L'Arc-en-Ciel, also known as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band, formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist tetsuya and vocalist hyde. Following the departure of original members hiro and pero, guitarist ken and drummer sakura were recruited to replace them in 1992 and 1993, respectively. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, L'Arc-en-Ciel have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994. sakura left the band in 1997 and was replaced by yukihiro in January 1998, completing the current line-up.
Mai Kuraki is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. After releasing her US debut single "Baby I Like" in 1999, Kuraki signed with Giza Studio and released her Japanese debut single "Love, Day After Tomorrow" in 1999. In 2000, she released her debut album, Delicious Way, which debuted at number-one and sold over 2.2 million copies in its first week. The album has spawned four top-three singles, "Love, Day After Tomorrow", "Stay by My Side", "Secret of My Heart", and "Never Gonna Give You Up". Eventually, the album sold over 3.5 million copies nationwide and became the best-selling album in Japan in 2000, and has been the ninth best-selling album in Japan of all-time.
Tokio is a Japanese rock/pop band formed by Johnny & Associates that debuted in 1994. It is made up of three 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.
Dream was a Japanese pop girl group. The group was formed as a result of a 1999 talent contest called "Avex Dream 2000". Originally a three-piece group consisting of Mai Matsumuro, Kana Tachibana, and Yu Hasebe, the group has undergone many changes since its debut in 2000 on the Avex Trax label, and none of the original trio remain. The original trio sold over 950,700 records, and in total the group has sold over 1,100,000 records over the span of 10 years.
Speed were a Japanese female vocal/dance group comprising Hiroko Shimabukuro, Eriko Imai, Takako Uehara and Hitoe Arakaki. All four members are former students of the Okinawa Actors School which also trained popular artists Namie Amuro and MAX.
Tomoko Kawase is a Japanese singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and model from Kyoto. She is the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Brilliant Green. She also has a solo career under the alter-ego pseudonyms Tommy february6 and Tommy heavenly6.
Yui, stylized as YUI or yui, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress. In her solo career, she sold more than 5 million physical copies in Japan. 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".
Hey! Say! JUMP is an eight-member Japanese boy band under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. The group is split into two sub-groups: Hey! Say! BEST and Hey! Say! 7. In Japan they sold more than 10 million physical copies.
2AM is a South Korean boy band, that consists of Jo Kwon, Lee Chang-min, Lim Seul-ong and Jeong Jinwoon. The band was formed by JYP Entertainment through the Mnet documentary Hot Blood, which spawned the eleven-member boy band One Day; 2AM primarily perform ballad songs while their brother group 2PM performed more dance-focused music. With the addition of Changmin from Big Hit Entertainment, the group was co-managed by JYP and Big Hit from 2008 to 2014. They officially debuted on July 11, 2008, on KBS' Music Bank, performing their debut single "This Song". The group also debuted in Japan with the single "Never Let You Go: Shindemo Hanasanai" in January 2012.
Boyfriend (Korean: 보이프렌드) is a South Korean boy band formed by Starship Entertainment in 2011. They are the first boy group to have twin members. The group consists of Kim Dong-hyun, Shim Hyun-seong, Lee Jeong-min, Jo Young-min, Jo Kwang-min and No Min-woo. They debuted on Mnet's M Countdown on May 26, 2011 with "Boyfriend".
Jung Ha-na, better known by her former stage name Zinger and mononymously as Hana, is a former South Korea singer and actress. She is best known for being a member of the South Korean girl group Secret.
Got7 is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of seven members: Jay B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, and Yugyeom. Got7 debuted in January 2014 with the release of their first EP Got It?, which peaked at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and number one on Billboard's World Albums Chart. The group gained attention also for their live performances, which often include elements of martial arts tricking and street dancing.
Red Velvet are a South Korean girl group formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on August 1, 2014, with the single "Happiness" with the four-member line-up of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy and Joy. A fifth member, Yeri, joined the group in March 2015, following the release of their first mini album, Ice Cream Cake. Musically, the work of Red Velvet reflects their own group name: their predominantly-pop "red" side experiments occasionally with electronic, funk and hip hop, while their "velvet" side focuses on '90s-influenced R&B with elements of ballad and jazz. Their genre versatility and hooks have garnered critical praise.
iKon (Korean: 아이콘), stylized as iKON, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2015 by YG Entertainment, consisting of six members: Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan. Originally a seven-piece band, leader B.I departed from the group in June 2019.
Oh My Girl is a South Korean girl group formed by WM Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Yubin and Arin. Originally an eight-piece group, JinE left the group in October 2017 due to health issues, and Jiho left in May 2022. Oh My Girl debuted on April 20, 2015, with an eponymous extended play.
Twice is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. Twice was formed under the television program Sixteen (2015) and debuted on October 20, 2015, with the extended play (EP) The Story Begins.
Bish is a Japanese idol group that was founded in 2015 by their manager Watanabe Junnosuke. The group was conceived as a successor to BiS, an idol group managed by Watanabe that disbanded in 2014.
Dreamcatcher is a South Korean girl group formed by Happyface Entertainment. The group consists of seven members: JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyeon. They made their official debut on January 13, 2017, with the single album Nightmare.
Apink is a South Korean girl group formed by IST Entertainment. The group debuted on April 19, 2011, with the extended play (EP) Seven Springs of Apink. Apink currently consists of five members: Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jeong Eun-ji, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young. Originally a seven-piece group, members Hong Yoo-kyung and Son Na-eun left in 2013 and 2022, respectively.
Stray Kids is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name. The group is composed of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Originally a nine-piece group, member Woojin left due to undisclosed personal reasons in October 2019. Stray Kids released their pre-debut extended play (EP) Mixtape in January 2018 and officially debuted on March 25 with the EP I Am Not.
