games, and events, most notably Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill.
- Albums: Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll, SPACE COWBOY SHOW ENCORE, Soul Sessions, All Time Super Best, Electric Samurai
- Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (and subsequent offshoots) is a Japanese psychedelic rock band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest vocalists. The band has released albums frequently on a number of international record labels as well as the Acid Mothers Temple family record label, which was established in 1998 to document the activities of the whole collective.
- Albums: Electric Heavyland, Starless and Bible Black Sabbath, Just Another Band From the Cosmic Inferno, Univers Zen ou de zéro à zéro, New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple
- Kagrra, was a Japanese visual kei rock band. They were originally signed to the now defunct Key Party Records under the name "Crow". The group changed its name when they signed to PS Company in 2000.
- Albums: [gozen], irodori, kirameki, Ouka Ranman, Sakura
- Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson and entrepreneur. Through her entire career, she has written almost all her lyrical content, and has sometimes composed her music. Born and raised in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at fourteen in 1993 to pursue a career in singing and acting. In 1998, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, Hamasaki released her debut single "Poker Face" and debut major-label album A Song for XX. The album debuted at the top of the Oricon charts and remained there for five weeks, selling over a million copies. Her next ten albums shipped over a million copies in Japan, with her third, Duty, selling nearly three million. A Best, her first compilation album, is her best-selling album, with more than four million copies sold in Japan. Since 2006, after her album Secret was released, album and single sales have declined.Hamasaki has sold over 50 million records, making her the best-selling Japanese solo artist of all time. Hamasaki has several domestic record achievements for her singles, such as the most number-one hits by a female artist (38); the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist (twenty-five), and the most million-sellers. From 1999 to 2010, Hamasaki had at least two singles each year topping the charts. Hamasaki is the first female recording artist to have ten studio albums since her debut to top the Oricon and the first artist to have a number-one album for 13 consecutive years since her debut. Hamasaki's second remix album, Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix, is recognized as one of the best selling remix albums of all time and remains her only album to be recognized in a worldwide accreditation.During the height of her career, Hamasaki was dubbed the "Empress of J-pop" because of her popularity in Japan and Asia. Following an ear infection in 2000, she has suffered worsening hearing loss and is completely deaf in one ear.
- Albums: A Song for ××, appears, Connected, M, UNITE!
- Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B. Originally the only official members, the two utilized several support musicians until bassist Tsui, keyboardist Yuhki, and drummer Jun-ichi officially joined for the release of their debut album in 2003. Yama-B left the group in 2008 citing musical differences, and Yu-To, who replaced Tsui in 2006, left the following year. Galneryus recruited Sho on vocals and Taka on bass, and released the album Resurrection in 2010. The band's highest charting studio album is their eighth, Angel of Salvation, which was released in 2012 and reached number 17.
- Albums: Live for Rebirth, The Flag of Punishment, Shining Moments, Beyond the End of Despair…, One For All - All For One
- Beat Crusaders (ビート・クルセイダース, Bīto Kuruseidāsu, typeset as BEAT CRUSADERS) were a Japanese rock band active from 1997 to 2010. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by drawings resembling themselves as printed by a dot-matrix printer.
- Albums: MUSICRUSADERS, REST CRUSADERS, P.O.A. ～POP ON ARRIVAL～, LUST CRUSADERS -OTHER SIDE OF BEAT CRUSADERS-, ALL YOU CAN EAT
Sabbat
Thrash metal, Black metal, Heavy metalSabbat is a Japanese black metal band, formed in the early 1980s. On some releases, they showcase a more thrash and heavy influenced sound.- Albums: The Dwelling, ...to Praise the Sabbatical Queen, Sabbatical Holocaust, For Satan and Sacrifice, Sabbatrinity
- Yellow Magic Orchestra is a Japanese electronic music band consisting of principal members Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. For their early studio albums and live performances, the band was often accompanied by music programmer Hideki Matsutake. They are often considered influential innovators in the field of popular electronic music. They contributed to the development of synthpop, ambient house, electronica, electro, contemporary J-pop, house, techno, and hip hop music. More broadly, their influence is evident across various genres of popular music, including electronic dance, ambient music, chiptune, game music, pop, rock, and melodic music. YMO were pioneers in their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, and digital recording technology in popular music, during a time when these technologies were seen as novelties.
- Albums: X ∞ Multiplies, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Technodon, Technodelic, BGM
- Schwarz Stein is a Japanese visual kei electronic music duo formed by Hora and Kaya in 2001, who disbanded in 2004 and regrouped in 2014.
- Albums: New vogue children, Artificial Hallucination, Current, Perfect Garden, Another cell
- Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, vocalist Kyo, drummer Shinya and bassist Toshiya, they have released ten full-length records. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for less dramatic attire, but the band has continued to maintain some sort of visual orientation.
- Albums: THE MARROW OF A BONE, Dum Spiro Spero, Kisou, Withering to death., VULGAR
- Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, born September 20, 1977) is a former Japanese recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of the Japanese entertainment industry since the early 90s, Amuro is known for breaking the youthful idol stereotype of J-Pop, changing the fashion trends and lifestyle of women in Japan, her experimentation across music styles, and for her visual imagery in music videos and live performances. Due to her career longevity, resilience, professionalism, efforts behind-the-scenes in the music industry, and her way of living, she is a pop culture icon in Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as "the diva of the Heisei era" and the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and has been recognized as having the influence and career impact domestically equivalent to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western music and pop culture.Born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, Amuro debuted as the lead singer of the idol group Super Monkey's when she was 14 years old. Despite early sales disappointments, she ventured into modeling and acting, attracting domestic attention with the group's best-selling single "Try Me (Watashi o Shinjite)". She signed to Avex Trax in 1995 and debuted as a solo artist with the single "Body Feels Exit". Her 1996 studio album, Sweet 19 Blues, sold over 3 million copies, setting the record at the time for the biggest selling album by a female artist in Japan and the highest selling album debut in the world (currently ranked #15 in the world’s largest first week album sales). One of the singles from her album Concentration 20 (1997), "Can You Celebrate?", is the best-selling single by a solo female artist in Japanese music history. From 1999, Amuro partnered with international musicians and producers on her records, beginning with Genius 2000 (2000). In the early 2000s, Amuro's music evolved from pop to R&B, and Amuro saw a decline in sales. Play (2007), her eighth studio album, heralded a period of commercial resurgence. She continued to experiment musically, moving to electronic dance music and English language songs with follow-up records Uncontrolled (2012) and Feel (2013). She subsequently released her eleventh studio album, Genic (2015) and a compilation album, Finally (2017).Amuro is noted within the Japanese entertainment industry, and the wider Western music industry, for "producing" and managing her own career. Aside from music, she has appeared in various advertisement campaigns in Japan and founded her own management company, Stella88, and her own record label, Dimension Point. Having sold more than 36 million records in Japan, Amuro is recognized as one of the best-selling artists in Japan by Oricon. Since her solo debut, she has top 10 singles for 23 consecutive years (#1 for solo artist). All of her albums are at least certified Platinum, and her debut solo album, Sweet 19 Blues, was the best selling album in Japan. She is the only artist in Japan selling million albums in her teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. Furthermore, her last album, Finally, topped the Year-End album charts of both Oricon and Billboard Japan for two consecutive years ( The first and only artist in the Japanese Music Industry to do so). Amuro has frequently been noted for her live performances at music award ceremonies and she is the recipient of World Music Awards, Japan Record Awards, Japan Gold Disc Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards Japan among many others. On September 16, 2018, Amuro officially retired from the music and entertainment business.
- Albums: Play, Genius 2000, Style, break the rules, SWEET 19 BLUES
Stephanie
Pop music, J-popStephanie Nonoshita Topalian (Armenian: Ստեֆանի Թոփալյան; Western Armenian: Սթեֆանի Թօփալեան; born August 5, 1987), professionally known as Stephanie (ステファニー (Sutefanī)), is an American singer and actress of Armenian and Japanese descent who is signed with SME Records Japan (part of Sony Music). She released two albums, self-titled Stephanie in 2008 and Colors of my Voice in 2009 and has won the Japanese Music Awards in 2007. A number of her songs have been featured in Japanese films and she has also taken roles in a few Japanese films, notably Pride and Tokyo Tribe. In 2014, she was included in the Armenian super group project Genealogy to represent Armenia in the 2015 version of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Face the Shadow".- Albums: because of you, 君がいる限り, FUTURE, Colors of my Voice, Changin'
- Yūne Sugihara (Japanese: 杉原 有音, Hepburn: Sugihara Yūne), born Yasuhiro Sugihara (杉原 康弘, Sugihara Yasuhiro, on July 8, 1969 in Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan), better known exclusively by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor, writer, and activist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. Sugizo started his solo career in 1997 and has since collaborated with a variety of different artists. In 2007 he became a member of the international trance/world music act Juno Reactor, and of the Japanese rock supergroup S.K.I.N., and in 2009 officially joined the heavy metal band X Japan. He was also part of the psychedelic jam band Shag and the shamanic electronica unit S.T.K (Sensual Technology Kooks).In addition to being known for experimenting with many musical genres, mostly rock, psychedelic and electronica, he is known for his political views and for being an anti-war, anti-nuclear and environmental activist.
- Albums: Truth?, Replicant, C:LEAR, The Cage, Brilliant Europa / Psychotic Lucifer
- Merzbow (メルツバウ, Merutsubau) is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by Masami Akita (秋田 昌美, Akita Masami). Merzbow is best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism, and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle.As well as being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance.In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set known as the Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise".
- Albums: Rectal Anarchy, Here, Merzbox, Merzbeat, Rock Dream
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ, Tōkyō Suka Paradaisu Ōkesutora), commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene. At the time, the band's sound was unlike that of any of its contemporaries in the then fledgling Japanese ska scene, and over the course of the past 21 years, they have been influential on Japanese music as a whole. Its sound, the product of the musical influences of its members, is a mix of traditional ska, jazz, and rock. In the vein of many other more traditional ska acts, many of Skapara's songs are purely instrumental. Since its inception, the band has gone on several nationwide tours of Japan, and have toured worldwide. They have collaborated with several vocalists outside of their band, including Shiina Ringo, Akira Kobayashi, Kyōko Koizumi, Schadaraparr, PUFFY, Yoshie Nakano and Tamio Okuda. They also performed the Japanese theme song to the PlayStation 2 game Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, entitled "Black Jack", as well as songs for the PlayStation game Incredible Crisis released in 1999.
- Albums: Best (1989-1997), World Famous, Full-Tension Beaters, Ska Para Toujou, Stompin' on Down Beat Alley
- Envy is a rock band formed in Tokyo in 1992. They are signed to Rock Action Records in Europe and Temporary Residence Limited in North America, though originally they worked with Level Plane Records. Initially influential in the post-hardcore scene, Envy more recently in their career has grown to include elements of post-rock. Vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa was featured on the song "I Chose Horses" from the album Mr. Beast by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, the same band that owns and operates Rock Action Records.
- Albums: Envy / Jesu, A Dead Sinking Story, All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead, From Here to Eternity, Insomniac Doze
- Buck-Tick is a Japanese rock band, formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The group has consisted of Atsushi Sakurai, Hisashi Imai, Hidehiko Hoshino, Yutaka Higuchi and Toll Yagami since 1985. In their three decade career, the band has released 19 studio albums, nearly all reaching the top ten on the charts, of which three in the late eighties and early nineties topped them. In addition to having experimented with many different genres of music, including punk, dark wave, electronic, industrial, gothic and straight rock, they are commonly credited as one of the founders of the visual kei movement. The five members have also worked on individual projects and collaborated with many other famous artists, both Japanese and foreign, including Maki Fujii, Issay, Kiyoshi, Masami Tsuchiya, Raymond Watts, Sascha Konietzko, Clan of Xymox, Robin Guthrie and Kelli Ali.
- Albums: HURRY UP MODE, At the Night Side, Kyokutou I Love You, Aku no Hana, Kurutta Taiyou
- GLAY is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, including progressive rock, punk, electronic, R&B, folk, reggae, and ska. Originally a visual kei band, the group slowly shifted to less dramatic attire through the years. As of 2008, Glay had sold an estimated 51 million records; 28 million singles and 23 million albums, making them one of the top ten best-selling artists of all time in Japan.
- Albums: Hai to Diamond, One Love, Speed Pop, The Frustrated, UNITY ROOTS & FAMILY
- Orange Range is a 5-member Japanese rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The group left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, Super Echo.
- Albums: Tokyo Rock City, Natural, musiQ, 1st Contact, Orange Range
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation, typeset as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1996. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotō, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal Western punk and alternative rock acts in conjunction with their own local Japanese indie rock background. As a result, their songs maintain a balance of various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast-paced tempos and prominent, hard-edged guitar riffs as well as rhythmic flow and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim.
- Albums: Kimi Tsunagi Five M, Fanclub, Sol-fa, World World World, Magic Disk
- Ezo was a Japanese heavy metal band originally formed as Flatbacker in the spring of 1982 in Sapporo, Japan out of the remnants of two high school bands, Power-Station and Scrap. Ezo has been named a "seminal influence by such artists as Steve McDonald of Redd Kross and Michael Steele of the The Bangles."
- Albums: EZO, Fire Fire, ESA
- Antic Cafe is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Music Japan. Their visual image is oshare kei, and they describe their music as "Harajuku Dance Rock". The group has released five full-length albums, one compilation album, and four EPs. On September 1, 2009, the band announced that after their live show on January 4, 2010 at the Nippon Budokan, they would suspend activities and put the group on hiatus, however they stated they will not disband. On April 1, 2012, after two year break, the team announced the resumption of activity.
- Albums: Magnya Carta, Gokutama Rock Cafe, Antic Cafe, BB Parallel World, Amedama ROCK
- Flow is a Japanese rock band, that formed in 1998 and signed on to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records label. Flow is a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist. As of November 2014, the band has released 28 singles and 9 studio albums. Their songs have been used in the opening sequences of several anime series.
- Albums: Golden Coast, FLOW THE MAX ！！！, Game, Days, GO!!!
- Girugamesh is a Japanese visual kei metal band, formed in 2003. The name is sometimes stylized with a metal umlaut as girugämesh and is derived from the Final Fantasy character.
- Albums: girugämesh, Goku, Music, 13's reborn, Now
- Nightmare is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Sendai. Formed on January 1, 2000, it has consisted of Yomi, Sakito, Hitsugi, Ni~ya and Ruka for the majority of their career. They enjoyed mainstream success with the inclusion of their songs "The World" and "Alumina" in the Death Note anime and are considered a major act in the visual kei scene.
- Albums: Killer Show, Anima, the WORLD Ruler, Ultimate Circus, Believe
- Spitz are a Japanese rock band. The group was originally formed in 1987 by four art school students in Tokyo — it consists of Masamune Kusano, Tetsuya Miwa, Akihiro Tamura, and Tatsuo Sakiyama. In March 1991, Spitz released their first single "Hibari no Kokoro" and the self-titled debut album simultaneously on Polydor Records. Although their early efforts failed to attract public attention until around 1994, the band eventually came into prominence with a single "Robinson", released in April 1995 and sold in excess of 1.6 million copies in their homeland. It was followed by their 6th studio album Hachimitsu, released in the same year and achieved a mainstream success, immediately topping the Japanese Oricon chart and selling approximately 1.7 million copies to date. It earned the Best Album category in the 37th Japan Record Awards by the Japanese Composers Association on New Year's Eve of 1995, and received a quadruple platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in 1997. After their breakthrough in the mid 1990s, Spitz has sustained commercial success in Japanese market for nearly 20 years.
- Albums: Spitz, Fake Fur, SazanamiCD, Chiisana Ikimono, Hayabusa
- Kiyonobu Inoue (井上 清信, Inoue Kiyonobu, born on September 29, 1970 in Hadano, Kanagawa), better known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea. He started his solo career in 1997. Luna Sea disbanded in 2000, and he formed Fake? with Oblivion Dust vocalist Ken Lloyd a year later. In 2005 he left Fake? and founded Tourbillon with Luna Sea vocalist Ryuichi Kawamura and Hiroaki Hayama. He rejoined Luna Sea when they reunited in 2010, and in 2012 formed Muddy Apes with bassist Taka Hirose and guitarist Dean Tidey, both from Feeder, and 8otto's vocalist Maeson.
- Albums: Fragment, THE BEST, Watercolor
- Blood Stain Child is a Japanese metal band from the city of Osaka. The band's musical style combines modern melodic death metal with electro-industrial and euro-trance or as they call it "hybrid metal trance". The band formed under the name "Visionquest" in 1999, but reformed under the name Blood Stain Child in 2000.
- Albums: Idolator, Mystic Your Heart, Silence of Northern Hell, Mozaíq, Epsilon
Velvet Eden
Rock music, Visual kei, Music of Japan- Albums: Ningyou Shoukan, Street of Alice, Witch on flames, Sute-neko
- Midori was a four member jazz-punk fusion band formed in 2003 in Osaka, Japan featuring Mariko on vocals, Yoshitaka on drums, Keigo Iwami on bass, and Hajime on keyboard. Their disbandment was publicly announced by vocalist Mariko Gotō on December 25, 2010, with their last show titled "Sayonara, Gotō-san" being played on December 28. They released five albums - their last three on a major record label
- Albums: swing, shinsekai, sweet suicide summer story
- Judy and Mary was a Japanese multi-genre band formed in 1992 in Japan by bassist Yoshihito Onda and vocalist Yuki, with drummer Kohta Igarashi and guitarist Taiji Fujimoto completing the lineup in 1992. Guitarist Takuya replaced Taiji the following year. The band is known for their innovative punk, rock, and pop meldings of noisy but melodic music in the 1990s.
- Albums: COMPLETE BEST ALBUM 「FRESH」, WARP TOUR FINAL, Fresh, Brand New Wave Upper Ground, The Great Escape: COMPLETE BEST
- Kitarō (喜多郎), born Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則) (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of New-age music. He is the winner of a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album (Thinking of You (1999); with a record 16 nominations in the same category) and a Golden Globe Award for the Heaven & Earth (1993) original score.
- Albums: Full Moon Story, The Light of the Spirit, Ancient, Silk Road, Volume 2
- Cali Gari is a Japanese visual kei experimental rock band formed with the concept erotic grotesque. It was founded in 1992 and named after the horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The band's debut single came out in 1994 and their first major single was "Dai 7 Jikkenshitsu Yokokuban -Maguro-" released April 2002. The band paused activities after their last concert on June 22, 2003.
- Albums: Dai 7 Jikkenshitsu, 8, 第6実験室, dai 6 jikkenshitsu, 第3実験室
- Versailles was a Japanese visual kei metal band formed in 2007 by vocalist Kamijo and guitarist Hizaki. After recruiting bassist Jasmine You, drummer Yuki and guitarist Teru, they performed their first show on June 23. Their key characteristics are their Rococo-esque costumes, dueling guitars and heavy but melodic arrangements. The group gained a significant worldwide following soon after forming as their debut EP Lyrical Sympathy, released by Kamijo's own label Sherow Artist Society, received a simultaneous European release and they performed in Europe and the United States the following year. Their first full-length album, Noble released in 2008, was also released in North America in 2009. Versailles signed to major label Warner Music Japan in mid-2009, however, on August 9, days after announcing he would be suspending activities for health reasons, Jasmine You died. Their major debut album Jubilee was completed with Hizaki performing the unfinished bass tracks.
- Albums: Noble Live, Tokyo Rock City, NOBLE, Lyrical Sympathy, Versailles
- Kaoru (薫, Kaoru, born February 17, 1974 in Hyōgo) is a Japanese musician, best known as the leader and one of the guitarists of the extreme metal band Dir En Grey. He has been with the group since its inception in 1997 and was previously a member of La:Sadie's. He has composed most of Dir en grey's songs (at least up to the Vulgar album, at which individual credits for the music were dropped). His contributions display a fair amount of variety, ranging from slow ballads such as "Zakuro" to upbeat numbers like "Jessica". He performs many solos for the band, which vary strongly in feeling and tempo, similar to his compositions. Kaoru cites X Japan guitarist hide as his biggest influence and the reason he plays guitar, saying "If I had never known him, I wouldn’t be who I am today." Revealing "Kaoru" to be his birth name in his book Dokugen (読弦), he's one of the two Dir En Grey members with a known real name, along with Shinya. Since 2014, Kaoru has suffered from nerve paralysis, and has sometimes resorted to taping his guitar plectrum to his hand. In 2015, he hosted a radio program, "The Freedom Of Expression".
- The Piass are a Japanese visual kei hardcore punk band formed in the early 1990s in Sapporo. Three of the four original members died within a span of two years, however Takayuki continued the band, having gone through many line-up changes, and they are still active to this day.
- Sex Machineguns is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1989. Their music is characterized by a heavy focus on bass as well as extremely fast guitar and bass solos. The band uses the image of "shock rockers" by wearing crazy, exotic outfits like visual kei bands, although this image has been toned down, especially since 2003 when the long-term bassist Noisy left the band. The lyrics feature very off-beat and non-serious themes. Casting themselves as shock rockers is not the prime selling point of their music though, as they also exhibit technical skill on their instruments.
- Albums: Get Together, Barbe-Q★Michael, IGNITION, Made in USA, Made in Japan
- Nana Mizuki (水樹 奈々, Mizuki Nana, born January 21, 1980) is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator born and raised in Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency Sigma Seven. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer and made her debut as a voice actress in 1997. Her prominent roles include Hinata Hyūga in the long-running ninja series Naruto, Fate Testarossa in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Tsubasa Kazanari in Symphogear, Moka Akashiya in Rosario + Vampire, Cure Blossom in Heartcatch Precure! and Ann Takamaki in Persona 5. Mizuki released her debut single, "Omoi", under the King Records label on December 6, 2000. A year later, she released her debut album, Supersonic Girl, on December 5, 2001. In the years that followed, Mizuki enjoyed modest success that concluded with the release of her single "Innocent Starter", which reached the top 10 Oricon singles chart, charting at No. 9. Since then, Mizuki's releases have charted steadily higher in Japan, establishing her as a successful singer in the country. On June 3, 2009, her album Ultimate Diamond reached #1, her first release to do so; while her single "Phantom Minds", released on January 13, 2010, also charted at #1. Mizuki is the first voice actress to top the weekly Oricon albums chart and the weekly Oricon singles chart since its inception in 1968.
- Albums: Supersonic Girl, Dream Skipper, Alive & Kicking, The Museum, Great Activity
- Deathgaze is a Japanese nagoya kei metal band formed in 2003.
- Albums: Genocide and Mass Murder, CHAOS, DOWNER, 「294036224052」, THE CONTINUATION
- Raphael was a Japanese visual kei rock band that formed in 1997, when the members were only 15. They disbanded in 2001, after guitarist Kazuki died at age 19. In 2012, the remaining members reunited Raphael for two concerts on October 31 and November 1.
- Albums: lost graduation, Raphael Singles, Sweet Romance, mind soap, LILAC-Second Edition-
- Sayuri Ishikawa (石川さゆり, Ishikawa Sayuri), (born January 30, 1958) is one of the most recognized and successful Japanese enka singers of all time, with a remarkable singing career spanning over four decades since mid-70s. Ishikawa is a popular contestant on the annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast. Up till 2017, she has been invited to perform 40 times since 1977, the year that she finally made her name releasing her biggest hit, the classic "Tsugaru Kaikyo-Fuyugeshiki". To date, she holds the record for the most appearances in the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for a female artist. She has released over 100 albums (including compilation albums) and more than 120 singles so far, of which a few were not enka, but rock and jazz music instead. Another of her biggest hits, "Amagi-goe", which was released in 1986, won her many awards, and many believe that it was this song that made her an icon as an A-list enka singer.
- Albums: 大全集, 石川さゆり特選集 大阪のおんな・酒尽尽
- Kra is a Japanese visual kei rock band.
- Albums: Twinkle star BEST 2006-2009, GURICO, Boku to no Himitsu, Hoshizora Ressha no Kiteki wo Kikinagara, Brise
- Devil Kitty was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 2002.
- Putting his musical talent to use, Joe Hisaishi's music was featured in Hollywood productions. Hisaishi began his entertainment career with his music featured in films like "Tenku no shiro Laputa" (1987) with Tatsumi Yamashita, the Hikari Ishida fantastical drama "Futari" (1991) and the Michael McConnohie animated feature "Robot Carnival" (1991). His music also appeared in the Tomokazu Miura nature "Kojika Monogatari" (1991) and "Porco Rosso" (1992). In the nineties and the early 2000s, Hisaishi's music continued to appear on the silver screen, including in films like the Kurodo Maki romance "Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi" (1999), the animated picture "Princess Mononoke" (1999) with John DiMaggio and the drama "Hatsukoi" (2000) with Rena Tanaka. His work was also in "Kikujiro" (2000) with Takeshi Kitano. Hisaishi's music was also featured in the dramatic adaptation "Welcome to Dongmakgol" (2005) with Steve Taschler, the dramatic adaptation "The Sun Also Rises" (2007) with Wen Jiang and the Tsutomu Yamazaki dramatic adaptation "Departures" (2009). Most recently, Hisaishi worked on the drama "Zakurozaka no adauchi" (2014) with Hiroshi Abe.
- Albums: Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro Soundtrack Collection, Princess Mononoke, Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä, Howl's Moving Castle
- Gackt Camui, professionally known as Gackt, hails from Okinawa, Japan and is a multi-faceted talent whose magnetism has transcended boundaries. Born on July 4, 1973, he ascended to stardom initially as a frontman of the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer in the 1990s. His unique blend of baroque aesthetics and gothic rock led the band to gain significant popularity. However, his desire to explore new creative avenues prompted him to embark on a solo career in 1999. Known for his broad vocal range and diverse musical style, Gackt quickly established himself as a pillar in the Japanese music industry. His debut solo album, Mars, was met with wide acclaim and solidified his status as an influential artist. Over time, his discography expanded to include numerous hit singles, albums, and successful tours, spanning genres from pop, rock, classical to electronic music - making him one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. Beyond his impressive music career, Gackt's charisma and distinctive style opened doors to other entertainment spheres. He ventured into acting, starring in several films and television dramas such as Fuurin Kazan and Moon Child. He also lent his voice and likeness to video game characters, most notably Genesis Rhapsodos in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Not limiting himself to entertainment, Gackt demonstrated his prowess in writing with the release of his autobiography, Jihaku (Confessions). Throughout his career, Gackt has proven himself to be a true renaissance man, gifted in music, acting, and writing - leaving a lasting impact on the world of entertainment.
- Albums: Love Letter, Crescent, Rebirth, MOON, MARS
- Nami Tamaki (玉置 成実, Tamaki Nami, born June 1, 1988) is a Japanese pop singer. As a teenager under the Sony Music Japan label, she had four top-ten albums, two of which reached number one. Her singles were used as theme songs for anime shows such as Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, and D. Gray-man, as well as being representative of the J-Pop music trend. She has various commercial tie-ins with the anime and games industry, and has also performed in stage musicals and a movie.
- Albums: Make Progress, Greeting, Speciality, Don't Stay, Ready
- Kaori Iida (飯田 圭織, Iida Kaori, born August 8, 1981 in Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist. During her time in the group, she was the tallest member (168 cm), earning her the nickname "Kaorin" & "Kao-tan". She is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.
- Albums: Osavurio: Ai wa Matte Kurenai, Plein d'Amour ~Ai ga Ippai~, Avenir: Mirai, Paradinome ~Koi ni Mi wo Yudanete~, Aegekai ni Dakarete
- Mika Nakashima is an actress who appeared in "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," "Resident Evil: Retribution," and "Nana."
- Albums: LOVE, TRUE, Yes, MUSIC, The End
- Hideaki Ishi (石 英明, Ishi Hideaki, born July 29, 1962), better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.
- Albums: 寂 -jaku, Ki-Oku, Kakusei, Krush, Meiso
- Yui (born March 26, 1987), stylized as YUI or yui, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress. Born and raised in Fukuoka prefecture, she played live at various locations in her hometown before being noticed by Sony Music Japan when she was 17 years old, and released her debut single months later. Her singles, however, were only met with moderate success until the breakout "Good-bye Days", which charted for 44 weeks on Oricon and marked her as one of the Japanese music industry's rising stars.Since Yui's debut album, From Me to You, each of her soloist album releases has topped the charts, with at least one single reaching number one on the Oricon charts from 2007 until her second hiatus in 2012, including five straight from mid-2008 to late 2010.She is popular in Japan and in surrounding countries, ranking number one in 2011 Count Down TV "Dearest Female Artist" and Music Station "Artist You Most Want to Marry" polls, as well as Radio Television Hong Kong's "Most Popular Japanese Artist".After retiring from music as a soloist in 2012, she formed the band Flower Flower in 2013.
- Albums: Hotel Holidays in the Sun, From Me to You, CAN’T BUY MY LOVE, I LOVED YESTERDAY, Holidays in the Sun
- Arashi is a popular Japanese idol group consisting of five members formed under the Johnny's Entertainment talent agency. The group was officially formed on September 15, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and made their debut CD on November 3, 1999. The group was initially signed to Pony Canyon and released one studio album and six singles—beginning with their 1999 eponymous debut single before moving to the Johnny's subsidiary label J Storm in 2001, which was initially set up for their succeeding releases. While their debut single debuted atop the Oricon weekly chart selling a little over half a million copies, the group subsequently faced slowly declining sales. With the release of their eighteenth single "Love So Sweet", Arashi began gaining commercial success as "Love So Sweet" was used as the opening theme song for the high-rating drama Hana Yori Dango 2, making it one of the top five best-selling singles of 2007 in Japan and the group's first single to exceed 400,000 copies sold overall in nearly seven years.
- Albums: Arashic, Here We Go!, Arashi Number One: The Storm Calls The Storm, Popcorn, One
- Tokio is a Japanese rock/pop band formed by Johnny & Associates that debuted in 1994. It is made up of five men who were signed with Sony Music Entertainment from 1994 to 2001, with Universal Music Japan from 2001 to 2008, and are now signed under J Storm, a label owned by Johnny & Associates. In addition to their activities as a band, the members of Tokio also act in dozens of dramas and host variety programmes, both as a group and individually. The group's name "Tokio" is the old English romanization for Japan's capital Tokyo, and remains the current transliteration in several European languages. Unlike most other bands under Johnny & Associates, where all of the band members are usually only vocalists, Tokio only has one main vocalist, a drummer, a guitarist, a bassist, and a keyboardist. Subsequently, less choreography is used in concerts and promotional videos, and their music is often more rock-centric.
- Albums: Blowing, Graffiti, Sugar, Act II, Glider
- Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛, Ōtsuka Ai, born September 9, 1982) is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo," which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.A piano player since age four, Otsuka composes and co-produces her own songs, as well as writes her own lyrics. Her music ranges from upbeat pop/rock music to ballads. Every year, Otsuka also has her own Love is Born tour to mark the anniversary of being in the music industry and her birthday in September. All of the Love is Born concerts take place in Japan, ending in her hometown of Osaka. On Love is Born 5th Anniversary in 2008, Otsuka held a leg of the concert in Taiwan, where she performed a Chinese version of her song "Planetarium". In 2009, Otsuka held 3 Love is Born 6th Anniversary concerts in Japan, as well as two concerts in Taiwan. In 2012, Otsuka debuted as the vocalist of the band Rabbit. She sold 7 million copies in Japan.
- Albums: Daisuki da yo, I ♥ ×××, LOVE PUNCH, LOVE COOK, LOVE JAM
- Elephant Kashimashi is a rock band from Japan. Their work can be divided into two major stylistic periods: the "Epic Sony years" and the "Pony Canyon & Faithful, EMI Music, Universal Music years". A major change in songwriting, production, and general playing style occurred along with this label switch.
- Albums: LIFE, Sweet Memory, Good Morning, DEAD OR ALIVE, BEST
- Pay Money to My Pain was a Japanese alternative rock/metal band. All of the band's lyrics are in English.
- Albums: Another day comes, Drop of INK, Writing in the diary, after you wake up, Pictures
- Mucc is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1997. Named after a character from the Japanese children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki, the band is also known by the nickname 69 since "six nine" can be pronounced "muku" in Japanese. As of 2012, the band has released eleven studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, twenty eight singles and thirteen DVDs, some of which were also released in Europe.
- Albums: Gokusai, Tsūzetsu, Kuchiki no Tō, Hōmura Uta, Shangri-La
- Outrage is a thrash metal band formed in Nagoya, Japan in 1982. The band was named after Motörhead's song "Sex & Outrage" from Iron Fist.
- Albums: Days of Rage 1986-1991, THE YEARS OF RAGE, LIVE! - RISE AND SHINE, AWAKENING 2008, 24-7
- Teriyaki Boyz is a Japanese hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan.
- Albums: Beef or Chicken, Serious Japanese, Zock On! (feat. Pharrell & Busta Rhymes), I Still Love H.E.R. (feat. Kanye West), Work That!
- The Brilliant Green is a Japanese rock band from Kyoto formed in 1995. They were signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Their major debut single under Sony, "Bye Bye Mr. Mug", was released in 1997. Their contract with Sony ended in 2008, and on December 1, 2009, the band announced that they had signed with Warner Music Group Japan.
- Albums: The Brilliant Green, TERRA2001, Los Angeles, BLACKOUT, Ash Like Snow
- Lindberg is a Japanese Pop rock/rock band that was active from 1989 to 2002 and again in 2009. After another hiatus it is active once again, announced in a New Year's announcement under the title "Re:LINDBERG".
- Albums: LINDBERG I, LINDBERG VI, LINDBERG V, LINDBERG II, LINDBERG IV
Morning Musume Tanjō 10 Nen Kinentai
Pop music, J-popMorning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai was a group made up of five past and present members of the Japanese all-girl pop group Morning Musume created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary.- Albums: Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA, 愛しき悪友へ
- Flower Travellin' Band were a rock band from Japan that was formed in 1968. In Japan they often go by the moniker FTB. They were connected to Japan's counterculture movement and noted for their mixture of early heavy metal with psychedelic and progressive rock. They received wide acclaim from critics but failed to achieve commercial success and disbanded in 1973 to pursue individual careers. The band reunited in late 2007 when hippie influences became popular again in Japanese fashion, music and cinema; it was permanently disbanded after the 2011 death of vocalist Joe Yamanaka. While the band's releases have never sold well they continue to be held in high regard by the music industry. Their albums have never been out of print and they continue to be made available on new audiophile formats such as SHM-CDs. The former members of the Flower Travellin' Band continue to perform FTB songs live together under the name Flower Power with other musicians.
- Albums: Made in Japan, Make Up, We Are Here, Anywhere, Satori
Risa Niigaki
Pop music, J-popRisa Niigaki (新垣 里沙, Niigaki Risa, born October 20, 1988 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese idol, singer, and actress formerly associated with Hello! Project. She was a fifth generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after moving there at age six. She was the longest serving member of Morning Musume, and was the leader of the group from October 2011 to her graduation on May 18, 2012.- A9, previously known as Alice Nine, is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in Tokyo in 2004. Originally signed to PS Company, they signed to King Records until 2010 when the joined Tokuma Japan, the band then joined Universal Music Group's Nayutawave Records for 2013. The group has released six full-length records, some of which were distributed in Europe by CLJ Records, along with several EPs, singles and DVDs. In 2015 they shortened their name to A9.
- Albums: Alice in Wonderland, Alpha, WHITE PRAYER, JEWELS, Zekkeishoku
- Tetsuya (テツヤ, born 3 October 1969) is a Japanese musician, best known as the leader and bassist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. Formerly known by the stage name tetsu, on December 1, 2009 he started to use his birth name. While in L'Arc-en-Ciel his name is stylized as tetsuya, whereas in his solo work it is stylized as TETSUYA. He also does backup vocals in L'Arc-en-Ciel and has composed many of the band's songs, including "Link", "Ready Steady Go", "Finale", "Driver's High", "Stay Away", "Pieces" and "Good Luck My Way". In 2001 he started a solo career under the name TETSU69 (1969 is his birth year). On November 26, 2006, he released one song under his old stage name, and as of December 10, 2009 he uses his birth name. From 2005 to 2006 he was a support member of, Dead End front man, Morrie's solo project Creature Creature.
- Albums: Suite November, 15 1/2, WHITE OUT ~memory of a color~, Shinkirou, wonderful world / TIGHTROPE
- Ai Takahashi (高橋 愛, Takahashi Ai) (born September 14, 1986) is a Japanese pop singer and actress formerly associated with Hello! Project and best known as leader of Morning Musume and Hello!Project until 2011, and former member of its popular subgroup Mini Moni.
- Albums: Akai Nikkicho, Genki Jirushi no Ōmori Song/Okashi Tsukutte Okkasi!, Koi o Shichaimashita!, dearest., Love Namidairo
- Anthem is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed during the early 1980s in Tokyo. They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside Loudness and Earthshaker.
- Albums: Eternal Warrior, Seven Hills, Black Empire, Prologue Live Boxx, HERALDIC DEVICE
- Sads is a post-punk and glam rock band formed in Japan in 1999. The band made its debut with the single "Tokyo". They released nine singles and four albums before their disbandment in 2003. In 2010, Sads reformed with a more metal sound and signed to the Avex label. They have since released two albums and one single.
- Albums: SAD BLOOD ROCK'N'ROLL, The Rose God Gave Me, Babylon, 13, GREATEST HITS -BEST OF 5 YEARS-
- Sakanaction, stylised as sakanaction, are a Japanese rock band from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Their music is a fusion of alternative rock, electronic, pop, and new wave styles, and is thus difficult to classify under one category. The band consists of five members: Ichirō Yamaguchi, Motoharu Iwadera, Ami Kusakari, Emi Okazaki, and Keiichi Ejima. The name Sakanaction is a portmanteau of "sakana" and "action". In the band's own words, their name reflects a wish to act quickly and lightly, like fish in the water, without fearing changes in the music scene. They are enjoying increasing popularity, having hit mainstream success with their records consistently achieving positions within the Top 10 on Japan's Oricon charts.
- Albums: Go to the Future, Night Fishing, Shinshiro, Sakanaction, Sen to Rei
- SID is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Records.
- Albums: Sweet?, paint pops, Sentimental Macchiato, Rain, Mitsuyubi
- Fujifabric is a Japanese rock band formed in 2000. While their music can be mostly categorized as alternative rock or power pop, their music usually consists of an eclectic mix of genres, including jazz, disco and progressive rock.
- Albums: À la mode, À la carte, À la molto, STAR, Fab Fox
Yurina Kumai
J-popYurina Kumai (熊井 友理奈, Kumai Yurina, born August 3, 1993, Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese pop singer and fashion model. She is a former member of all-girl group Berryz Kobo, under Hello! Project. Kumai joined Hello! Project in 2002 after passing the Hello! Project Kids audition. She is the tallest member of Hello! Project at 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in).- Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast grindcore styled music and noise music mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. The band has released ten albums and toured worldwide extensively.
- Albums: Animali In Calore Surriscaldati Con Ipertermia Genitale/Cat in Red, Psycho-Acoustic, "Cactuses Come in Flocks", Cell-Scape, "Teeny Shiny"
- Ryo Kawakita (川北 亮, Kawakita Ryō, born December 13, 1978), also known as Maximum the Ryo (マキシマムザ亮君 Makishimamu Za Ryō-kun), is the guitarist, songwriter and singer of Japanese metal band Maximum the Hormone.
Saki Shimizu
J-popSaki Shimizu (清水 佐紀, Shimizu Saki, born November 22, 1991) is a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female teen pop group within Hello! Project. She continued to sing in that group and became a part of two smaller groups composed of Hello! Project Kids members, Berryz Kobo and ZYX. She is captain of J-pop band Berryz Kobo.- Mell (stylized as MELL, born August 1) is a female Japanese singer from Sapporo, Japan, who is signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment. She is a former member of the Sapporo-based I've Sound, and one of its main vocalists. Mell has contributed vocals to several anime soundtracks including Black Lagoon, Hayate the Combat Butler, Rideback, Shakugan no Shana, Highschool of the Dead, and Sky Girls.After battling an unknown illness over a prolonged period, Mell left I've Sound after the release of her compilation album Entrust: The Name of Mell on March 20, 2013.
- Albums: MIRAGE, Entrust ～the name of MELL～, Mellscope, Virgin's High!/Kicks!, Relation Cheap
Bump of Chicken
Rock music, J-pop, Alternative rockBump of Chicken is a Japanese rock group from Sakura, Chiba, Japan. Their members are Motoo Fujiwara, Hiroaki Masukawa, Yoshifumi Naoi and Hideo Masu. Since their inception in 1994, they have released twenty-three singles and six albums, with a seventh album Ray to be released March 12, 2014. They are a popular group in Japan; every release since their third single, "Tentai Kansoku," has charted in the top ten on the Oricon Weekly Charts. Their music has been used in various video games and as theme songs for movies and television shows in Japan.- Albums: The Living Dead, Jupiter, Flame Vein, Flame Vein +1, orbital period
- KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a tripartite release of a CD single, album and music DVD on their exclusive record label J-One Records. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts. In 2010 Akanishi left the group to start a solo career, making the group's acronym then come from KAmenashi, Taguchi, Tanaka, Ueda, and Nakamaru, and the group toured with five members. In 2013, Tanaka's contract was terminated for several violations, leaving KAT-TUN as a four-man ensemble, and Tatsuya Ueda took the T to keep the acronym .
- Albums: Best of KAT-TUN, No More Pain, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates, cartoon KAT-TUN II You, Chain
- Speed is a Japanese female vocal/dance group comprising Hiroko Shimabukuro, Eriko Imai, Takako Uehara and Hitoe Arakaki. All four members are former students of Okinawa Actors School which also trained popular artists Namie Amuro and MAX. Speed made their major label debut on August 5, 1996 and became an immediate success. They would eventually become the most successful girl group anywhere in Asia with sales of over 20 million singles and albums in just three years and eight months. They disbanded on March 31, 2000 to pursue solo careers and to study. Following their disbandment, the group reunited several times for charity, but on August 20, 2008 they officially announced plans to reunite permanently. They made their comeback on November 12, 2008 with the single "Ashita no Sora."
- Albums: Rise, Carry On my way, BRIDGE, White Love, Moment
Mr. Children
Pop music, Rock music, Pop rockMr. Children is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1988 by Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki. As a group, they are one of the most successful Japanese rock artists. They are one of the best selling artists in Japan, having sold over 50 million records and creating the "Mis-chil Phenomenon" in the mid-1990s in Japan. They held the record for the highest first week sales of a single in Japan for 15 years, with 1.2 million copies of their 10th single "Namonaki Uta", have 30 consecutive number 1 singles, replaced Glay as the all-male band to have the most number 1 albums on the Oricon charts, and won the Japan Record Award in 1994 for "Innocent World" and in 2004 for "Sign". As of 2012, Mr. Children has published fifteen original studio albums and 34 physical singles, along with five compilations, a live album, and fifteen home video releases. The band's music is mainly composed and written by lead singer Sakurai, with the exception of the Suzuki-penned songs "Asia" and "#2601" from the albums Atomic Heart and Discovery, and occasional collaborative song writing with producer Takeshi Kobayashi.- Albums: Shifuku no Oto, Bolero, Atomic Heart, Everything, Kind of Love
- Mizuki Watanabe (渡邊瑞枝, Watanabe Mizuki, born March 6, 1981 in Kitami, Hokkaidō, Japan), better known simply as Miz, is a Japanese pop/rock singer and actress. Though most of her music is released in Japan, she does her work primarily from Gotland in Sweden, mainly doing promotional videos, photo shoots and recording there. She originally debuted in 1999 under Universal Music Japan using her real name, Watanabe Mizuki, releasing two singles. In 2003, she began working with the Swedish producer Tord Backstrom and debuted under Victor Entertainment with the pseudonym Miz in 2004. That same year, she released an English album in Sweden, with the lead single "Waiting" reaching #8 on the Hitlistan Swedish singles chart. In 2007, Watanabe returned to Universal Music Japan, changed her stage name to Mizrock, and released her first mini-album Good bye, yesterday and three singles. However, in 2009 she announced on her official blog that she had changed her stage name back to Miz. Her biggest hits in Japan are "New Day" and "In The Sky", the theme song for the Square Enix role-playing video game Grandia III.
- Albums: Say It's Forever, Dreams, Story Untold, Story Untold - Second press, New Day
- Saber Tiger (Japanese: サーベル・タイガー, Hepburn: Saberu Taiga), is a Japanese heavy metal band from Sapporo. It was founded in 1981 by guitarist and sole-constant member Akihito Kinoshita, who is responsible for producing, engineering and composing most of the band's work.
- Albums: Decisive, Messiah Complex, Invasion
King Giddra
Hip hop music, Japanese hip hop, J-popKing Giddra was a Japanese hip hop group that started in 1993. They were signed to the indie label P-Vine Records. After a six-year hiatus, they would go on to sign with DefStar Records, a sublabel under Sony Music Entertainment Japan for their second album release.- Albums: UNSTOPPABLE, 911 (Remix), 空からの力, 最新兵器
- Hiroshi Takano (高野 寛, Takano Hiroshi) (born December 14, 1964) is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist, music arranger, guitarist and producer. In the end of 1980s and early 1990s, he recorded some successful records which were produced by Todd Rundgren. He has contributed to the works of many musicians, such as Towa Tei and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- Albums: Timeless Piece〜BEST OF HIROSHI TAKANO
- Tomoaki Ishizuka (石塚 智昭, Ishizuka Tomoaki, born November 4, 1965 in Chiba), known exclusively by his stage name Pata, is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band X Japan. He joined the band in 1987, stayed with them until their dissolution in 1997 and rejoined when the band started a comeback in 2007. A year after their breakup, he formed the short-lived duo P.A.F. with singer NoB and created the band Dope HEADz with X Japan bassist Heath and former Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A. in 2000. Right after they ceased activity, Pata formed the instrumental band Ra:IN in 2002, which still tours extensively to this day. His stage name is taken from the manga Patalliro!, as he was said to resemble the title character.
- Albums: Raised on Rock
- Mana is a Polynesian concept of power, often in a supernatural context. Mana may also refer to:
- Janne Da Arc is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Hirakata, Osaka. Formed in 1996, they have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2007. The band's name is often seen shortened to either "Janne" or "JDA".
- Albums: JOKER, Z-HARD, D.N.A, ANOTHER STORY, GAIA
- Last Alliance is a Japanese rock band based in Machida, Tokyo.
- Albums: Seventh Sense, KAWASAKI RELAX, the sum, for staying real BLUE., TEARS LIBRARY
- Kobukuro (コブクロ), a Japanese band, formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.
- Albums: ALL SINGLES BEST 2, FAN'S MADE BEST, NAMELESS WORLD, CALLING, 5296
- Koharu Kusumi (久住 小春, Kusumi Koharu, born July 15, 1992 in Niigata Prefecture) is a Japanese model, actress, television personality, singer, and former voice actress. In 2005, she became the only seventh generation member of the Japanese idol girl group Morning Musume, a part of Hello! Project. While Kusumi was in Morning Musume, she launched a solo singing and acting career as Kirari Tsukishima, the main character of the anime series Kirarin Revolution. In addition, she was featured in several musical releases affiliated with the series, including both solo releases under the name Kirari Tsukishima starring Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume) (月島きらりstarring久住小春(モーニング娘。)) and group releases for the units Kira Pika and MilkyWay. After leaving Morning Musume in 2009, Kusumi pursued modeling, discussing her career changes in her 2011 autobiography, 17-sai no Tenshoku. After making her runway debut in 2011, she modeled exclusively for magazines CanCam and Steady, while also making regular appearances on variety shows, including Oha Suta. At the same time, Kusumi continued to perform at music events and took part in Dream Morning Musume. Kusumi also ventured into acting, appearing in shows such as Woman Prisoner 7 and Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon.
- Albums: Mitsuboshi, Kirari to Fuyu, Kirarin Land, Best Kirari, 恋☆カナ
- Onmyo-za are a Japanese heavy metal band who released their first album in 1999.
- Albums: Koujin Rasetsu, 陰陽珠玉, Tokyo Rock City, Koga Ninpocho, 赤熱演舞
- Hiram Law Bullock (September 11, 1955 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz funk and jazz fusion guitarist.
- Albums: From All Sides, Give it What U Got, Color Me, Carrasco, World of Collision
- Hysteric Blue was a Japanese rock band formed in Osaka, Japan in 1997 and disbanded in 2004. During the course of their musical career they released a total of 14 singles, five studio albums, one compilation album, three video compilations, one DVD and 16 music videos. They are known for anime fans as the band who provided the opening theme for the anime series Ghost Stories, the opening theme for Vampiyan Kids and the ending Theme of Spiral ~Suiri no Kizuna~. The band broke up after Guitarist Naoki Akamatsu pleaded guilty to eleven counts of rape. Vocalist Tama and drummer Takuya then started a new band, The Screaming Frogs.
- Albums: bleu-bleu-bleu, baby Blue, Historic Blue, WALLABY, MILESTONE
- chatmonchy is a two-piece all-female rock band which consists of Eriko Hashimoto, Akiko Fukuoka, and formerly Kumiko Takahashi who are from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. Since 2005, they have been signed to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records record label.
- Albums: Miminari, Chatmonchy ni Naritai, You More, Kokuhaku, Henshin
PSY・S
Rock music, Electronic music, Pop rockPsy・S [sáiz] (サイズ) (often written as "Psy-S" or "Psy S" in English due to the lack of the Japanese dot "・" on most Western keyboards) was a Japanese progressive pop/rock band, formed in 1983 by Masaya Matsuura alongside female vocal powerhouse Chaka (a pseudonym used by Mami Yasunori). After Japanese hits and successes throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, they disbanded in 1996. The musical style of Psy・S was an experimental mixture of electronic synthesizers, highly accomplished electric guitar riffs, and haunting, piercing vocals. Psy・S is perhaps best known in the West for their significant role in the soundtrack of the cult anime title To-Y (adapted from Atsushi Kamijo's popular 1980s manga). Frontman Masaya Matsuura went on to create several video games for the Sony PlayStation.- Albums: Two Hearts, Holiday, Window, Emotional Engine, Non-Fiction
Misako Uno
J-pop, Power pop, Pop rockMisako Uno is a Japanese actress, talent agent, fashion designer, essayist. She also works with the Japanese pop group AAA as the group's main dancer and main vocalist, while also doing logistics and public relations. She is also a member of the YMCA. Her father Kenichi Uno is the chairman of Mitsubishi Chemical.- The Gerogerigegege is a musical ensemble organized in 1985 in Shinjuku, Tokyo by Juntaro Yamanouchi, who runs and maintains the Vis a Vis record label in Japan.
- Albums: Tokyo Anal Dynamite, Senzuri Fight Back, None Friendly, 45 RPM Performance, Senzuri Champion
- 12012 is a Japanese visual kei rock band. Formed in 2003 in Osaka Prefecture, the group centers its work around the concept of "madness inside a human". 12012 is also the penal code for the possession of a dangerous weapon in California. The group sometimes performs as "Kyōki Shoji", which is a translation of that offense.
- Albums: Diamond, PLAY DOLLs, Not Obtain＋1, Mar Maroon, 12012
- Jinn is a 4-member Japanese rock band. They are part of SMEJ's Palm Beach record label.
- Albums: Lemmings, Kotosabi no Ki, Qualia, For The Seeker, Vuena Vista
Zard
Pop music, Rock music, J-popZard (ザード, Zādo) was a Japanese pop rock group. Originally a group of five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Records, Inc. Their most popular and successful songs are "Makenaide" (1993) (負けないで), "Yureru Omoi" (1993) (揺れる想い), and "My Friend" (1996). As of 2014, Zard has sold over 37 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.- Albums: Mō Sagasanai, Yureru Omoi, Eien, forever you, HOLD ME
- Baiser was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1991 by vocalist Yukari. They played concerts in the Tokyo area before debuting on an independent label in 1994.
- Albums: ASH, Terra, 接吻～くちづけ～, La luna, psychoballet
- High and Mighty Color was a Japanese rock band active from 2003 to 2010. They notably had two vocalists; a male and a female.
- Albums: Gou On Progressive, Tokyo Rock City, G∞VER, San, Rock Pit
Gallhammer
Doom metal, Black metal, Crust punkGallhammer is a Japanese extreme metal group that draws on black metal, doom metal, and crust punk. They formed in Tokyo in 2003. All of the members are female, which is rare in their genre.- Albums: The Dawn of..., Gloomy Lights, Ill Innocence, The End, Beyond the Hatred
- 9mm Parabellum Bullet is a Japanese rock band, formed in March 2004 in Yokohama. It consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Takuro Sugawara, guitarist and backing vocalist Yoshimitsu Taki, bassist Kazuhiko Nakamura, and drummer Chihiro Kamijo, who came up with the band's name. Piano pieces included in some songs are performed by Taki, while the characteristic shouts are provided by Nakamura.
- Albums: Vampire, Phantomime, Termination, Gjallarhorn, Movement
