Namie Amuro is a Japanese former singer, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of the Japanese entertainment industry since the early 1990s, 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 life, she is considered a pop culture icon in Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as "Diva of 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.
Crystal Kay Williams is a Japanese-American singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The solo discography of Ringo Sheena features seven studio albums, five compilation albums, two extended plays and twenty-seven singles. Signing with Toshiba-EMI in 1998, Sheena released her debut single "Kōfukuron" in May 1998, when she was 19 years old. She subsequently released the singles "Kabukichō no Joō" and "Koko de Kiss Shite", the latter becoming her first hit. As of 2014, Sheena has been signed with EMI Records following EMI Music Japan being absorbed into Universal Music Japan.
The discography of Japanese R&B singer Misia consists of nine studio albums, three compilation albums, one extended play (EP), one live album, six remix albums, twenty-six singles, twelve promotional singles, eighteen video albums and thirty-seven music videos. In 1997, Misia signed a recording contract with BMG Japan and joined the then up-and-coming talent agency, Rhythmedia. Under the sub-label Arista Japan, Misia released her first single, "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni..." in February 1998, followed by "Hi no Ataru Basho" in May. In June, her debut album, Mother Father Brother Sister, opened at number three on the Oricon chart. The album peaked at number one three weeks later and stayed in the top five for eleven consecutive weeks. Mother Father Brother Sister was certified double million and won a Japan Record Award for Best Album, as well as a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. In 2000, Misia's second studio album, Love Is the Message, debuted at number one and was certified double million. It won a Japan Record Award for Best Album and a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. The album spawned three top ten hits: "Believe," "Wasurenai Hibi" and "Sweetness." Misia's first remix album, Misia Remix 2000 Little Tokyo, was released three months later and shot to number one. It sold over 800,000 copies and is the second best-selling remix album of all time in Japan.
The discography of Mika Nakashima includes 11 studio albums, 7 compilation albums, 45 singles and 20 video albums. These have all been released through Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
The solo discography of Japanese musician Yui consists of five studio albums, three compilation albums, twenty-one singles and five video albums. These were released on independent label Leaflet Records in 2004, followed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan sub-label Gr8! Records in 2005, Sony Records between 2005 and 2006, Sony sub-label Studioseven Recordings between 2007 and 2010, before returning to Gr8! Records in 2010.
Greeeen is a Japanese vocal group from Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members: HIDE, navi, 92, and SOH.
4 Real is fourth studio album by Japanese recording artist Crystal Kay. It was released via Epic Records Japan on November 27, 2003, and was made available as a stand-alone CD and for digital consumption. The title 4 Real is play on the phrase "for real"—signifying the singer's fourth record. It contains primarily contemporary R&B influences and saw contributions from various songwriters and producers, including M-Flo, Yoshika and Keri Hilson, among others. The album spawned four singles, which were all released over the course of 2003.
This is the discography for Japanese boy band KAT-TUN.
Astromantic is the third studio album by the Japanese hip-hop group M-Flo. It was released on May 26, 2004, through Rhythm Zone. Remixes of songs from this album were released as Astromantic Charm School. The album spawned three singles featuring different singers: "Reeewind!" with Crystal Kay, "Miss You" with Melody, and "The Love Bug" with BoA.
Japan occupied Korea as a colony from 1910 to 1945. South Korean musicians have been successful in Japan since the inception of Korean popular music. There have been a number of ethnically South Korean singers who have gained fame in Japan. Some of these singers, including Choi Gyuyeop/Hasegawa Ichiro and Yi Nan-yong/Oka Ranko were Zainichi, Koreans with Japanese residency. Among these Zainichi artists, there were and still are some who have made public declarations of their Korean descent, and many more who were rumored to be Korean but have never made formal confirmations. Those who do divulge their heritage often do so after they have attained a relatively stable level of popularity. The act of revealing one's Korean ethnicity is called “coming out.” Nevertheless, there were South Korean singers like Cho Yong-pil and Kye Un-seuk, in the 1970s and 1980s who were household names in Japan, despite not being Zainichi. Today, there are also a number of non-Zainichi Korean artists such as BoA, Crystal Kay, TVXQ, BIGBANG, KARA, and BTS who have found chart and album success in Japan.
Kana Nishino is a Japanese singer and songwriter signed with SME Records' Newcome Inc. She debuted on February 20, 2008 with the single "I".
"White Knuckle Ride" is the first single from British alternative group Jamiroquai's studio album Rock Dust Light Star. The single was released via Digital Download on 31 October 2010, with a Limited Edition Vinyl release due to appear on 1 January 2011. The song was written by band frontman Jay Kay and Matt Johnson and produced by Kay. It is the band's first record to be released under Mercury Records.
"Hello, Again " is a song by Japanese band My Little Lover. It was released as a single on August 21, 1995, and is currently the band's biggest hit single.
The Best Bang!! is Japanese rock singer-songwriter Masaharu Fukuyama's fourth compilation album, released on November 17, 2010. The compilation was an all-time greatest hits album, featuring Fukuyama's songs from both his time with record labels BMG Japan and Universal Music Japan.
The discography of M-Flo features nine studio albums, nine compilation albums, one live album and 25 singles. These were released on Labsoul Records and Avex Group independent label Rhythm Republic in 1998, and from 1999 onwards released through Rhythm Zone.
The discography of Tokyo Jihen consists of five studio albums, three compilation albums, one regular release extended play and three vinyl exclusive extended plays and 13 video releases, released through Toshiba EMI, EMI Music Japan and Universal between 2004 and 2013.
South Korean pop group TVXQ, known as Tohoshinki in Japanese releases, have released 74 singles, 3 featured appearances, and 27 soundtrack appearances. The group signed with S.M. Entertainment in 2003 and released their debut single "Hug" in January 2004, peaking at number four on the Monthly Albums Chart of the Music Industry Association of Korea (MIAK). Their following single "The Way U Are", released in June 2004, entered the MIAK Monthly Albums Chart at number one.
