Mariya Takeuchi is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Regarded as an influential figure in the city pop genre, she is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan, having sold over 16 million records, and has received several accolades. Her husband is Tatsuro Yamashita, a singer-songwriter and record producer.
D'espairsRay was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from 1999 to 2011. The lineup of Hizumi on vocals, Karyu on guitar, Zero on bass and Tsukasa on drums remained the same, with the group having released four full-length records, three EPs and thirteen singles. Outside Japan, D'espairsRay have toured Europe and North America and had domestic releases in those territories.
Airi Suzuki is a Japanese singer, actress, model, and radio personality associated with Up-Front Works. In 2002, she joined Hello! Project as a member of Hello! Project Kids and later debuted as the lead vocalist of the Japanese idol girl group Cute in 2005. Throughout her singing career, Suzuki also became a vocalist for the girl group Buono! From June 2015 onwards, she became an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Ray.
(Miss)understood is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on New Year's Day 2006, by Avex Trax. Hamasaki acted as the album's sole lyricist, as she had on all of her preceding albums. (Miss)understood marked new musical directions for Hamasaki: she explored new influences such as funk and used gospel choruses in some of the songs, foreign to her previous works. This was the result of her having heard compositions by Geo from the German based pop music project Sweetbox and asking him for his works. Subsequently, Hamasaki rewrote the lyrics entirely to fit (Miss)understood. Lyrically, the album was a departure from her previous work, My Story, which had been primarily autobiographical.
Best: First Things is the debut greatest hits album by Japanese singer Koda Kumi. Rhythm Zone released it in a variety of formats on September 21, 2005. The album is divided into two discs, each containing a single released by Koda between her 2000 debut with "Take Back" and her most recent single, "Hot Stuff" in 2005. The second disc contains four new singles: "Butterfly", "Flower", "Promise", and "Star", as well as a bonus track, the solo version of "The Meaning of Peace".
"A Walk in the Park" is the eighth single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her third studio album Concentration 20 (1997). The song was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996, by Avex Trax. It was written, composed and produced by Tetsuya Komuro. The song is an electronic rock track, which features instrumentation from guitars, synthesizers, organs, keyboards and drums. Lyrically, it explores themes of loneliness, longing, and the desire for connection.
Yuki Saito is a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. She attended Kanagawa Prefectural Shimizugaoka High School.
Yasuo Saitō, also known by the stage name Yakkun Sakurazuka, was a Japanese comedian, singer, and voice actor.
Sid is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in 2003 and signed to Ki/oon Records. Formed by Mao, Shinji, Aki and Yūya, they are known for producing anime songs, such as for Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Black Butler or Magi.
Zi:Kill was a Japanese rock band active from 1987 to 1994. The core members were vocalist Tusk, bassist Seiichi and guitarist Ken. With their three major label studio albums reaching the top ten on the Oricon chart, Zi:Kill are regarded as an important act from the then-emerging visual kei scene. They were featured in a chapter of Karl Taro Greenfeld's novel Speed Tribes that documents the writer's time spent with the band and the events that nearly caused their break up.
Nagi Yanagi, stylized as yanaginagi (やなぎなぎ), is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Osaka Prefecture who is signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. After becoming interested with music in her childhood, she began singing and writing original songs. In 2006, she began uploading her music to Niconico and other websites, gaining the attention of the J-pop band Supercell, who featured Yanagi as the guest vocalist from 2009 to 2011.
Kevin Johio Lucas Rehn Eires, known professionally as Yohio, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. He is best known for his performances as Yohio, wearing a lolita dress in previous years, with an androgynous appearance on stage. He is a former member of the Swedish rock band Seremedy, which disbanded in April 2013. Yohio has participated in Melodifestivalen both in 2013 and 2014, making it to the final on both occasions. He is one of the co-founders and current CEO of Keios Entertainment.
Sora Amamiya is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is affiliated with the talent agency Music Ray'n. After passing an audition held by Music Ray'n, she made her voice acting debut in 2012. She played her first main role as Kaori Fujimiya in the 2014 anime television series One Week Friends.
Busaiku (舞祭組) is a Japanese boy band with four members from Kis-My-Ft2. They debuted on December 13, 2013 with the release of their first single A gift from heaven produced by Masahiro Nakai. They were dressed in plain suits like businessmen and sang many comical songs like comedians.
Asaka is a Japanese singer from Nagoya who is signed to 5pb. Records. She made her debut in 2016 with the release of her first single "Open your eyes", which was used as the ending theme to the 2016 anime television series Occultic;Nine. Her music has also been featured in the anime series A Centaur's Life and Laid-Back Camp. She made her first U.S. appearance at Anime Boston 2018. In 2024 she made her debut as a voice actress in Uma Musume Pretty Derby, where she voiced Espoir City.
"Plastic Love" is a song by the Japanese singer Mariya Takeuchi from her 1984 album Variety. Written by Takeuchi and arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita, the song was released as the album's third single on March 25, 1985. "Plastic Love" is a city pop song; its upbeat arrangement contrasts with melancholic lyrics that describe a woman who embraces a hollow, hedonistic lifestyle after being scorned by a lover. Upon its initial release as a single, the song was a moderate success in Japan, peaking at number 86 on the Oricon Singles Chart and selling around 10,000 copies.
Kill This Love is the second Korean extended play by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on April 5, 2019, by YG Entertainment and was distributed through YG Plus and Interscope Records. It was their first Korean material since the release of Square Up in June 2018, and their first release with Interscope Records. The title track was released as the lead single; it peaked at number two in South Korea and became the first top-50 hit by a female K-pop act in the United States and the United Kingdom. The track "Don't Know What To Do" was later promoted on Korean music programs.
ExWhyZ, formerly known as Empire, is a Japanese alternative idol girl group formed between WACK and Avex Trax in 2017. They have released five studio albums, two EPs, and five singles since their formation. They re-branded to ExWhyZ in 2022 and re-debuted under EMI Records.
Crimson is the tenth studio album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori. It was released on 24 December 1986 under the Warner Pioneer label. The album includes the original version of Eki.
Tee-tee-tee-terete teretee is the second single by Japanese boy band Busaiku, released on July 27, 2014, from Avex Trax. It was produced by Masahiro Nakai, following "A gift from heaven".
