Utada Hikaru, who is also known as Hikaru Utada and the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and producer. Born in the United States to Japanese parents, record producer Utada Teruzane and enka singer Keiko Fuji, Utada began to write music and lyrics at an early age and often traveled to Tokyo as a result of her father's job. Eventually, a recording contract with Toshiba-EMI was signed and, under the stage name Cubic U, Utada released her English-language debut album Precious in early 1998, but it was a commercial failure. In the following year, heavily influenced by R&B and dance-pop, her Japanese-language debut First Love was released and became an instant success. Backed by the massive success of singles "Automatic", "Time Will Tell", and "Movin' On Without You", the album sold two million copies in its first week in Japan, topped the Oricon charts for six non-consecutive weeks and went on to sell six million more throughout the rest of 1999. First Love eventually became the country's best-selling album of all time.
Chemistry is a Japanese pop duo, consisting of Yoshikuni Dōchin and Kaname Kawabata.
Yui, 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.
Ayaka Iida, known simply as Ayaka, is a female Japanese singer, songwriter and record producer formerly signed to Warner Music Japan. Born in Osaka, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. She married actor Hiro Mizushima on February 22, 2009.
Acid Black Cherry is the solo project of the former lead vocalist of Janne Da Arc, Yasu. The group was formed after Janne Da Arc announced their indefinite hiatus.
Sug was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 2006. The band has released two EPs, five full-length studio albums, and several singles. Until 2009, the band was signed to "Indie PSC", a subdivision of PS Company. As of 2010, they have signed onto a major label, Pony Canyon. The band's tagline in promotional work is "Heavy Positive Rock".
Megumi Nakajima is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Mito, Ibaraki, who is affiliated with E-Stone Music. Her involvement in the entertainment industry began in 2003 when she participated in an audition held by the talent agency Stardust Promotion, becoming affiliated with them after passing the audition. Her debut came in 2007 when she passed an audition held by the music company Victor Entertainment; she was then cast as the character Ranka Lee in the 2008 anime series Macross Frontier. Her first solo single "Tenshi ni Naritai" was released in 2009, which was followed by her first solo album I Love You in 2010.
Meg is a Japanese recording artist, record producer, model and fashion designer from Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. She is signed with Starchild Records, a division of King Records.
Antic Cafe is a compilation album released by An Cafe on December 9, 2009 in Japan. This was made after An Cafe decided their hiatus and is an album featuring all of their best songs plus an unreleased song "Nijikan Shabondama". The album peaked at No. 18 on the Japanese albums chart.
The discography of Japanese R&B singer Toshinobu Kubota consists of nineteen studio albums, ten compilation albums, two tribute albums, and over seventy singles. In 1985, Kubota signed with Sony Japan and began producing and writing songs for many of label's singers and groups. Under the label, Kubota released his first single, "Shitsui no Downtown" in June 1986, followed by "Time Shower ni Utarete" in December. Both songs were well received by radio, placing fifty-three and thirty-five on the Oricon Singles Chart. In September 1986, his debut album, Shake It Paradise, peaked at number twenty-two and remained on the Oricon Albums Chart for seven consecutive weeks. Shake It Paradise became certified million. The following year in 1987, Kubota's second studio album, Groovin', debuted at number thirty-three and was certified million. In February 1988, Kubota released "You Were Mine", which debuted at number two. In September 1988, Kubota released his third album, Such A Funky Thang!. The album peaked at number one and was certified million. The album also spawned the top-charted single "Dance If You Want It", which peaked at number three. In 1989, Kubota released his compilation album, The Baddest. The album also peaked at number one and was certified million.
9nine is a Japanese idol group formed of Uki Satake, Sayaka Nishiwaki, and Hirona Murata. Formed in 2005, they are managed by LesPros Entertainment and signed to SME Records.
Events in 2012 in Japanese music.
Lesson 1 is the debut studio album of the Japanese super girl group E-girls. It was released on April 17, 2013 in two different editions.
Stranger is the third studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter and Sakerock frontman Gen Hoshino. It was released on 1 May 2013 in Japan on Speedstar Records.
Cyntia was a Japanese all-female heavy metal band formed in 2011. They are believed to have been the first act from the Girls Metal Band Boom to have signed to a major record label when they joined Victor Entertainment in 2013. Drummer and co-founder Kanoko left the group in April 2015, and the band moved to the Village Again Association label for their 2016 album Urban Night. Cyntia began an indefinite hiatus after January 13, 2018.
Astro (Korean: 아스트로) is a South Korean boy band formed by Fantagio that debuted in 2016. The group is composed of six members: MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eun-woo, Moon Bin, Rocky and Yoon San-ha. They debuted with the single "Hide & Seek" from their debut EP Spring Up, and were subsequently named by Billboard as one of the best new K-pop groups of 2016.
Orange Garden Pop is the second compilation album by Japanese singer-songwriter Yui. It was released on December 5, 2012, simultaneously with another compilation album Green Garden Pop. The album reached #3 on Oricon. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. In South Korea, the album reached #87 on the Gaon Album Chart.
Green Garden Pop is the second compilation album by Japanese singer-songwriter Yui. It was released on December 5, 2012, simultaneously with another compilation album Orange Garden Pop. The album reached #2 on Oricon. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. In South Korea, the album reached #86 on the Gaon Album Chart.
5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019 is the fifth greatest hits album by Japanese boy band Arashi. It was released through J Storm on June 26, 2019. The album debuted at the top spot of the Oricon Weekly Albums chart, selling 1,304,251 copies in its first week of release in Japan. It spent the most weeks at number one of any album on the Oricon Albums Chart in 2019, with four, and was both the best-selling album of 2019 in Japan, as well as worldwide, with 3.3 million copies sold, eventually became the world's best-selling album of the year for 2019.
This Is Arashi is the seventeenth studio album by Japanese idol group Arashi, released through J Storm on November 3, 2020. It is to be their final recording before they go on hiatus on December 31, 2020. It was preceded by and includes the singles "Brave"; "Turning Up"; their first song primarily in English, "In the Summer"; "Kite"; their first entirely English song, "Whenever You Call"; and "Party Starters". "Do You...?" served as the lead song upon the album's release on November 3.
