Hikaru Utada, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. Utada has become one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan.
Visual kei, abbreviated v-kei, is a music scene and movement that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Originally influenced by glam rock and other 1970s rock music styles, visual kei musicians incorporate varying levels of make-up, elaborate hairstyles and costumes, often coupled with an androgynous aesthetic. The term visual kei was coined in the 1990s and is sometimes also called a music genre or style, similar to Shibuya-kei. However, there are no defined characteristics for the music played by visual kei acts, and whether or not one is considered a part of the movement is based solely on their having an emphasis on visuals and performance.
Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi 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 sold close to a million copies, the group took a mixture of pop and alternate/contemporary approach to its music which attracted core followers, but subsequently faced commercially slow sales.
Kuroyume is a Japanese rock band formed in Nagoya in May 1991, initially with the vocalist Kiyoharu, bassist Hitoki and guitarist Shin. The group had a definite influence on the visual kei scene, being credited as inspiration to many bands of the late 1990s visual kei boom and as one of the creators of Nagoya kei. They were called "The big two Nagoya bands" in the early Nagoya kei scene along with Silver-Rose. The band achieved success with the albums Feminism (1995) and Fake Star (1996), with the song "Pistol" winning an MTV Video Music Award.
Sads is originally a punk rock, 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 five albums before their disbandment in 2003. In 2010, Sads reformed with a more hard rock/heavy metal sound and signed to the Avex label. They have since released two albums and one single.
Kiyoharu Mori, better known by his stage name Kiyoharu (清春). is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter, known for his work with Kuroyume and Sads. In 2003, he began his solo career, performing as both a singer and guitarist.
Kim Jae-joong, also known mononymously as Jaejoong in South Korea and Jejung/J-Jun (ジェジュン) in Japan, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor and director. He is a member of the Korean pop group JYJ and was one of the original members of boy band TVXQ, where he was formerly known by the stage name Hero Jae-joong. Since 2013, he has expanded his range of activities as a solo artist, and in 2023, he formed his own agency iNKODE where he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer.
CNBLUE is a South Korean pop rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of Jung Yong-hwa, Kang Min-hyuk (drums), and Lee Jung-shin (bass). First bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left the band after they released their debut Japanese extended play Now or Never in 2009, and was replaced by Lee Jung-shin. Lee Jong-hyun left the band on August 28, 2019.
Dead End was a Japanese heavy metal/hard rock band formed in Tokyo in late 1984. Following the release of their debut album Dead Line in 1986, the classic lineup of vocalist Morrie, bassist Crazy Cool Joe, guitarist You and drummer Minato was solidified in May 1987. They released three more studio albums and were one of few Japanese metal bands to have international exposure in the United States during the eighties, before dissolving in 1990.
Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V (뷔), is a South Korean singer and a member of the boy band BTS. Since his debut with the band in 2013, V has performed three solo songs under their name—"Stigma" in 2016, "Singularity" in 2018, and "Inner Child" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.
Best II is the fourth compilation album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori.
Bish was a Japanese alternative idol girl group that was founded in 2015 by their manager Junnosuke Watanabe. The group was conceived as a successor to Bis, an idol group managed by Watanabe that disbanded in 2014. They disbanded in June 2023.
Back Number is a Japanese rock power trio formed in 2004. The group consists of Iyori Shimizu, Kazuya Kojima, and Hisashi Kurihara (drums). The group signed to independent record label Idolsmith Recordings in 2009 and released their debut EP Nogashita Sakana (2009) and studio album Ato no Matsuri (2010). They signed to Universal Sigma in 2011.
The following is an overview of the year 2009 in Japanese music. It includes notable awards, lists of number-ones, yearly best-sellers, albums released, groups established and disestablished, deaths of notable Japanese music-related people as well as any other relevant Japanese music-related events. For overviews of the year in music from other countries, see 2009 in music.
Love Yourself: Tear is the third Korean-language and sixth overall studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on May 18, 2018, by Big Hit Entertainment. It is available in four versions and contains eleven tracks, with "Fake Love" as its lead single. The concept album explores themes relating to the pains and sorrows of separation. On May 27, 2018, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 135,000 album-equivalent units and becoming BTS' highest-charting album in a Western market at the time, as well as the first Korean album to top the US albums chart and the highest-charting album by an Asian act.
"Fake Love" is a song recorded in Korean and Japanese by South Korean band BTS. It was written by "Hitman" Bang, RM, and Pdogg, with the latter as producer. The Korean version was released through Big Hit Entertainment on May 18, 2018, as the lead single from the band's third album Love Yourself: Tear (2018). Columbia Records serviced the song to US contemporary hit radio on June 12, 2018, as a single in the country. A remix, titled "Rocking Vibe", was released on June 4, 2018, and appears on the band's third compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer (2018). The Japanese version of the song was released for digital download and streaming on October 16, 2018, by Universal Music Japan as a single album that included the remix and "Airplane Pt. 2", both also in Japanese. "Fake Love" is an emo hip hop, grunge, rap-rock and electropop song which relies on rock instrumentals. The lyrics talk about the love that was once believed to be destiny, but turned out fake at the end.
Jeon Jung-kook, also known mononymously as Jungkook, is a South Korean singer. He rose to prominence as a member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS. He has performed three solo songs as part of BTS' discography— "Begin" in 2016, "Euphoria" in 2018, and "My Time" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. He also recorded the soundtrack song "Stay Alive" for the BTS-based webtoon 7Fates: Chakho.
Rami is a Japanese heavy metal singer and lyricist. She first rose to prominence as vocalist and co-founder of the all-female power metal band Aldious from 2008 to 2012. After a hiatus, she resumed musical activities in 2015 as the vocalist of the group Raglaia, before starting a solo career in 2016.
Hazuki (葉月) is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician, known for being the vocalist and main songwriter of visual kei band Lynch.
